The Young and the young at heart.

“Those were the days my friends, we thought they’d never end, we sing and dance forever and a day, we’d live the life we choose, we’d flight and never lose, for we were young and sure to have our way.” -Song by Mary Hopkin, lyrics by Gene Raskin.

David Sabourin (west) and Jeff Smith (east) are two of Canada’s younger players. As with young people, they also have much more imagination then the rest of us.

Dealer West. E-W not Vulnerable.

As West, you hold ♠ 10532 ♥ 10642  ♦ J10 ♣ Q62.

What do you bid if this is the auction? 

In response to partner’s takeout double, 1♥ is reasonable. When partner makes a splinter bid of 4♣, what do you bid? I suspect most of us would bid 4♥ as we don’t have much of a hand, the club queen rated to be worthless.

Well, not our David, he bid 4♠!

This was the rest of the auction at David and Jeff’s table. 

Jeff had good reason to look for slam after that 4♠. 4NT was RKC, 5♣ was zero key card, settled in 6♥.

Full marks to David, he proceed to make the hand. He took advantage of a slight defensive slip-trick two North switched to a trump, the heart three.

North could have beaten this hand two ways. At trick two, switched to a low spade, or continued with the club king. Both plays would have end-played dummy, David would have no way to get home.

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