Ottlik's Entry Squeeze

If you've read Adventures in Card Play by Geza Ottlik and Hugh Kelsey, you would be as awed by Ottlik's bridge outlook as I am. Here is an Ottlik hand demonstrating the "Entry Squeeze".


The contract is 6NT and the SJ is led. Can you think of a legitimate way (not based on deception or defensive error) to make 6, assuming you can read the opponents' card position correctly? The title is a huge hint.


The main problem appears to be a lack of entries to dummy to finesse the hearts twice. Assuming split honours, if the opponents are forced to discard in the heart suit, you may end up needing only one entry. For example, if RHO comes down to Hx, you can enter dummy, finesse once and cash the ace dropping the honour and getting an extra trick. If LHO comes down to Hx, then you lead low to the T. If he goes up, you need only one entry to finesse the J. If he ducks, you lose this trick but cash the ace dropping the honour next time. Either way, you need only one entry; so both opponents have to hold on to Hxx in hearts.

Ottlik won the lead with the SK and ran his clubs. On the last club he reached this position: (dummy pitches a heart)

We have already established that both opponents cannot afford to pitch any more hearts. East clearly cannot part with a diamond. But what about west? If he pitches a diamond, he will be exposed to an elimination play: cash diamonds and spades ending in dummy, then finesse the heart; west will have nothing but hearts to return. So he, too, must hang on to three carder diamond. Hence, both opponents pitch spades, which looks safe - superficially. But in reality the spade discards have generated an extra entry to dummy: overtake Q with A, finesse the hearts, then overtake 3 with 6, finesse again in hearts. They have been entry squeezed! Awesome!

Cheers,
Prashanth.