23rd January 2019
Dealer North
 S
 3
    
Love All
 H
 AKQ87
    
    D 109732
    
    C AJ
    
S
 98762
     S
 AQJ10
H
 J43
     H
 105
D
 K86
     D
 QJ
C
 107
     C
 Q9543
    S
 K54
    
    H
 962
    
    D
 A54
    
    C
 K862
    


South
 West
 North
 East


1H 1S
2S 4S 5H Pass
Pass
 Pass



Another deal from the Manchester Congress final. After North (Phil Taylor) opened one heart, East had an interesting choice of calls which would make a good bidding problem with pass, one spade and double all feasible.  East elected to overcall one spade, South (Peter Grauer) bid two spades showing a three card raise to at least three hearts.  West now bounced the auction to four spades and North optimistically  bid five hearts.  East led the queen of diamonds, ducked, followed by the jack of diamonds, won by the ace.  Declarer now drew trumps in three rounds and exited with a diamond.  East discarded the three of clubs followed by the spade queen in an attempt to show partner that his distribution was not quite what West expected.  West, however, still thinking that East had five spades was worried that East would get squeezed in clubs and spades on the run of the red suits, so she played a club hoping to put declarer to an immediate guess in the club suit (if he got it wrong and won in dummy, then there would be no entry for the squeeze).  Phil did well to win the club ace and then run the trumps and diamonds squeezing East to make his contract.