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Bridge Masterclass: How to Recover Dummy Entries Using the Entry Squeeze Technique

**Bridge Masterclass: Mastering the Entry Squeeze to Recover Dummy Entries**

In the game of Bridge, a **"Squeeze"** means forcing your opponent into an impossible situation. But when the stakes get higher and the play more complex, you might find yourself with winning cards in the Dummy yet no way to reach them. This is exactly where the **"Entry Squeeze"** takes center stage.

A skilled Declarer knows that having winners is not enough; you must also keep the path to those winners open. The Entry Squeeze is a magical maneuver where you compel the opponent to discard a card that inadvertently creates a new path—or **'Entry'**—to the Dummy. In today’s post, we will explore the mathematical and tactical applications of this technique and see how a seemingly lost game can be won through sheer brilliance.

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**⬇️ Below are examples illustrated using No Trump Contracts in each card diagram. ⬇️**

**⬇️ Entry Squeeze: The Basic Position ⬇️**

**↗️ The Problem:** North-South needs six tricks. We already have four winners (♠️A ♥️A ♣️AK). The remaining two tricks must come from ♦️KQ, but for that, we need to lead ♦️diamonds from the dummy twice. However, as you can see, the dummy hand has only one entry (♣️A).

**↗️ The Solution:** We will **cash** the ♠️A. East is forced to discard a ♣️club. Now we play the ♣️K and **overtake** it with the dummy's ♣️A. After that, we lead a ♦️diamond from North. If East ducks (plays a small ♦️diamond instead of the ♦️A), we take the trick with our ♦️K or ♦️Q. Then we play the ♣️2 and win the trick with North's ♣️9 (our second entry!) to lead another ♦️diamond.

**↗️ Alternate Scenarios:** * While we are cashing the ♠️A, if East discards a ♦️diamond instead of a ♣️club, we lead the ♣️2 to North's ♣️A and lead a ♦️diamond. East plays small, we win with our ♦️K or ♦️Q, and then lead the ♦️9. This makes our other ♦️diamond honor a winner.
* While we are cashing the ♠️A, if East discards a ♥️heart, we simply cash the ♥️A, making the ♥️heart in the North hand a winner.

**⬆️ Remember:** When cashing the ♠️A, North must discard a ♥️heart (**Not** ♦️diamond or ♣️club).

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**⬇️ South to lead, North-South needs six tricks ⬇️**

**⤴️ Correct Objective, Incorrect Playing Line ⬇️**

If South thinks about cashing the ♠️A and then leading the ♥️2 to **finesse** the ♥️J from North, followed by playing a small ♠️spade to **establish** the ♠️J—this would be a fatal mistake. If South leads the ♥️2 after cashing the ♠️A, West will play the ♥️K. Alternatively, if South leads the ♥️Q instead of the ♥️2, West will play the ♥️10. In both cases, it becomes impossible to enter the North hand twice.

**↗️ Correct Objective, Correct Playing Line ⬇️**

We will **cash** the ♦️A. If West discards a ♣️club, we will **gain** a ♣️club trick by either cashing the ♣️A or leading a low ♣️club.

⬆️ If West discards a ♠️spade on our ♦️A, we will cash the ♠️A, which makes North's ♠️J a winner.

⬆️ If West discards a ♥️heart on our ♦️A, we will first cash the ♠️A. Then, we lead the ♥️Q and overtake it with North's ♥️A to play a low ♠️spade. This makes North's ♠️J a winner, and we can later enter the North hand with the ♥️J to cash that ♠️J.

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**⬇️ Entry Squeeze with Throw-in ⬇️**

**↗️ The Problem:** North-South needs five tricks, and it is South’s lead. To perform the ♠️spade finesse, we must enter the North hand. However, if we play the ♦️K hoping that East wins with the ♦️A (allowing us to enter North via the ♦️Q), it won't work. Instead of taking the ♦️A, East will **duck** by playing the ♦️J. As a result, we will be unable to enter the North hand.

**⬆️ The Solution:** In the above position, there are several ways to collect five tricks. I will demonstrate one specific line that allows us to enter the North hand for the ♠️spade finesse. I invite you all to share the alternative lines in the comments!

**We will cash the ♥️A.** * If East discards the ♦️J, we then lead the ♦️K. This ensures we can later enter the North hand using the ♦️Q to perform the ♠️spade finesse. 
* If East discards a low ♣️club instead of the ♦️J, we will cash the ♣️A and then play the ♣️J. After East wins this ♣️club trick, if he plays a ♠️spade, we will finesse with the ♠️Q. 
* If East wins the ♣️club trick and then cashes the ♦️A, we must **unblock** our ♦️K. 
* If East does not cash the ♦️A but plays the ♦️J instead, we will play the ♦️2 from South and win with North’s ♦️Q to execute the ♠️spade finesse.

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**⬇️ Entry Squeeze with a Finesse ⬇️**

**North-South needs six tricks; South to lead.**

**⬆️ The Problem:** If we lead the ♦️9 and win with the ♦️A, then cash the ♥️A while discarding South’s ♠️8—we will run into trouble. After leading a ♠️spade from North to perform the ♠️spade finesse, we will fail to **trap** East’s ♠️K because North has no second entry left to repeat the finesse.

**↗️ The Solution:** We play the ♦️K and win with the ♦️A. Next, we cash the ♥️A. 
* If East discards his ♦️diamond, we will discard South’s ♠️8. Then, lead a ♠️spade from North to perform the finesse. After that, we lead the ♦️9 and win with North’s ♦️10 (our second entry!) to **execute** the ♠️spade finesse for the second time. 
* On the other hand, while cashing North’s ♥️A, if East discards a low ♠️spade instead of his ♦️diamond, we will discard South’s ♦️9. Then, we play North’s ♠️10 to finesse, which successfully **traps** East’s ♠️K.

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**⬇️ Now, let’s look at a full deal to make it easier to understand and remember. Here, South is playing a 6NT contract, and West has led the ♥️7. ⬇️**

After winning the first trick, South cashed the second ♥️heart winner and led another ♥️heart (East discarded two ♦️diamonds). West won with the ♥️Q and played the ♦️10. South won with the dummy's ♦️A and **unblocked** the ♦️K from the South hand.

Next, South led a low ♠️spade from North, **finessed** with the ♠️Q, and then cashed the ♠️A. Finally, South played the ♦️J and **overtook** it with North’s ♦️Q. 

⬇️Now, the position stands as follows:⬇️

Now, when we cash the ♥️10, if East discards a ♣️club, we will discard South’s ♦️4 and lead the ♣️10 from North to **finesse**, successfully **trapping** East’s ♣️K.

However, if East discards the ♦️8 instead of a ♣️club on our ♥️10, we will discard a low ♣️club from the South hand and lead the ♣️10. If East **covers** with the ♣️K, we win with the ♣️A and then lead the ♦️4 toward North’s ♦️6 (our entry). Now, what will East discard? 
* If East discards the ♠️K, then North’s ♠️J and ♠️10 become winners. 
* If East discards a ♣️club, we play North’s ♣️7, win it in the South hand, and then cash the remaining ♣️club—making South's final ♣️club **free** (a winner).

⬆️ **Try playing the full deal yourself to master this technique. The complete deal is provided below.** ⬇️

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