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Bridge card game, the most popular card game in the world |
In contract bridge, the trump squeeze is a variant of the simple squeeze. (Squeezes are techniques in this game to gain extra tricks.)
In a trump squeeze, declarer has a suit that can be established by ruffing, but the defender being squeezed is guarding that suit. However, if he happens to also guard another suit, the squeeze card will force him to unguard one. This end position below shows a trump squeeze in action:
| ♠ | A | ||
| ♥ | - | ||
| ♦ | A | ||
| ♣ | K 10 7 | ||
|
N E S |
♠ | Q 9 | |
| ♥ | - | ||
| ♦ | - | ||
| ♣ | J 9 8 | ||
| ♠ | 10 8 3 | ||
| ♥ | 2 | ||
| ♦ | - | ||
| ♣ | 3 | ||
Hearts are trumps, and the lead is in the North hand. Declarer plays the ♦A,
discarding the ♠3 from hand, and East has no good discard. If East plays a
spade, declarer cashes the ♠A to set up the spade suit. If East plays a club,
declarer cashes the ♣K ruffs a club, and has the Ace of spades as an entry to
dummy.
The key elements are:
A trump squeeze is not a positional squeeze, and will work if the defenders' hands are swapped.
A very rare example is the double trump squeeze, where both opponents suffer the same fate. Here is an example from the quarterfinals of the 2004 Olympiad, in the match between Italy and the USA. Declarer, Norberto Bocchi of Italy, declared 4♥ and achieved the following end position with the lead in dummy:
| ♠ | 10 7 3 | ||||
| ♥ | A 10 | ||||
| ♦ | - | ||||
| ♣ | - | ||||
| ♠ | Q 4 2 |
N W E S |
♠ | J 9 6 | |
| ♥ | - | ♥ | - | ||
| ♦ | K 7 | ♦ | J 9 | ||
| ♣ | - | ♣ | - | ||
| ♠ | A K 8 | ||||
| ♥ | - | ||||
| ♦ | Q 10 | ||||
| ♣ | - | ||||
Declarer led the Ace of Hearts from
dummy, discarding the ♠8, and the defence had no answer. If both pitched
spades, declarer could play the Ace and King of spades, establishing the ten. If
both pitched diamonds, a spade to the Ace and a diamond ruff would establish the
Queen. Declarer's play depended on who released the diamond guard. If it was
West, a spade to the Ace and the Ten of diamonds would set up the Queen. If it
was East, a spade to the Ace and the Queen of diamonds would smother the Jack
and create a ruffing finesse position.
Note that the squeeze was not automatic, but Bocchi read the situation accurately when West discarded the Seven of Diamonds.
Bridge card game, the most popular carg game in the world.