Sunday, January 08, 2006 5:46 AM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( Pseudo Squeezes )

PITBULLS:

Clyde Love contends that there are some hands that should be played a la novice. A novice Bridge player cashes their quick sure winners early , then looks around for something else to do. Good players usually reverse the process. When no harm can be done thereby, run your solid suit at the earliest opportunity. This play can induce wrong discards so you make the hand on a pseudo squeeze or pseudo endplay. Sometimes the discards establish a real squeeze you did not have in the first place. Do not “tip your hat” to the opponents by leading suits that they can give each other count as chances for a pseudo squeeze diminish.

x	K	x	x
x	Q	x	x
x	J		x
	x
	x

Love says the best way to play this hand is on a pseudo strip. Win the spade opener , queen & Ace , do not lead a heart immediately as they will give count & hold up appropriately. Love says run your 4 diamonds first trying to induce a club discard. On the 4^th diamond , LHO does discard one of his 3 “useless” clubs. You now cash your Ace and King of clubs and lead a heart. LHO has “end played” himself and must give you a heart trick or a spade trick.

A	x	A	A
J	x	K	K
x		Q	x
		J	x

K	A	A	A
Q	J	x	K
J		x
10
x
x

There are some hands that cashing your tricks early in the wrong order ruins the squeeze. Usually the squeeze does not occur until the 2^nd last or last winner is cashed so “testing the water” is to be encouraged.

You are in 7NT with the heart King lead. . You have 12 top tricks so you have squeeze possibilities. Rather than work it out immediately , try for a pseudo squeeze first. You run 5

spades so east has 5 diamonds & 4 clubs. He has nothing to go on except the board has longer diamonds than clubs so you might have longer clubs than diamonds. He lets two diamonds go so that ends this hand.

A	x	K	10
x		Q	9
x		x	x
x		x	x

To err is human , so a pseudo squeeze is the first squeeze to try when entries & conditions allow you to do this.