September 2021 - 56

Intermediate Players
Boehm on Bridge
Deception - part 6
S
traightforward card play
technique sometimes overlaps
with deception. Most players
know the effect of a squeeze - run a
long suit and hope the discards present
you with a trick. In a legitimate
squeeze, the defense has no escape,
but the illusion of a squeeze may work
just as well. To illustrate, IMPs, neither
side vulnerable, you hold:
J kA Q 8 7 6 5 2 l6 'A 8 3 2.
RHO opens 1, 2k by you, 2 on
your left, and 3k by partner. RHO
jumps to 4; with your extra distribution,
you take the push to 5k, all
pass. The lead is the 10, revealing:
Dummy (North)
 8 7 4
k K 10 9 3
l K Q 8 2
' J 4
You (South)
 J
k A Q 8 7 6 5 2
l 6
' A 8 3 2
East wins theQ and continues
the A, ruffed. You try to sneak a
diamond trick through West, but he
alertly rises with the ace, low from
East, and continues a spade to East's
king which you ruff. Now what?
Two diamond discards leave you
a trick short. You could run all your
trumps, but if you cash dummy's high
diamonds first, each opponent will
know to hang on to clubs. With dummy
unreachable, clubs is the only suit
left in play. Instead, see what happens
if you reach this position without
cashing the diamond winners:
56 | Bridge Bulletin | September 2021
Dummy
 -
k -
l K Q 8
' J 4
You
 -
k 2
l -
' A 8 3 2
You lead the last trump and discard
the '4. In the four-card ending, if
West thinks he must guard diamonds
holding, say, lJ 7 3, and East feels
the same way with l10 9 5, each
opponent will reduce to one club -
voila, all your clubs become tricks.
Intentionally stranding yourself from
dummy's diamonds, pretending that
you have a low diamond in the diagram,
is an essential part of the illusion.
You want to give the appearance
of a squeeze so that each defender
will feel the need to guard diamonds.
True, this line risks extra undertricks
if an opponent retains club
guards. Still, you were headed for
down one if East had shifted to a club
at trick two, so it's worth trying to
make the contract.
Next, you find yourself in 4
doubled:
Dummy (North)
 A 7 6 2
k J 8 3
l K Q
' 9 7 4 3
You (South)
 Q 10 9 8 5 4 3
k 9
l J 8 2
' A Q
BY AUGUST BOEHM
You open 3, West intervenes
with 3NT, North raises to 4, passed
around to West who doubles, all pass.
West leads kA K - plan the play.
It seems that there is one loser in
each suit - on the bidding, the club
finesse is almost sure to lose. How
about an endplay to force West to lead
into your 'A Q? The problem is timing;
let's say you cross to the A, ruff
the third heart to strip that suit, and
lead a diamond. West can rise with
the ace, cash his high spade and exit
safely with a second diamond, condemning
you to a losing club finesse.
An illusion, based on endplay technique,
is required. Lead a diamond at
trick three, let West win and continue
with a third heart (say). Ruff it, cross
to the A, and then cash the lK.
Dump the lJ under the king, the key
play! Now throw West in with his high
spade. If he believes your diamond
falsecard, rather than surrender a
ruff-and-sluff, he may try a club, hoping
partner has the queen; if so, you're
home. Like all deceptions, it doesn't
guarantee success but it gives an opponent
a fair chance to go wrong.
Note that the lJ, though a winner,
provided no useful discard from
dummy, so it was expendable to
suggest a complete strip of the side
suits, characteristic of an endplay.
Note also that East has a role to play.
On the first diamond he should signal
count from the l10 7 6 3. Especially
with a very weak hand, it is important
to signal accurately because partner,
burdened with all the decisions, may
require your help. When West is later
thrown on lead, he has the diamond
count to expose your ruse and exit
safely with a third diamond, waiting
for his club trick. However, not all
defenders will manage this and your
deception costs nothing.
September 2021

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