The Spokesman-Review – 6 Oct 1936 by Sam Gordon
Bridge player should know the symptons by this time.
All together, now. What are the five necessary symptoms in a successful squeeze play?
They are
(1) promotion cards;
(2) reduction , winners;
(3) enemy holdings;
(4) sure entries,
and 5) the squeeze card.
You have been reading about these symptoms. You should know these terms by now. You should know their meanings. You should be able to recognize them and apply them in a simple squeeze.
Must Promote Loser.
Promotion cards are seeming losers in the hand of the squeezer’s partner, one of which losers must be promoted into a winner when: the squeezed opponent is forced to give up a busy card in a suit of one of those seeming losers. Reduction winners are declarer’s taking cards from among the first 10 tricks in the deal; inclusive of the entry to the squeezer’s hand during the 10th trick; exclusive of the last three cards in the deal.
Enemy holdings are the outstanding high cards which threaten to take tricks in the suits in which the promotion cards are hoping to become winners. Their location must he decided upon either by discovery or guess. In a simple squeeze, they must be in the hand which plays after the squeeze card.
Sure entries include sure trick taker in the squeezer’s hand for the 10th trick, and a winner entry card in the hand of the squeezer’s partner for the 12th or 13th trick.
Some More Rules.
Squeeze card is a winner in the squeezer’s hand which must be led at the beginning of the 11th trick. Such a winner must be a card in some suit of which the squeezed hand has none. Such winner is exclusive of the reduction winners.
South is the declarer in the above deal playing at a contract of four hearts. West takes the first two diamond tricks. The third diamond round is ruffed by south. The north promotion cards are a small diamond and a small club. The reduction winners are the trump used for ruffing the third diamond round; four more trump round winners; three spade winners. The enemy holdings must be with West. The sure entries are the fourth trump round for south; the ace of clubs for north. The squeeze card is the remaining, trump in south. Tomorrow comes the big surprise.