Manchester County
Bridge Association




Problem 13 Solution
  
 
    S K9x    
    H KQxxxx
   
    D
   
    C Kxxx    
S Jxx     S AQx
H 10xxx     H AJx
D 10xxxx     D xx
C x     C Q109xx
    S 10xxx    
    H
   
    D AKQJ9x    
    C AJx    

Contract 3NT by South would you rather play or defend?

You should defend, but the play is complex.  The main variation occurs after a Heart to the Ace and the Heart J back (if a low Heart win and return a Heart for a trivial 10 tricks).  This must be ducked or communication between East & West is established.  Now East must switch specifically to a Club (a Diamond is no good).  At some point South plays a Spade to the 9 and Q (it doesn't matter when).  East must now specifically return the third Heart (which means that if South has cashed 4 Diamonds throwing 3 Hearts and a Club East must specifically throw 2 Clubs) keeping AQx, x, ---, Q10).  If East ever throws a Spade the Spade Ace can be ducked out so these discards are forced.  Now, when a Club is played to the Ace West is triple squeezed (a Heart gives 2 Heart tricks, a Diamond the 5th Diamond trick and a Spade allows you to play a Spade to the J, K and A establishing your 10). But the Heart back triple squeezes South first before you can play a Club.
If South pitchs a Diamond the Diamond menace is gone, if a Club the communications are ruined and you can generate 9 tricks but cannot get to them and if a Spade then your 10 is stiff so it does not matter if West pitchs a Spade (you have had to pitch a Spade and a Diamond on the first 2 Diamonds).

Thanks to Alan Mould for the extensive analysis of this hand, which was a minor variation on a deal from a league match in 2004.  I originally posed this as a problem thinking that East had to defend against a strip squeeze, not realising that the seemingly unimportant West hand would be involved.