Cy the Cynic had gone in for his annual checkup.

"I need a new doctor," Cy told me. "Mine has a shelf of medical books, but they're from the Time-Life Do-It-Yourself series. He also has a plaque in his office: The local bar association named him its Client of the Year."

"Your doctor's just having fun with you," I laughed.

"I'm not so sure," the Cynic said. "The patient just ahead of me was a goat."

Cy was the goat today. At six spades, he took the A-K of clubs, ruffed a club in dummy, cashed the Q-A of trumps and led his last club. Alas, East had no more clubs and the last missing trump. When dummy ruffed, he overruffed and cashed a heart.

YOUR PLAY?

How would you play the slam?

Cy's best bet is a dummy reversal. He wins the first club with the king and concedes a heart. Cy wins the club return, ruffs a heart, takes the A-K of trumps, leads a diamond to the queen and ruffs a heart. He ruffs a club, draws the last trump and runs the diamonds for 12 tricks.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S J 9 8 H A K 10 9 D 10 4 2 C 9 6 4. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart and he bids one spade. What do you say?

ANSWER: No bid is attractive, but to pass is questionable with three useful honors. Partner may have 18 points, and game is still possible. Take a preference; bid two diamonds. You might survive a bid of 1NT, but you might land at a notrump contract that would be more successful if partner were declarer.