North-South vulnerable. South deals.

North-South vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
Q 5
Q 7
K 10 8 5 4
10 8 4 2
WEST EAST
10 9 4 7 6
J 10 8 2 A K 5 4
A 9 7 6 2
A Q 5 3 J 9 7 6
SOUTH
A K J 8 3 2
9 6 3
Q J 3
K
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 Pass 1NT Pass
2 Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: Jack of
The North American Bridge Championships increasingly are becoming international events. At the recent Spring Championships in Dallas, there were competitors from some 30 countries. Winners of the first major event, the Peter Leventritt Silver Ribbon Pairs, were Floridians Lew Finkel and Gaylor Kasle. They ran away with the title by a margin of more than 100 match points.
Kasle and Finkel were East and West, respectively, on this board from the final session. Although East-West can make nine or 10 tricks at a heart contract, it was difficult for either to enter the auction, and the normal contract was two spades by South, usually making nine tricks.
Finkel led the jack of hearts, ducked in dummy and taken by Kasle with the king. He immediately shifted to a trump. Declarer won in hand and, in the faint hope that he would be permitted to ruff a heart on the table, reverted to that suit. East was having none of that -- on winning with the ace he returned another trump, removing the table's remaining fang. Careful defense allowed the defenders to collect three heart tricks and one in each minor. Just holding declarer to eight tricks earned the defenders an almost 80 percent score on the deal.
Over the next few weeks we will bring you more hands from this tournament.
This 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; 2006, Tribune Media Services
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