View source for Entry-shifting squeeze

{{Short description|Strategy in Bridge}}
{{One source|date=November 2025}}
{{Technical|date=November 2025}}

In the card game [[contract bridge]], an '''entry-shifting squeeze''' is a positional squeeze<ref>{{OEB|7|480}}</ref> involving a mixture between a material squeeze and an immaterial squeeze. The material part is the same as in a trump squeeze or a [[squeeze play (bridge)|squeeze]] without the count. The immaterial part is that depending on the choice of discards of the squeeze an entry into one or into the other hand is created.
==Examples==
{{BridgeHandNWES
|Label =
|Lead =
|&mdash;|K&thinsp;6|&mdash;|A&thinsp;5
|&mdash;|A&thinsp;4|K&thinsp;9|&mdash;
|J&thinsp;5|3|&mdash;|8
|&mdash;|&mdash;|Q&thinsp;2|J&thinsp;2}}

In the first [[contract bridge diagram|diagram]] clubs are trumps and South could claim all tricks on a [[crossruff]] were it not for the trump in East's hand. When the club jack is played, the entry-shifting squeeze comes to his rescue.
If West sheds a heart, the jack is overtaken with the ace, a heart ruffed and North is left with the last trump and a master heart. If West chooses to discard a diamond, the club jack is underplayed with the five. North's club ace ruffs the diamonds good and the South hand wins the last two tricks.{{Clear}}

The entry-shifting mechanism works also in No Trumps, as can be seen in the next example.
{{BridgeHandNWES
|Label =
|Lead =
|A&thinsp;8&thinsp;6&thinsp;4|&mdash;|K&thinsp;J|&mdash;
|K&thinsp;Q&thinsp;7|K&thinsp;Q&thinsp;5|&mdash;|&mdash;
|5&thinsp;3|9&thinsp;8&thinsp;3|&mdash;|3
|2|A&thinsp;J&thinsp;10|A&thinsp;Q|&mdash;}}

As only five tricks out of remaining six cards are required, this is a squeeze without the count. It is not possible to rectify the count as there are not enough communications between the two hands. The entry-shifting mechanism will overcome this though.
South leads the {{cards|dA}} and West has no good discard. If he discards a spade, the {{cards|dJ}} is played and South continues with a spade to the ace and the spade eight. West returns a heart to South's ace, but the diamond king serves as an entry to the established spades. If West chooses to discard a heart, the diamond king is played and after ace of hearts and another heart, the {{cards|dQ}} will serve as an entry.{{cn|date=November 2025}}
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{WPCBIndex}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Entry-Shifting Squeeze}}
[[Category:Contract bridge squeezes]]