| A Bonus (duplicate) prize goes to Bill Sanders, who was the only person identifying the hand as "The Soderlund Squeeze." For the sake of convenience, here is the layout:
You (West) hold this hand after the pass:
A K
A K Q J 9 8
A 10
K Q 9
It is stated that South is winning a close game. Here is a brief summary of the play prior to the critical position. NOTE: No one holds more than four Hearts. The Ace of Clubs (North) appears on the first trick, as you duck with the Nine. You now win a Spade in 4th seat cleanly (no heart of the Queen). You push the Diamond Ten, and North takes the King. Another Spade is led, and this time East dumps the Heart Seven, as South plays low and your other high Spade wins. The King of Clubs is a logical play, and it draws three middle Club discards. South is defending well. Here is the layout at the critical junction:
You (West)
Void
A K Q J 9 8
A
Q
South is marked with the Spade Queen, and most likely, the Club Ace. If this is so, then the position is ripe for a "squeeze." A bad mistake would be the premature play of the Club Queen. This would certainly draw a Heart discard, and even if it did not, South could play the Spade Queen to kill the moon!
The path is there! All you have to do is run the entire Heart suit, from the top. Remember, no one has more than 4 Hearts. Your hand is reduced to the Diamond Ace and the Club Queen. South has the Spade Queen and the Club Ace. The Diamond Ace forces him to part with the top Club, and the Queen of Spades is now snagged by the good Queen of Clubs. Or, you can cash the Diamond Ace before running the Hearts, and your last Heart will create the same combination. South is utterly "squashed." The late Jack Soderlund is credited with this maneuver. There is also a "Variety II" version of this squeeze.
Most of you handled this with ease; many others came close. Well done! And now it's time for (drum roll, please)*
Hearts December Challenge -- The Card Game History Quiz Listed below are 12 classic card games. Your job is to list them chronologically; that is, in exact order, from the oldest to the newest. I will help you by saying that Cribbage is the oldest (circa 1630), and Eleusis is the most recent (1956). Here is the list:
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