BRIDGE

This is a double-dummy problem. The contract is Seven Spades, and West leads the ten of hearts. You may look at all four hands in attempting to find the solution. How would you play the hand?

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It might appear that you must have to lose a diamond eventually, but obviously the diamond loser can be avoided; if it couldn't, this hand would not be presented here as a problem.

As usual when you have all the remaining tricks but one, the first thought to pop into your head should be the possibility of a squeeze. For the squeeze to be successful, one opponent or the other must have two (or three) suits to guard. Since you must assume the clubs will break favorably, the two suits one of the defenders will have to guard are hearts and diamonds.

This presupposes that the hearts are divided 5-3 or 6-2, so that only one of the defenders can guard that suit. You therefore win the heart lead with the ace, ruff a heart and play four rounds of trump to produce this position: You now cash the A-K-Q of clubs, being careful to drop your 10-9-5, and then lead the three of clubs. East, who is down to a pair of K-Q's, cannot withstand the pressure of the fourth club lead.

If he discards a heart, you next ruff the three of hearts, establishing dummy's four; if he discards a diamond instead, you cash the ace of diamonds before ruffing a heart and score the last trick with the diamond jack. Either way, East is a deceased pigeon.

CHESS SOLUTION: 1 Nc7 ! , 1-0 . White wins material , eg. 1…Rxd1 ; 2 Rxd1 and now : A : 2 Ndf8 ; 3 Bxb7 . B : 2 Ngf8 ; 3 Nxe6 , Nxe6 ; 4 Rxd7 .