The Washington Post - 01.08.2019

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.THURSDAY, AUGUST 1 , 2019

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

 7 4

 9 7 5 2

 A J 6 2

 K J 4

WEST

 Q J 10 8 5 3

 4

 8 4

 A 10 8 2

EAST

 9 6 2

 Q J 10 8 6 3

 K 5 3

 9

SOUTH (D)

 A K

 A K

 Q 10 9 7

 Q 7 6 5 3

The bidding:

S

tatistics indicate that

six out of seven dwarfs

are not happy. But today’s

East-West certainly were

after South found a way to go

down at 3NT.

South wasn’t bashful in

the bidding. He could have

downgraded his hand and

opened 1NT since most of his

points were marooned in two

doubletons. At 3NT, South

took the king of spades and

led a club: deuce, king, nine.

He continued with dummy’s

jack, but East showed out.

West took the ace and

led a second spade. South

won and couldn’t run the

clubs, When he finessed in

diamonds, East produced the

king and led his last spade.

Down two.

North was grumpy. He said

that South’s play was sleepy

if not utterly dopey. After

dummy’s king of clubs wins,

South must lead a heart to

his king and return a second

low club toward dummy. If

West wins, South has nine

tricks: four clubs, two hearts,

two spades and a diamond.

If instead West ducks the

second club, dummy wins.

Then South attacks the dia-

monds to set up nine sure

tricks.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

 Q J 10 8 5 3  4

 8 4  A 10 8 2

Your partner opens one

heart, you respond one

spade, he bids two diamonds

and you rebid two spades.

Partner then bids 2NT. What

do you say?

ANSWER: This case is

close. Your partner has about

17 points — he couldn’t try

for game with fewer — prob-

ably with 1-5-4-3 distribu-

tion. Since your spades

are almost solid and you

have a side ace, jump to

four spades. You will have a

chance if partner holds 9, A

K 7 6 5, A J 6 3, K Q 5.

BOTH SIDES VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1  2  Dbl Pass

3 NT All Pass

Opening lead —  Q

BRIDGE

©2019, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart