The Washington Post - 05.10.2019

S A T U R D A Y, O C T O B E R  5 ,  2 0 1 9 .  T H E  W A S H I N G T O N  P O S T EZ RE C5

BREWSTER ROCKIT: SPACE GUY! TIM RICKARD

CURTIS RAY BILLINGSLEY

SHERMAN’S LAGOON JIM TOOMEY

RED AND ROVER BRIAN BASSET

FRANK AND ERNEST TOM THAVES

RHYMES WITH ORANGE HILARY PRICE

LIO MARK TATULLI

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE CHRIS BROWNE

BLONDIE DEAN YOUNG & JOHN MARSHALL

MIKE DU JOUR MIKE LESTER

AGNES TONY COCHRAN

WUMO MIKAEL WULFF & ANDERS MORGENTHALER

MARK TRAIL JAMES ALLEN

MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM MIKE PETERS

BALDO HECTOR CANTU & CARLOS CASTELLANOS

SALLY FORTH FRANCESCO MARCIULIANO & JIM KEEFE

CLASSIC PEANUTS CHARLES SCHULZ

CLASSIC DOONESBURY GARRY TRUDEAU PICKLES BRIAN CRANE

SUDOKU

NORTH

♠ Q 8 2

♥ J 10 9 4

♦ Q 3

♣ K J 8 3

WEST

♠ 10 9 6 4

♥ A 8 2

♦ A J 8 4

♣ 10 2

EAST

♠ J 3

♥ 6 5

♦ 10 7 6 5 2

♣ A 9 5 4

SOUTH (D)

♠ A K 7 5

♥ K Q 7 3

♦ K 9

♣ Q 7 6

The bidding:

“S

imple Saturday” col-

umns are meant to

help aspiring players improve

technique and develop logical

thinking.

Part of doing well at bridge

is drawing inferences from

the bidding and play. Some

are subtle, some are clear.

In today’s auction, North’s

two clubs conventionally

asks South to bid a four-card

major, then North’s 2NT

invites game. South has

a maximum 1NT opening

and knows that since North

doesn’t like spades, he has

hearts. So South jumps to

four hearts.

West leads the 10 of clubs,

and declarer plays dummy’s

king. If West has led a

singleton, East must win and

return a club. But if West led

from a doubleton, East must

encourage with the nine of

clubs.

Can West have a singleton

club? Then South would have

four. But South has shown

four cards in each major and

wouldn’t have opened 1NT

with 4-4-1-4 pattern. East

should duck the first club.

When West takes the ace

of trumps, he leads his last

club to get a ruff, and the ace

of diamonds scores for down

one.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ A K 7 5 ♥ K Q 7 3

♦ K 9 ♣ Q 7 6

The dealer, at your right,

opens one diamond. You

double, and your partner

responds one heart. What do

you say?

ANSWER: You must not get

carried away. Your double

required partner to bid. With

as many as 10 points, he

would have jumped to two

hearts. As it is, his hand and

hearts may be poor. Raise to

two hearts, showing about

17 points, to give your side a

chance to reach game, but

do no more.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 NT Pass 2 ♣ Pass

2 ♠ Pass 2 NT Pass

4 ♥ All Pass

Opening lead — ♣ 10

BRIDGE

©2019, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart