Source: Herald-Journal – 17 Dic 1935

I realize that, to the average player, squeezes and grand coups are just plays that you read about. I know there are many good players who have played bridge a number of years without making a grand coup, and then again there are others who have made the play, but failed to recognize it. Well, here is a hand that I believe explains this play better than any I have seen for a long time. As a matter of fact, it is a double grand coup. A grand coup play is literally discarding a trump; in other words, you have to trump a good card to get your hand reduced to the same number of trump as your opponent. In today’s hand you have two trump too many, so you must dispose of them. In doing this, you employ a play known as the double grand coup. The Play Against the four-spade contract. East cashes the ace, king, and queen of diamonds and then leads a small club, which declarer wins with the king. A small spade is won in dummy with the king and the trey of spades returned, declarer finessing the ten spot. East shows out, discarding the eight of diamonds. It now looks as if declarer has to lose a spade trick. However, why not try to avoid this loss? Gamble going down an extra trick if necessary. If you make the hand, the reward is worth it. Lead your jack of clubs, win in dummy with the ace and return the queen of clubs, trumping it with the six of spades. This is getting rid of trump number one. Now lead the jack of hearts. Even though East does not cover, you must finesse dummy’s queen. Return the good ten of clubs. West will refuse to trump, but you must trump, getting rid of trump number two. Now lead the eight of hearts and win in the dummy with ace. There are only two cards left in each hand, declarer having the ace-jack of trump over West’s queen-nine, and with the lead in dummy you do not have to lose the trump trick.

Don’t forget to follow us @

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR