Bridge - Senior Trial Final for the World Mind Sports Games Many players think that squeezes are executed only by experts. But some just "play themselves." You are one trick short of your contract with no apparent way of generating that extra winner. That is the classic clue that you need a squeeze. Make sure that you have all of the remaining tricks except one, then run winners and hope an opponent has to make a suicidal discard. The diagramed deal was Board 14 of the final of the senior trial played this month for the World Mind Sports Games. The two teams were Carolyn Lynch, Mike Passell, Garey Hayden, John Sutherlin, Marc Jacobus and Eddie Wold; and Richie Schwartz, Lew Finkel, Neil Chambers, John Schermer, Stephen Landen and Sam Lev. At the other table Lynch (South) did not open the bidding, and the final contract was five diamonds by South, which made exactly. Landen (West) led the spade jack. And when Lev (East) got on play with his club ace, he led another spade, which killed the squeeze. In the given auction Schwartz (North) responded two diamonds, an inverted minor-suit raise promising at least game-invitational values. Finkel (South) rebid three hearts, a splinter bid showing at most a singleton heart. Four clubs was forward-going. North wondered if a 4-4 club-fit slam would be best. Four hearts confirmed the void. Four spades and five clubs were control-bids (cue-bids). Hayden (West) led the club deuce. Sutherlin (East) won with his ace and returned a club, taken by declarer's king. There seemed to be an unavoidable spade loser. So Finkel had to hope that the defender with the heart ace also had at least four spades, which was highly likely, given East's takeout double. Declarer ran all of his minor-suit winners, bringing everyone down to three cards. Dummy had the ace-eight of spades and heart king. South held the king-seven-six of spades. But what could East keep? He could not retain the heart ace and three spades. East discarded a spade, so declarer took the last three tricks in that suit. Minus 400 and plus 920 gave the Schwartz team 11 international match points on the board en route to victory in the match. Did you notice the ways in which six diamonds could have been defeated? A lead in either major would have worked. But much more difficult was East's opportunity. He had to hold up his club ace until the third round of the suit, then shift to a spade. That would have destroyed declarer's communications for the squeeze. Tough!