An unusual squeeze

Game all
Dealer East

• AK
• 743
• AJ9
• AK1083

• J105
• AQ92
• KQ82
• 42

N

W

E

S

• Q9743
• J10
• 107654
• Q

• 862
• K865
• 3
• J9765

West

North

East

South

Peter

Paul

Carole

Jon

-

-

Pass

Pass

1NT^12-14

X

2^transfer

X

2

Pass

Pass

3

Pass

3NT

All pass

Jon's double of East's conventional 2 bid showed values, which he was rather short of, and switched us from take-out to penalty doubles - he would be happy to defend two spades doubled, but unwilling to double for penalties himself.  When he next bid 3, I counted five club, two spade and (wrongly) two diamond tricks, and bid a confident 3NT.  I suppose West could have passed the doubled transfer bid to show heart values, but East chose to lead the jack of hearts anyway.  At first sight, this looks like a hit.

East won the first two tricks with the jack and ten of hearts, then, still reluctant to lead away from the queen of spades, switched to the queen of clubs.  The hand plays itself from here - West is a strong favourite to have all the missing high cards in the red suits, so I just ran the clubs ending in dummy, and watched the discards.  West could afford one diamond discard, but needed the rest of his red cards, so he threw two spades.  Now the two top spades confirmed West's exact hand, and forced him finally to discard a heart.  I exited in hearts, ducked the king of diamonds, and took the last two tricks with the jack and ace.

East's opening lead looked good, but in fact it gives the contract, which has no chance on a spade lead (if declarer runs the clubs the defence must keep three diamonds each and all their spades).  After the heart lead, switching to spades at trick two wouldn't help: once one round of hearts has been played declarer can lose a heart to West in the end game.  Nor is a diamond switch any good - unusually this squeeze works with no winner in the threat suits.