North-South vulnerable. East deals.

North-South vulnerable. East deals.
NORTH
x J 5 3
u A 10 9 6
v K 10 9
w Q 5 2
WEST EAST
x 7 6 x K Q 10
u Q J 7 u 8 3 2
v A J 8 6 5 v Q 7 3 2
w 9 7 4 w J 10 6
SOUTH
x A 9 8 4 2
u K 5 4
v 4
w A K 8 3
The bidding:
EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH
Pass 1x Pass 2w
Pass 3w Pass 3x
Pass 4x Pass Pass
Pass
Opening lead: Jack of u
The world's richest bridge tournament is the annual Cavendish Invitation Pairs, fittingly held in Las Vegas. Of the 50 invited pairs this year, 31 were world champions! The Calcutta auction raised more than a million dollars and the high bidder for the winners, Sam Lev, formerly of Israel, now a Manhattanite, and Jacek Pszczola of Poland, collected almost a quarter of a million dollars.
Sitting East-West on this deal were Americans Gary Hayden and Mike Passell. North's two clubs was a temporizing bid preparatory to making an invitational raise in spades with a holding of only three-card support. That led to the normal game in spades.
With the ace of diamonds onside, permitting declarer to get a heart discard on the king, and all suits breaking favorably, it seemed that declarer would lose only two trumps and a diamond. But West roiled the waters by leading the jack of hearts, offering declarer an alternative line.
Declarer won with the ace in dummy and led a spade, and East made the standard false card of the queen. Declarer took his ace and continued with a spade to the jack and king. East reverted to hearts, declarer ducking as West won with the queen. West cashed the ace of diamonds and East still had to get a trump trick for down one.
XThis column is written by Tannah Hirsch and Omar Sharif. For information about Charles Goren's newsletter for bridge players, call (800) 788-1225 or write Goren Bridge Letter, P.O. Box 4410, Chicago, Ill. 60680
& copy;2004, Tribune Media Services
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