Simultaneous double squeeze

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In contract bridge, a simultaneous double squeeze is a double squeeze in which both opponents are squeezed by the same card, as opposed to non-simultaneous double squeeze where the two opponents are squeezed in different tricks.

Contract bridge card game

Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions of people play bridge worldwide in clubs, tournaments, online and with friends at home, making it one of the world's most popular card games, particularly among seniors. The World Bridge Federation (WBF) is the governing body for international competitive bridge, with numerous other bodies governing bridge at the regional level.

The double squeeze is a type of squeeze play in the card game of Bridge.

A squeeze play is a tactic, often occurring late in the hand, used in contract bridge and other trick-taking games in which the play of a card forces an opponent to discard a winner or the guard of a potential winner. Although numerous types of squeezes have been analyzed and catalogued in contract bridge, they were first discovered and described in whist.

There are three basic matrices. In each of those, the double menace (the suit guarded by both opponents) must be accompanied by an entry, and the other two (single) menaces need not have one.

♠A 2
♥K
♦—
♣—
♠Q 6

N

W               E

S

♠K 9
♥A♥—
♦—♦Q
♣—♣—
♠3
♥—
♦J
♣2

1) In the first matrix, the double menace (spades) is in one hand (dummy in the example), accompanied by an entry, and the other two are split between two declarer's hands. When the club deuce is played West has to shed a spade, dummy sheds the now useless king of hearts and East is squeezed in the pointed suits. This is a positional squeeze (it would not work with E-W hands reversed).

♠A 2
♥K
♦J
♣—
♠Q J 9

N

W               E

S

♠10 8 5
♥A♥—
♦—♦Q
♣—♣—
♠K 6 4
♥—
♦—
♣2

2) The double menace (spades) is in one hand (declarer's) with entries in both hands, and two single menaces are in the other hand. The two of clubs is cashed and again West has to give up the guard in the double menace suit (spades). The now useless king of hearts is played from dummy and East is squeezed in the pointed suits. This is an automatic squeeze (working with hands interchanged), but the declarer has to know which defender guards which suit.

♠A K 2
♥—
♦2
♣—
♠Q J 9

N

W               E

S

♠10 8 5
♥A♥—
♦—♦K
♣—♣—
♠4
♥Q
♦Q
♣3

3) This is the most comfortable end position of the three simultaneous double squeeze matrices, because this squeeze is automatic with no guessing game involved. There, the double menace is a 3-card menace with two winners (including an entry) sits opposite the hand with two single menaces. The declarer discards the two of diamonds on the squeeze card (♣3) regardless of West's discard. As long as the squeeze worked, all spades in the North hand must be winners, unless one of our two queens became a master. It's not possible with one spade less in the layout: there would be no room in South's hand to keep the squeeze card, two red menaces, and an entry card (small spade) in only 3 cards. It is possible, though, (but rare) with a four-card double menace:

♠A K Q 2
♥—
♦2
♣—
♠J 9 7 5

N

W               E

S

♠10 8 6 4
♥A♥—
♦—♦K
♣—♣—
♠3
♥Q 2
♦Q
♣3

Related Research Articles

In contract bridge and similar games, a finesse is a card play technique which will enable a player to win an additional trick or tricks should there be a favorable position of one or more cards in the hands of the opponents.

In contract bridge, the criss-cross squeeze is a variant of the simple squeeze in which both menaces are blocked. However, the blocking cards provide the necessary communication between hands after the squeeze has been effected. Unblocking in the correct order allows the squeezing player to cash the newly created winner; but this requires an exact count of the hand – or a correct guess.

A Non-simultaneous double squeeze, in the card game of bridge, is a double squeeze in which the pressure is not applied to both opponents at the same trick. Before categorizing a little more about it we will show a diagram for the four basic matrices.

The simple squeeze is the most basic form of a squeeze in contract bridge. When declarer plays a winner in one suit, an opponent is forced to discard a stopper in one of declarer's two threat suits.

In trick-taking games, to ruff means to play a trump card to a trick. According to the rules of most games, a player must have no cards left in the suit led in order to ruff. Since the other players are constrained to follow suit if they can, even a low trump can win a trick. In some games, like Pinochle and Preferans, the player who cannot follow suit is required to ruff. In others, like Bridge and Whist, he may instead discard. Normally, ruffing will win a trick. But it is also possible that a subsequent player will overruff. This is not always a bad thing—see uppercut below.

An endplay, in bridge and similar games, is a tactical play where a defender is put on lead at a strategic moment, and then has to make a play that loses one or more tricks. Most commonly the losing play either constitutes a free finesse, or else it gives declarer a ruff and discard. In a case where declarer has no entries to dummy, the defender may also be endplayed into leading a suit which can be won in that hand.

A strip squeeze is a declarer technique at contract bridge combining elements of squeeze and endplay.

In contract bridge, the trump squeeze is a variant of the simple squeeze. 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.

Pseudo-squeeze is a type of deceptive play in contract bridge. The declarer goes through the motions of executing a genuine squeeze where none exists, in the hope that a defender misreads the actual position and misdefends. The pseudo-squeeze simply gives the defender able to recognize the possibility of a squeezed position a chance to go wrong.

A compound squeeze is a type of play in the game of contract bridge. In this squeeze one opponent is squeezed such that some form of other squeeze emerges involving either or both players. Usually this term is used to reference a pentagonal squeeze. In this form of squeeze both players guard two suits, and one player guards a third suit. On the play of a card the player guarding three suits must give up one of the shared guards . Now each opponent singly guards one suit, and there is a third suit that is jointly guarded. This means that a double squeeze matrix exists. Note that there are pseudo compound squeezes, where the triply squeezed opponent can select the 'correct' shared suit, such that the entry situation precludes the proper functioning of the double squeeze.

A triple squeeze is a squeeze against one player, in three suits; a more explicit definition is "three simple squeezes against the same player."

A guard squeeze is a type of squeeze in contract bridge where a player is squeezed out of a card which prevents his partner from being finessed. The squeeze operates in three suits, where the squeezed player protects the menaces in two suits, but cannot help his partner anymore in the third suit after the squeeze is executed.

Backwash squeeze is a rare squeeze which involves squeezing an opponent which lies behind declarer's menace. A variation of this, known as the "Sydney Squeeze" or "Seres Squeeze", was discovered in play at a rubber bridge game in Sydney, Australia in 1965, by the Australian great Tim Seres; it was later attested by famous bridge theorist Géza Ottlik in an article in The Bridge World in 1974, as well as in his famous book Adventures in Card Play, co-authored with Hugh Kelsey.

A clash squeeze is a three suit bridge squeeze with a special kind of menace, referred to as clash menace. The clash menace is one that might fall under a winner in the opposite hand, because it can be covered by another card in an opponent's hand. If the clash squeeze can force the opponent to discard his guard, then the clash menace can be cashed separately from the winner opposite. For example, consider this layout of the spade suit:

The Vice is an advanced squeeze in contract bridge. Its distinguishing motive is presence of a "vice" menace in one suit, where one defender holds cards of equivalent rank which split the declarer's pair of cards in front of him, where his partner has a winner in the suit. It was first attested by Terence Reese in the book "The Expert Game", a.k.a. "Master Play in Contract Bridge". In other words, the defenders have a "high" finesse position, equivalent to the one in diagram:

An entry squeeze exerts pressure by threatening the length of a defender's holding in a side suit. In many familiar squeezed positions, such as a simple or double squeeze, the rank of a defender's holding prevents declarer from cashing a threat until the squeeze has matured. This situation is also present in entry squeezes, but in addition a defensive holding interferes with declarer's entries, preventing declarer from effectively going back and forth between his hand and dummy.

A knockout squeeze is a squeeze in three suits, one of which is the trump suit. The defender's trump holding is needed to prevent declarer from making a successful play involving trumps, including one as prosaic as ruffing a loser. Because the knockout squeeze does not threaten to promote declarer's trumps to winners it is termed a non-material squeeze. Other non-material squeezes include entry squeezes, single-suit squeezes and winkles.

The saturated squeeze is a type of squeeze play in the card game of Bridge.

References

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