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Knockout squeeze
In bridge, 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 (they are often already of winning rank) it is termed a non-material squeeze. Other non-material squeezes include entry squeezes, single-suit squeezes and winkles.
In a spade contract, declarer needs three of the last five tricks. He can't play for a crossruff because East will get the lead in a minor suit and lead his . Declarer leads dummy's and East's hand collapses.
The salient point in the diagram position is that because East holds a trump, South can't just duck a minor suit trick to set up a crossruff. If he does, East will win and lead his trump, killing the crossruff. East does not threaten to take a trump trick, just to lead his trump and stop dummy's ruff.
But if East gives up his guard in either minor, he gives South an additional trick in the side suit, and now South no longer needs the ruff.
Notice the entry-shifting mechanism in the trump suit. South chooses the card to ruff with depending on East's discard. If East discards a diamond on the , South ruffs high so that he can later win a trump trick with the . If East discards a club on the , South ruffs low so that he can later win the .
A positional squeeze can entail an entry-shift, and in fact the squeeze given above is positional — it will not operate if the East-West hands are switched. But many knockout squeezes are not positional but automatic — that is, the threats are located such that the squeeze operates against either opponent. Here is an example:
With spades trump, North has the lead. South needs three of the last five tricks. He leads dummy's club to knockout-squeeze East. If East discards a trump, South will be able to take two trumps in his hand and ruff a diamond in dummy. If East discards anything else, South ruffs low and leads a diamond, to win two trumps and a red suit trick, or two trumps and a diamond ruff, depending on how East defends.
The ruff of the in South's hand still operates a squeeze if the East-West hands are switched, so the position is an automatic squeeze:
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Knockout squeeze
In bridge, 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 (they are often already of winning rank) it is termed a non-material squeeze. Other non-material squeezes include entry squeezes, single-suit squeezes and winkles.
In a spade contract, declarer needs three of the last five tricks. He can't play for a crossruff because East will get the lead in a minor suit and lead his . Declarer leads dummy's and East's hand collapses.
The salient point in the diagram position is that because East holds a trump, South can't just duck a minor suit trick to set up a crossruff. If he does, East will win and lead his trump, killing the crossruff. East does not threaten to take a trump trick, just to lead his trump and stop dummy's ruff.
But if East gives up his guard in either minor, he gives South an additional trick in the side suit, and now South no longer needs the ruff.
Notice the entry-shifting mechanism in the trump suit. South chooses the card to ruff with depending on East's discard. If East discards a diamond on the , South ruffs high so that he can later win a trump trick with the . If East discards a club on the , South ruffs low so that he can later win the .
A positional squeeze can entail an entry-shift, and in fact the squeeze given above is positional — it will not operate if the East-West hands are switched. But many knockout squeezes are not positional but automatic — that is, the threats are located such that the squeeze operates against either opponent. Here is an example:
With spades trump, North has the lead. South needs three of the last five tricks. He leads dummy's club to knockout-squeeze East. If East discards a trump, South will be able to take two trumps in his hand and ruff a diamond in dummy. If East discards anything else, South ruffs low and leads a diamond, to win two trumps and a red suit trick, or two trumps and a diamond ruff, depending on how East defends.
The ruff of the in South's hand still operates a squeeze if the East-West hands are switched, so the position is an automatic squeeze: