CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 259, 3 November 1933, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

AN IMMUTABLE LAW.

(By ELY CULBERTSON.)

The principle of the squeeze in bridge is based oil the simple proposition that one body cannot be in two places at the same time. Thus a player with two points of attack to defend, but with forces adequate to defend only one, may be compelled to see his defences crumble at all points through the inexorable working of superior forces. An appreciation and application of this principle permitted Mr. Thomas H. O'Ncil, a member of the staff of the Associated Press, to brilliantly fulfil a grand slam contract in a recent rubber game at the Deschapelles Club in New York City. Mr. O'Neil was one of those who reported my 150-rubber match with Mr. Sidney S. Lenz, something over a year His interest in bridge has always been keen, but his skill as a player perhaps has not been adequately recognised—maybe because of that anonymity with which a great newsgathering organisation cloaks its faithful servants. The hand which gave Mr. O'Neil the opportunity to make apparently one more trick than was in the cards was the following: East dealer. Neither side vulnerable.

The Bidding. (Figures after bids in table refer to numbered explanatory paragraphs.) East South West North 2Jfo Pass 2NT (1) Pass 3* (2) Pass 4,1,(3) Pass GJf. Pass 74»(4) Pass Pasa Pass I.—West's choice of a response is close. After all, the hand docs hold considerable support for a Club bid, but West decides to err on the side of conservatism rather than boldness. An alternative bid would be three Clubs. 2. —Correctly showing the re-bid strength of the Club suit. 3. —West now gives a raise in Clubs. 4. —Over-optimistic, no doubt, but West feels sure that Mr. O'Neil holds three Aces and there is a possible ruffing value in the doubleton in the. Diamond suit. He knows, too, that Mr. O'Neil holds a long trump suit, which may permit the making of the contract through a squeeze.

The play was quite interesting. South naturally opened the Diamond Queen. Of course, against a Spade opening the squeeze could not have operated, as it would have removed a vital card of eptry from the dummy. Mr. O'Neil drew one round of trumps, then led his second high Diamond and ruffed >tho losing Diamond in the dummy, and then continued to lead out all the remaining trumps. It was obvious, of course, that unless North was required to protect both the Heart and Spade suits, the contract could not be made. This line of play assumed that North held both the King-Queen of Spades and the Queen-Knave of Hearts, with length in both suits. After eight tricks had been played the situation was as follows:

Soutli's play was immaterial when the last trump was led. As a matter of fact, he discarded tile Diamond. A Heart was played from Dummy, but North could noit defend further. Hoping that his partner held a stopper in Spades, he discarded the Spade Queen, but it was of no avail. The Ace and King of Hearts were cashed, and the last two tricks taken with the Ace-9 of Spades in dummy. Mr. O'Ncil by very accurate play, had redeemed his partner's over-bid.