Here is a fun hand that came up for Dottie and me in an internet tournament this week that was interesting and instructive. East opened the bidding with 3♣ giving me an annoying problem.  What made things more complicated was that after I doubled, West bid 3♠.   Dottie jumped to 5 and after a bit of consideration I concluded that she had no more than one club loser so I threw caution to the wind and bid Six.   West doubled and East led the Ace of ♣.  Dottie had to figure out if She had a chance to make the contract.  If the hearts broke, She had 12 tricks.  But before committing to that hope She has a chance to increase her odds.  Can you figure it out? 

Solution:  This hand  lends itself to the wonderful bridge play called the "simple squeeze".  For those unfamiliar with the term, a squeeze play is a situation where either defender is unable to protect two winners or potential winners when declarer is playing a long suit and yet defender must make discards.  In the above hand, Declarer wins the opening club Ace by roughing in his hand and takes two rounds of trump.  He then leads a spade to dummy's jack and West's King.  West can then make a safe lead of a heart or a club but cannot return a spade or declarer can claim.  After winning the return, declarer must lead a spade to the ace and come back to his hand with a ruff of a club.  Declarer is now set up to create a squeeze on West by playing out all his diamonds ending up with the 10 and 6 of spades and the King and 4 of hearts in hand and four hearts to the Ace Queen on the board.  Poor West has felt the pressure from each of Declarer's last few diamonds played.  But on the last diamond, West has no safe discard.  If he discards the Queen of spades, Declarer's 10 of spades is his 12th trick.  If he throws a heart, dummy's four hearts bring a total of 12 tricks for North South and a nice Slam, bid and made.  Squeeze plays always make one feel warm and cuddly.