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!