|
Home >
Articles >
Rectifying the Losers
Everyone has heard about rectifying the count in preparation for a squeeze, but how about rectifying the number of losers? After all, you cannot squeeze anyone if your hand contains nothing but winners.
| | North | | |
| AQ108 | |
| - | |
| West | J5 | East |
76 | AKJ10743 | J542 |
AK8743 | | Q52 |
984 | South | AQ762 |
65 | K93 | 8 |
| J1096 | |
| K103 | |
| Q92 | |
Against 3NT, East won the diamond lead (? Don't ask why a heart wasn't started) and returned a diamond. It's obvious that finessing yields a twelfth trick here, but at the table declarer played the king, thus creating a loser for herself. Was this a bad play? No, because on the run of the clubs East got squeezed in spades and diamonds:
| | North | | |
| AQ108 | |
| - | |
| West | - | East |
76 | 3 | J542 |
AK | | - |
9 | South | Q |
- | K93 | - |
| J | |
| 10 | |
| - | |
Want to see that again?
| | North | | |
| 95 | |
| AQ6 | |
| West | AQ83 | East |
Q107432 | 8654 | 6 |
K2 | | J109854 |
107 | South | K65 |
A102 | AKJ8 | QJ9 |
| 73 | |
| J942 | |
| K73 | |
| South | West | North | East |
1 | 1 | 2 | Pass |
| 2NT | Pass | 3NT | All Pass |
West led a spade to South's 8. At trick 2 declarer led a diamond to the queen, which East for some reason allowed to win. Ace and another diamond put East on lead (West pitching a spade):
| | North | | |
| 9 | |
| AQ6 | |
| West | 8 | East |
Q1073 | 8654 | - |
K2 | | J109854 |
- | South | - |
A102 | AKJ | QJ9 |
| 73 | |
| J | |
| K73 | |
East now played the club queen, jack and another club, semi-endplaying West while simultaneously establishing dummy's long club. (This was not exactly a high-caliber game.) West, knowing a spade return would let declarer claim, tried a tricky 2. Declarer had marked West with the K for his overcall, but played the ace!
| | North | | |
| 9 | |
| Q6 | |
| West | 8 | East |
Q1073 | 8 | - |
K | | J10985 |
- | South | - |
- | AKJ | - |
| 7 | |
| J | |
| - | |
Declarer now cashed the 8 pitching his J. He then cashed the 8 (tossing his heart) to squeeze West in the majors. Showoff!
|