A Winkle?

Playing in a unit game with a strong partner, we are mostly crushing. There are a couple of potholes along the highway, but every hand seems to have some interesting twist. This one did, but was almost much much better.

	AJ54 AJ32 4 KJ63

	92 754 AK106 AQ82

Declarer	Dummy
1	1
1NT	2*
2	3NT
Pass

The 1NT rebid seems a little skewed, but three small trumps doesn't look like a raise; it's probably better to get my hand type across immediately. 2

was an artificial game force, so dummy showed four spades by his sequence. As a result, the opening lead is the

10.

I start with only 8 tricks; it looks as if I am going to have to do something with the hearts. Without any useful spots, there are two ways to play the suit. I can finesse the J, which is the best line for three tricks and for the most, or I can duck a trick, cash the A, and lead toward the J, which is the best line for two tricks, and is only ever so slightly weaker overall. A little bit of table feel should help here. I win the first trick in hand and advance a heart. LHO plays the nine without a flicker. I think neither play is going to work; it appears as if LHO does not have length (he would have played the 8 or 6 with four or more and not two high honors, and he probably would have revealed his holding both honors). I think I prefer to keep options for later plays in the suit, so I duck the 9 entirely. I can still play LHO for KQ109 or K/Q109x, but it seems unlikely any of those exist.

RHO allows his partner's 9 to win. Good! That means hearts are probably 3-3, as he might have overtaken with both the 10 and 8 in order to play a diamond. Better! LHO shifts to the Curse of Scotland. I win RHO's J with the A and play another heart. LHO contributes the 10. Does he have a doubleton or KQ109? I think neither, so I might as well cover with the J. As expected, it loses to the K.

RHO thinks about this for a while, as well he may, and exits with a low heart; they were 3-3 as expected. When I cash the good heart, everyone pitches diamonds, the 2, 6, and 8 in that order. What's the whole hand? Clubs are obviously 4-1. Hearts are 3-3. RHO has both diamond honors and has either five or six of them. Opening leader is either 3334 or 4324. I don't think I can tell much about the spades yet; if opening leader had both honors, he would be able to place me with the K, so pitching his diamond would be easy enough.

I don't think I can tell the hand for sure, but I want to play for split honors in spades. Not only is it the most likely possibility, but if so, there is a winkle, and winkles are cool. I cash my A as everyone plays small and start running the clubs. With two clubs to go, if spades are 3-4 and the honors split, this is the position:

	J54 — — J6
K10 — x 97		Q73 — Q7 —
	9 — K10 A8

On the

J, RHO is squeezed. No threat suit has an entry, and his spades are apparently useless, but giving one up turns out to be costly. He has, of course, no choice. On the last club, which I win in hand, he again pitches a small spade and this is the position:

	J54 — — —
K10 — x —		Q — Q7 —
	9 — K10 —

Now when I play my last spade, LHO is faced with a Hobson's Choice: he can either let his partner win the spade trick and be endplayed, or he can win it and be forced to lead diamonds himself or give dummy two spade tricks—that's why the spade pitch was costly; now dummy's spades will all be good! (Who ever thought AJ54 vs. 92 could be a semi-solid suit?)

In practice, RHO pitched the Q on the last club, since he had both honors. That meant he was simply strip-squeezed. For that matter, I didn't need to cash the A; just running my tricks would have simple squeezed RHO in spades and diamonds. +630 was a top board either way, but it would have been much more fun if the cards were right for the winkle.