“What’s the longest word in the language?” I asked my friend the English professor. “Is it ‘antidisest’ ... whatever that word is.”

“It is ‘smiles’” the prof said. “There’s a mile between the first and last letters.”

In a penny game, the prof played at 3NT. West led a low spade, dummy played low and East took the ace and returned the nine to dummy’s king. East-West had to be smiling, at least inwardly: The prof had only eight winners, and if he set up one more in hearts or diamonds, the defense would take three more spades.

The smiles were washed away when the prof came to his ace of clubs at Trick Three and next led ... the jack of spades. West took the queen but had no winning defense. If he exited with, say, a club, the prof could win, cash the A-K of diamonds and safely concede a diamond to East to win a third diamond trick.

West instead took two more spades, but he squeezed his partner. No matter what East discarded, the prof would get a ninth trick.

Daily question >> You hold: ? K 7 ? 5 3 2 ? K 9 7 3 ? K Q 7 3. The dealer, at your left, opens one club. Your partner doubles, and the next player passes. What do you say?

Answer >> You must not pass the double for penalty. To pass at the one level, you would need longer and stronger clubs as well as a good hand. Jump to 2NT, inviting game. Since you have no aces, suggesting that the opening bidder may have entries to his suit, a conservative bid of 1NT might be right.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

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