ACES ON BRIDGE

All the deals this week come from the Gold Coast tournament in Brisbane, one of the most enjoyable week-long events on the bridge calendar. If you like sun, sea and sand, together with great restaurants and a serious bridge tournament where you can still have fun, this is for you.

This deal came up in the Ivy Dahler Swiss Pairs, a one-day tournament run along Swiss lines, where the top pairs are lined up against one another in eightboard matches, with a format akin to a Swiss teams event.

JoAnn Sprung of Las Vegas — half of the winning pair with husband Danny — declared four hearts as South here, after a transfer response to her one-club opening bid. The lead of the diamond 10 went to the jack, queen and king. Declarer knocked out the heart ace, won the return of the diamond nine, then drew two more rounds of trumps ending in hand.

At this point, Sprung had decided that East’s initial pass meant West was heavily favored to have both the missing aces. A club toward the king required West to duck (or give declarer an extra discard). When the club king won, South could pitch her club 10 on the diamond ace, and now a club lead went to the queen and ace, leaving West on lead.

It did not matter what West did now; she could concede a ruff-and-discard by leading a club, or open up the spades, allowing declarer to play the suit for one loser. Either way, the game would come home.

ANSWER: This unusual auction by your partner describes a hand with a maximum and three hearts, plus a source of tricks in clubs, hoping for you to have a hand with some slam interest.You do not have that hand, so sign off in four hearts. Imagine the heart three were the queen, and you might do more.