Cavendish Invitational Pairs complete

In poker, it's all about the money. Bridge is different -- it's played for glory and honor. There is an exception, however, called the Cavendish Invitational and it's held in Las Vegas each May. Fifty pairs from around the globe entered this year's event. It is run on what is called a Calcutta style. Does this mean you have to travel to India to play? No, silly. Before the bridge begins, pairs of players are auctioned off. When the event is over, the pairs that did well and their owners divide the money collected in the auction.

This year's Cavendish prize pool was nearly $1 million dollars. First-place paid $214,228, not bad.

The winners were Bobby Levin and Steve Weinstein. Weinstein is also an expert poker player and won the Winter Borgata Open Poker Tournament that I blogged about here. This deal helped Levin and Weinstein win:

                ♠ A Q J 7 5 2
                ♥ 8 5
                ♦ Q 10 5
                ♣ Q 3
==
                ♠ 8 3
                ♥ A 9 7 4
                ♦ A 2
                ♣ A 8 7 6 2

West (hands rotated) opened 2♥, North, Levin, bid 2♠, East passed and South closed out the auction by bidding 3NT.

West led the ♥6, East played the queen, and Declarer, Weinstein, allowed that to hold. East shifted to the ♦8 which ran to dummy's 10. The communication was awkward, so declarer tried the effect of the ♠Q at trick three, which held. What would you do now?

Weinstein led a diamond to his ace, and a spade and rose with the ace, dropping the king!

Here are all four hands:

                ♠ A Q J 7 5 2
                ♥ 8 5
                ♦ Q 10 5
                ♣ Q 3
♠ 10 6 4                      ♠ K 9
♥ K J 10 6 3 2                ♥ Q
♦ 3                           ♦ K J 9 8 7 6 4
♣ K 10 5                      ♣ J 9 4
                ♠ 8 3
                ♥ A 9 7 4
                ♦ A 2
                ♣ A 8 7 6 2

East could see if he won his ♠K at trick three, the contract wasn't likely to be set, so his duck was a good play.

Most players would be happy to make the contract, but not Weinstein. He now stated that if West had the ♣K, he was going to be squeeze-endplayed in hearts and clubs. In the four-card ending, if West kept K-X in hearts and clubs, the play of the ♥A and another would endplay him, forcing a lead from the ♣K.

The claim was accepted, and making five was worth 212 IMPs. You can see a photo of the winners and the final standings on the Cavendish last day's Daily Bulletin if you click here.

Below is the Handviewer from Bridge Base Online: