Stepping-stone squeeze
Encyclopedia
The Stepping-stone squeeze is an advanced type of squeeze
in Contract Bridge
. It is used when the declarer has enough high cards to take all but one of the remaining tricks, but does not have enough communication between the hands to cash them. It was analyzed and named by Terence Reese
in the book "The Expert Game", also titled "Master Play in Contract Bridge".
The following position is an example of a Stepping-stone squeeze:
South has three winners: The K, A, and A. Unfortunately, after cashing the K, there will be no entry to the North hand to enjoy the A. However, on the play of A, West is squeezed. Discarding a spade allows South to overtake the K to get two tricks in the suit. Throwing the A lets South cash the K. Therefore, West parts with the 3. Now South is able to play the K and lead the K, putting West on lead with only the Q remaining in hand.
The name stepping-stone alludes to South's use of West's A to cross over to the abandoned A.
This squeeze would work equally well with the East and West hands reversed.
An interesting variation is the following ending playing in no trumps with the lead in South:
Needing all but one of the remaining tricks, the declarer leads the 10 covered by West, dummy winning with the A. When the winning diamond is led from dummy (declarer throwing a heart) both defenders are subjected to a stepping-stone squeeze. If they both throw spades then declarer cashes the spades in dummy. If one defender keeps two spades then declarer plays a small spade to the J and leads a heart. Now the defender who kept spades wins his stiff honour and must lead a spade to dummy's winner. His partner cannot overtake as this sets up the Q.
Squeeze play (bridge)
A squeeze play is a type of play late in the hand of contract bridge and other trick-taking game in which the play of a card forces an opponent to discard a card that gives up one or more tricks. The discarded card may be either a winner or a card needed to protect a winner...
in Contract Bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
. It is used when the declarer has enough high cards to take all but one of the remaining tricks, but does not have enough communication between the hands to cash them. It was analyzed and named by Terence Reese
Terence Reese
John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields...
in the book "The Expert Game", also titled "Master Play in Contract Bridge".
The following position is an example of a Stepping-stone squeeze:
South has three winners: The K, A, and A. Unfortunately, after cashing the K, there will be no entry to the North hand to enjoy the A. However, on the play of A, West is squeezed. Discarding a spade allows South to overtake the K to get two tricks in the suit. Throwing the A lets South cash the K. Therefore, West parts with the 3. Now South is able to play the K and lead the K, putting West on lead with only the Q remaining in hand.
The name stepping-stone alludes to South's use of West's A to cross over to the abandoned A.
This squeeze would work equally well with the East and West hands reversed.
An interesting variation is the following ending playing in no trumps with the lead in South:
Needing all but one of the remaining tricks, the declarer leads the 10 covered by West, dummy winning with the A. When the winning diamond is led from dummy (declarer throwing a heart) both defenders are subjected to a stepping-stone squeeze. If they both throw spades then declarer cashes the spades in dummy. If one defender keeps two spades then declarer plays a small spade to the J and leads a heart. Now the defender who kept spades wins his stiff honour and must lead a spade to dummy's winner. His partner cannot overtake as this sets up the Q.