Quite Possibly the Coolest Thing Ever

While I have ambitions to be a very good duplicate player someday, bridge for me will always be about sitting around a table with friends and family having fun.

So, once a week I get together online and play with some good friends who have moved out west. We either play rubber or IMPs, but it's always laid back and fun, with craziness and laughs. I'm the only player who could be called even remotely serious, and I always, always have fun.

During last week's game, though, something very cool happened.

♠ AQJ52 ♥ KJ8 ♦ 987 ♣ 53

♠ 9 ♥ AT5 ♦ KJ2 ♣ KQJ982

West	North	East	South
p	1♠	p	2♣
p	2♥	p	3NT
p	p	p

The 7 of spades was led. I suppose a rule of 11 would have told me I could with with the 9, but I put in the jack anyways, which won.

A club to the jack held, and the queen drew the ace from LHO, both following. A low diamond was won by RHO's ace. She returned the 3 of diamonds, and I decided that the king was clearly right.

By now, I already have 10 tricks, so the contract is assured (2 spades, 2 hearts, diamond and 5 clubs). Nonetheless, my mind was fully engaged, and I was pretty sure I had count for what had happened so far.

On the first club, LHO followed, while RHO discarded a heart. The next round brought 2 hearts, then the round after 2 spades. (I threw the 2 and 5 of spades off the board).

In my mind, I very clearly thought, "Once LHO discards on the 2 of clubs, I'll stop and try to reason this out." What I had in mind, of course, was a possible squeeze for the 11th trick.

This was the layout, with 5 tricks left.

	♠ AQ ♥ KJ8 ♦ ♣
♠ KT ♥ Q6 ♦ Q ♣		♠ 6 ♥ 97 ♦ 54 ♣
	♠ ♥ AT5 ♦ J ♣ 2

On the 2 of clubs, LHO discarded the queen of diamonds, and I claimed (jack of diamonds, ace/king of hearts, ace of spades.

While the discard made the right play easy to spot, I truly believe I would have reasoned out the right line regardless of what LHO discarded. I knew from the opening lead that she had 2 spades left before the discard. I was also very aware there were only 4 hearts left, and there was a good chance my jack might be promoted if more hearts were discarded.

So, while I can't fully take credit for pulling off a squeeze (I don't think), I can be awfully proud of the position I put myself in - I remembered the opening lead and what it implied, I had count, I didn't blindly guess the 2-way finesse, and I kept thinking "there may be a squeeze here".

Seeing the layout after the hand, and seeing that the squeeze had, in fact, been on, was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced in bridge.