2. a. You don’t have much choice. You need to find clubs 3–3 or run a black-suit squeeze hoping the player with the ♠K has four or more clubs. After winning the club, cash all your red-suit winners, discarding the ♠10 from dummy on the fifth diamond. Dummy has the ♣K 7 6 and the blank ♠A, and you have ♠Q 3 and the ♣Q 2. Play the ♠A: If the king falls, you have the rest. If it doesn’t, try the ♣Q and a club to dummy’s king hoping the fourth club in dummy is high.
You can also cash the ♠A earlier and then run your red-suit winners to exact the same squeeze. The first technique seems a bit more eloquent.
b. If the ♥Q is not covered, assume the king and 10 are split as it is normal to cover with the K–10–(x)–(x). Test the clubs and if they do not break 3–3, ruff dummy’s fourth club, stripping that suit, and get out with the ♠A and a spade. If West wins the trick and returns a heart, you will win the jack and no more problem. If East wins and returns a heart, stick in the 9. It should drive out the king and once again the slam is made.
c. If the queen is covered, chances are West has the 10 as well. As before, test the clubs and if they don’t break 3–3, ruff a club and get out with the ♠A and a spade, hoping West wins the trick and has to lead a heart into your J–9.
If East wins the ♠K and returns a heart, stick in the 9 and pray.
Submitted by Rick Rowland, Wilmington DE.
