Backwash Squeeze:

This squeeze is an anti positional knockout squeeze. The

squeeze's trump holding is "caught in the backwash." It is a
way to make a defender's undrawable trump(s) useless. It
involves ruffing a card (often a winner) with a high trump in
front of the squeeze. Frequently a dummy reversal (perhaps
not complete) is involved, and sometimes declarer's high ruff
establishes a trump trick for the defender.

Progressive Squeeze: This is a squeeze when one opponent

hand holds three menace cards. The Squeeze is initiated by the
fourth card.

Entry shifting Squeeze:

when a cross-ruff just won't bring in enough tricks, usually
because of an outstanding trump, and there are ruffing threat,
and one opponent holding two control each in two suit; playing
Trump forces such Opponent to discard one Control in one suit.
The Declarer then make Trump in such Discard suit to develop a
trick.

The requirements for this squeeze are:

 Cross Ruff cannot develop trick.
 The Trump length in each hand must usually be equal (2-2,
3-3, etc).
 One of the defendant must hold 2 control each in 2 suits
under threat.
 The Defendant holding 2 control in 2 suit must not hold
residual Trump suit.
 One or more ruffs may be necessary to achieve the proper
trump division.
 Declarer must be able to switch a trump winner to either
hand after the trump is led.

Play the Trump suit to squeeze hand of defendant. In case the

Contract in NT, also play the Suit having 2-2 or 3-3 division
in hand to initiate squeeze.

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 Squeeze Defense

It is a difficult thing because defender normally understands

the pattern when late. When the defenders suspect possibility
of Squeeze, the best way to destroy it is to attack L or E at
earlier time. Ducking when Declarer allows a trick works
somewhere. Compelling the Declarer to use his critical entry
is another technique.

Summary of Squeeze Defense:

1. When the declarer has a double entry in Menace suit, then
one of the defender who has fewer other suit must retain
double entry Menace suit.

2. When there is a single Menace controlled by both the

defenders PLUS another single Menace by one defender, the
player who has another single menace control shall un guard
the other suit.

3. When a Defender holds control in 3 Menace suit and a

Progressive Squeeze is under threat, the defenders best chance
is to surrender in a suit held by his left hand.

4. By destroying entries in declarers hand.

5. Killing the timing in a squeeze by retaining idle card for

discard.

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 Looking at Dummy
The heart of probability in the game of bridge is counting the
ratio of card combinations. The declarer assesses the winners
and losers. He decides the line of play to develop tricks. The
opposite side also follows the same line and further observes
the weakness of the declarer through his line of play.

But in between, there is an another process, that we do

consciously or unconsciously –Counting cards of each suit and
trying to get an abstract position of opponents hand based on
the biddings.

Abstract of Opponents hand:

We have leant in the chapter ‘Cardano- Cards,Gambling and Game
of Chances’ that in a Circuit, consisting number of possible
combination of happening in an event, near half represents
Equality.
Sum of possibility : 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(Sum of Cards)

Equality in a Circuit :
(Break of a suit)
52%(+) chances : 1 2 3 3 4 4 5 5
1 1 1 2 2 3 3 4

48%(-) Chances : 0 0 2 1 2 2 3 3
2 3 2 4 4 5 5 6

10%(-) Chances : - 0 0 0 1 1 2 2
- 0 4 5 5 6 6 7

While Dummy is laid, as a Priori possibility, the break of a

suit is assessed first based on the bidding and the equality
derived as above, considering the breaks. Odds comes with even
outcome and, even comes with odd outcome is the law of nature.

This law is applicable in all events in play narrated below:

Chances of Drop of missing Honors from Opponents hand:

Total cards in Missing Honor card holding possibility
Opponents hand H H-X H-X-X
2 52% 48% --
3 26% 52% 22%
4 12% 41% 37%
5 6% 27% 41%
6 3% 16% 36%

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 7 1% 9% 27%
Chances of holding High card point in Opponents hand:
Total HCP in both HCP break in HCP break in HCP break in
Opponents hand equality inequality inequality
(52%+) (48%-) (10%-)
20 11-9 12-8 13-7
19 10-9 11-8 12-7
18 10-8 11-7 12-6
17 9-8 10-7 11-6
16 9-7 10-6 11-5
15 8-7 9-6 10-5
14 8-6 9-5 10-4
13 7-6 8-5 9-4
12 7-5 8-4 9-3
11 6-5 7-4 8-3
10 6-4 7-3 8-2
9 5-4 6-3 7-2
8 5-3 6-2 7-1
7 4-3 5-2 6-1

Chances of a Hand pattern:

Pattern in any Suit Order Probability percentage(nearest)
4432 22%
4333 11%
4441 3%
5332 16%
5431 13%
5422 11%
5521 3%
5440 1%
5530 1%
6322 6%
6421 5%
6331 4%
6430 1%
6511 1%
6520 1%
Any suit 7 card 4%
Any suit 8 card 1%
From the above, it transpires that when the sum of longest 2
suit is a odd number, the residual 2 suits are in even
distribution. Again when the sum of longest 2 suits is an
even number, the residual two suit are in Odd distribution.
The possibility of singleton in a hand arises when the sum of
two longest suit is 9 and above with exception of a 4441 hand.
The possibility of a void suit is most probable when sum of
the 2 longest suit is 10. This is an uniform rule in any
condition of hand.
On progress of play, Posteriori calculation progresses.

178
 Chances of Suit fit

To determine fit, 8 card in both hand is the standard. The

rule is “Higher the Fit, Lower the HCP need to overcall or
book game”.

The fit in opening suit is spelt by way of modern bidding.

Hence the fit in secondary suit is most important. But, when
the opening bid in a suit is denied by your partner but a
promising HCP present, it needs to determine where to end the
contract. With Higher HCP, Game may be impossible if there is
no fit in primary or secondary suit. Again, with a fit in
secondary suit and a higher HCP OR, fit in both suit with a
lower HCO, Game is possible.

According to the rule, the Probability that your partner is

having fit with one of your suit is as following:
Length of 4-3 4-4 5-3 5-4 5-5
your suits
Probability 49% 60% 66% 74% 84%
of Fit in
one suit

But what about the position if the bidding level breaks safety
barrier?

Suppose you bid 1H with 5 card, Opponents intervened 2S and

your Partner overbid is 3C(5 card). You have 14 HCP/HCP and
your partner promising 10+ HCP. But you have no fit in Club
and your partner have not promised anything beyond. You cannot
re-bid Heart due to reason that you don’t hold 6 card and even
if you, your bid may compel your partner to cross safety
barrier. Without stoppers in Spade, you cannot go 3NT. Now??

You shall bid your next 4 card suit expecting 74% match.
If you don’t have any 4 card side suit, bid the best residual
suit. In any case, that lands to either 7 card match in such
suit or, followed by 6 card Partners suit re-bid.

179
 Priori and Posteriori
A priori comes from the Latin phrase meaning "from the
former", a self-evident proposition, derived from initial
assessment of a situation.

Relating to playing a hand of Bridge, after seeing one hand

and dummy (26 cards), our initial assessment of card
distribution would be "a priori". However, as the cards are
played and information about suit breakage was observed,
players would revise their probability assessment
(posteriori).

The a priori probability of two hidden hands holding a

certain number of cards is based on mathematical
odds. Aspiring Bridge players make mental references the
distribution when determining the best line of play.

It is not quite difficult to calculate priori probability in

the middle of a game (posteriori).

Players make judgment by use of two different techniques.

One is listening carefully to the bidding. He observes what
opponents bid and not bid. When the play starts, he observes
what is played and what is not. He also makes sense what
opponent desist from playing and what is his interest suit.
On basis of these information, the player makes a decision
that which opponent hand has a certain card. There is nothing
scientific in making this judgment since no explanation is
possible to satisfy the decision of player. Masters uses this
method with known player with less capability.

The second technique is through scientific deduction of

mathematical probability through Bayes’ model. It defines the
fundamental difference between probability and statistics.
Where the former concerns predictions based on fixed
probabilities; the latter concerns the inference of those
probabilities based on observed data.

Without going through the mathematical jugglery, simple rules

are narrated for easy references:

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a. When opponents have known suit match, a low card lead from
their hand tells holding one of the top card. With a high card
A or K, he would desist to lead in situations.
But when there is no suit match, he will play highest one, if
not, he hold none.

b. When an untold suit is played for a number of times and one

such card last remained with any opponents hand, the
probability of holding such card is in hand of the opponent
who played a low card in that suit last.

c. When an untold suit of opponents is played for a number of

times and one such card last remained with any opponents hand,
the distributional position of rest un-played card can be
assessed.

d. Generally, when opponents hold an even number of cards, the

number of cards held will not break evenly between the
opponents. When opponents hold an odd number of cards, the
number of cards held will break evenly.

The masters uses both the techniques. Against extremely good

opponent, a little is possible to be derived from his way of
play or bidding. So in this circumstances, players uses both
method of priori and posteriori.

In average, the distribution of remaining cards in a

particular suit is as following:

Outstanding Card Possible break Singleton/Void

with opponent possibility
2 1-1 52%
3 1-2 26%
4 1-3 13%
5 3-2 6%
6 4-2 3%

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