West dealt and opened 2♥ which showed 5-9 HCP with at least 5-4 in the majors. A reasonable auction now would be double (take-out), 3♣ (about 8+ playing Lebensohl), 3♠ (showing a stopper in spades but not in hearts), 3NT. Or North might bid 2NT at her first turn. It didn't quite go like that, but I still ended as declarer in 3NT.
West led the ♥Q, which I won and tried a diamond to the queen. That lost to the king and a heart came back. When I played a diamond to the ace, West completed a peter to show an even number, so it didn't look as if the diamonds were breaking and the club finesse was not a good prospect after the bidding. So I exited with a heart to West.
At the table West cashed all her heart winners. I threw spades from dummy and a club and two spades from my hand. East could spare a spade and a club, but now two top spades squeezed East in the minors. It was almost a suicide or cannibal squeeze http://www.bridgeguys.com/squeeze/suicide_squeeze.html, but not quite as East is only squeezed later when I play the spades. If West hadn't taken her heart winners, I could have cashed the top spades and played two more rounds of diamonds to force East to lead away from the ♣Q.
I was hopeful of a swing but it turned out to be a flat board. At the other table West passed and North-South bid 1♠ - 2♣ - 3NT. A diamond lead didn't trouble declarer...
This was the next board
2♠ was weak with 5 spades and a minor. The defence started with two rounds of diamonds. I drew trumps and led a low club off dummy, hoping to find East with a singleton or doubleton ace. My king lost to the ace and a spade was returned, but with clubs breaking 3-2 I had a choice of endplays. I could either lead a club from hand and cover West's 4 with the 7, forcing East to lead a spade from the queen or cash a second spade and play the queen and another club, forcing West to give a ruff and discard. That was worth 10 imps when the opponents stopped in 3♥.
The link between these hands was a weak 2-suited opening providing a road map of the defenders' distribution. Without that information, I would almost certainly have gone down on both hands. On the first hand I would have tested for 3-3 diamonds and tried a club finesse, and on the second hand I would have played three rounds of clubs and hoped that the hand with three clubs also held the ♠Q.
