The Washington Post - 18.09.2019

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 , 2019. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE C7

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 (D) ♠ K 8 7 4 ♥ 6 ♦ K Q J 4 ! A K 9 4 WEST ♠ 6 ♥ J 8 7 5 2 ♦ A 10 5 3 ! J 5 3

EAST ♠ A 3 ♥ A Q 9 4 3 ♦ 8 ! Q 10 8 7 2 SOUTH ♠ Q J 10 9 5 2 ♥ K 10 ♦ 9 7 6 2 ! 6

The bidding:

“T

his should interest you,” I said to Cy the Cynic. “I read that J.M. Barrie invented the name Wendy just for his book ‘Peter Pan.’” Cy, a chauvinist, and Wendy, my club’s feminist, are constant adversaries, even when they cut as partners. “That’s appropriate,” Cy growled. “The woman is straight out of Neverland. She never helps me on defense and never apolo- gizes when a misdefense is her fault.” Wendy and Cy were today’s East-West, defending against four spades. Cy led a heart, and Wendy took the ace and led her singleton diamond. “I had to guess,” the Cynic said. “To have a chance, I had to assume Wendy had the ace of trumps. If she had a doubleton diamond, I had to duck the first diamond to keep communication. That was the wrong defense — South made his game — and Wendy said I was an idiot.” Wendy was at fault. She must cash the ace of trumps before leading a diamond. Cy will have no choice but to win and give his partner a diamond ruff. DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠ K 8 7 4 ♥ 6 ♦ K Q J 4! A K 9 4 You open one diamond, your partner bids one spade, you raise to three spades and he bids four hearts. What do you say? ANSWER: Partner’s four hearts is an ace-showing cue bid to show slam interest. He might have cue-bid the ace of diamonds first if he had it. Still, you can make a slam if he has good trumps. I would not be willing to jump to six spades, but I would cue-bid five clubs to encourage him.

E-W VULNERABLE

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST 1 ♦ 1 ♥ 1 ♠ 4 ♥ 4 ♠ All Pass Opening lead — ♥ 5

BRIDGE

— Frank Stewart