One Suit Squezze

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Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune August 14th 1986 by Goren-SharifPaul  LUKACS

One of the basics neccesities for a squezze to operate is that an opponent has to guard at least two suits. But the fertile mind of the late problem composer Paul Lukacs, of Tel Aviv, came up with a situation in which the defenders can be squeezed in one suit.gor 1

Here is the hand: After the overcall, North’s jump to three hearts was a limit raise and could have been passed. But South had just enough to go on to game.

West cashed the king and ace of spades and continued with a third round of the suit, which declarer ruffed. He drew trumps and had to avoid losing two diamond tricks if he were going to make his contract.

If declarer simply led a diamond to his hand, East could insert the nine, and no matter how he twisted, declarer would be unable to avoid giving up those two tricks.

Lukacs’ solution to the problem was for declarer to take his two club tricks, ruff a club, then play off his remaining trumps, bringing about this position: gor 4

When the last trump is led. West is helpless. If he discards a low diamond, declarer simply ducks a dia mond into his hand and West is forced to retum the suit into declarer’s major tenace. If he discards the ten, declarer leads the six from the table. East must cover and declarer ‘s queen loses to the king. West moves away from the K-7 into declarer’s combined A-8 tenace.

Either way, South loses only one diamond.