What's It All About

by Alfred Sheinwold

South to make 7♥
Opening Lead: ♥2

Dummy wins with the heart queen, and leads the ♠9.  If covered, the king is taken; otherwise the nine wins.  The ♦A is cashed, followed by the ace and nine of trumps.

If the first spade was covered, the ♠6 is now led, winning if east follows low; if it is covered and won in hand, another spade is led to dummy.  The idea is to be able to win the fourth round of spades in dummy, irrespective of east's defense.

Having won the second or third spade in dummy, the ♦Q is led, covered and ruffed.  Any spade honor remaining in south is cashed, together with another trump, as the club queen is discarded.  The stage is set:

The spade is led to dummy, and east-west are caught in a double trump squeeze.  If west discards a club, then only east can guard either minor; dummy plays whichever suit east discards.  Alternatively, if west discards a diamond, then dummy leads the diamond ten, pinning the nine to establish the five.

Mr. Sheinwold's self-professed favorite play was the trump squeeze; this one has an extra wrinkle.