Bridge card game, the most popular card game in the world |
In the card game contract bridge, an entry-shifting squeeze is a mixture between a material squeeze and an immaterial squeeze. The material part is the same as in a trump squeeze or a squeeze without the count. The immaterial part is that depending on the choice of discards of the squeezee an entry into one or into the other hand is created. For that very reason an entry-shifting squeeze is always a positional squeeze.
♠ | - | ||||
♥ | K6 | ||||
♦ | - | ||||
♣ | A5 | ||||
♠ | - |
N W E S |
♠ | J5 | |
♥ | A4 | ♥ | 3 | ||
♦ | K9 | ♦ | - | ||
♣ | - | ♣ | 8 | ||
♠ | - | ||||
♥ | - | ||||
♦ | Q2 | ||||
♣ | J2 |
In the first
diagram clubs are trumps and South could claim all tricks on a
crossruff
were it not for the trump in East's hand. When the club jack is played the
entry-shifting squeeze comes to his rescue. If West sheds a heart the jack is
overtaken with the ace, a heart ruffed and North is left with the last trump and
a master heart. If West chooses to discard a diamond, the club jack is
underplayed with the five. North's club ace ruffs the diamonds good and the
South hand wins the last two tricks.
The entry-shifting mechanism works also in No Trumps, as can be seen in the next example.
♠ | A864 | ||||
♥ | - | ||||
♦ | KJ | ||||
♣ | - | ||||
♠ | KQ7 |
N W E S |
♠ | 53 | |
♥ | KQ5 | ♥ | 983 | ||
♦ | - | ♦ | - | ||
♣ | - | ♣ | 3 | ||
♠ | 2 | ||||
♥ | AJ10 | ||||
♦ | AQ | ||||
♣ | - |
As we have only four tricks this is a squeeze without the count. It is not
possible to rectify the count as there are not enough communications between the
two hands. The entry-shifting mechanism will overcome this though. South leads
the ♦A and West has no good discard. If he discards a spade, the ♦J is played
and South continues with a spade to the ace and the spade eight. West returns a
heart to South's ace, but the diamond king serves as an entry to the established
spades. If West chooses to discard a heart, the diamond king is played and after
ace of hearts and another heart, the ♦Q will serve as an entry. There is an
interesting variation about this ending. If East guards only the third round of
one of the menace suits, the squeeze does not work, given that he as an outside
winner too. If the ♥9 and the ♥10 were interchanged in the above diagram, best
defense can always restrict South to his four top tricks: West discards a heart
honor on the ♦A. Now East can gain the trick that has to be lost in that suit
and cash his side winner.
Bridge card game, the most popular card game in the world.