The only end play I have ever understood is the throw in. I know when to use it. I know how to use it. And I can see it quite early in the play. But that’s it. I still don’t know how to spot (never mind execute) a squeeze, despite being told 100 times to ‘run all your trumps and leave an entry to both hands’. I never quite dare to run all my trumps. And then there is the mysterious ‘Dummy Reversal’ which came up while I was watching my teammates, Thor Erik Hoftaniska and Thomas Charlsen on BBO, playing for Norway in the World Bridge Games, identified and explained by the commentators.
E/W put on a lot of pressure, but 5♥ seemed more than playable when dummy went down.
Hoffa ruffed the Spade lead and played a top Heart and another to dummy, discovering the very annoying trump break. It was time for a small Club from dummy and the King was taken by the Ace and a small Club returned towards the Jack. West didn’t want to give declarer the whole suit, so he followed with the ♣8, and East could ruff dummy’s ♣J and continue forcing declarer. South ruffed again and played another Club to West’s ♣9, who naturally forced the South hand yet again.
Thor Erik had no more trumps in hand, and the Clubs were not yet set up, but something else had happened: dummy was out of black cards! Declarer went to dummy with a Diamond to draw the remaining trump, and when Diamonds turned out to be 3-3, he had his 11 tricks on a classic – albeit unplanned – ‘Reverse Dummy’ play!
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