The Washington Post - 22.08.2019

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22 , 2019. THE WASHINGTON POST 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

 K J 5 3

 A 6 5

 A Q 7

 7 6 3

WEST

 A 8 6 2

 Q 4

 9 2

 K 10 9 8 5

EAST

 Q 4

 J 10 9 8 2

 J 10 6 5

 4 2

SOUTH (D)

 10 9 7

 K 7 3

 K 8 4 3

 A Q J

The bidding:

I

’ve heard a cynic described

as someone using a stolen

lantern to look for an honest

man. That suits Cy the Cynic

well; he distrusts everything

and everybody.

Cy was East in a team

match, and both Souths

played at 3NT. West led the

10 of clubs, won by South’s

queen. At one table South

(Cy’s teammate) let the 10 of

spades ride next. East won

and returned his last club.

West set up his clubs and got

in with the ace of spades to

cash them. Five tricks for the

defense.

At Cy’s table, South was

more subtle. Since he didn’t

want East to win an early

trick and return a club, South

led a diamond to dummy at

Trick Two and returned a low

spade. If Cy had played low,

South would have been safe

whether West took the ace

or not. But Cy didn’t trust

declarer.

“If he had the A-10,” Cy

told me, “he was about to

finesse with the 10, so my

play was moot.”

When Cy’s queen held,

he returned his last club

for down one — a tied deal

despite South’s devious play.

Well done, Cy.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

 A 8 6 2  Q 4

 9 2  K 10 9 8 5

Your partner opens one

heart, you respond one

spade, he bids two dia-

monds and you return to two

hearts. Partner then bids two

spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner has

substantial extra strength.

Your two-heart preference

showed at most nine points,

and he would have passed

unless he still saw a chance

for game. Since you have

a maximum for your bid-

ding and the unbid suit well

stopped, bid 3NT.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1  Pass 1  Pass

1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass

Opening lead —  10

BRIDGE

©2019, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart