The Washignton Post - 04.04.2020

saturday, april 4 , 2020. 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 10 5

♥ J 3 2

♦ K 5 4 2

♣ J 9 2

WEST

♠ 9 7 6 3

♥ K 7 6

♦ Q J 10 7

♣ 6 3

EAST

♠ 8 4 2

♥ 5

♦ A 9 8 6 3

♣ Q 8 7 5

SOUTH (D)

♠ A Q J

♥ A Q 10 9 8 4

♦ None

♣ A K 10 4

The bidding:

“S

imple Saturday” col-

umns are meant to

help aspiring players improve

technique and logical

thinking.

Many learning players like

finesses. They accept a win-

ning finesse as their due and

regard a losing one as an

injustice. A new player asked

me a question that betrayed

her enthusiasm for finesses:

“When I have more than one

finesse, which one do I try

first?”

I answered thus: “Take the

one that will still give you a

chance if it fails.”

At today’s slam, South

ruffs the first diamond and

leads a spade to the king,

dummy’s only fast entry.

Should he finesse in trumps

or in clubs next?

If South leads the jack of

trumps, losing, he can’t get

back for a club finesse. Even

if he leads a low trump to

his queen, West can play low

effectively.

At Tr ick Three, South must

let the nine of clubs ride. If

it wins, he can safely lead

a trump to his queen next.

If the nine of clubs lost,

South could use the jack as

a dummy entry to finesse in

trumps.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ 8 4 2 ♥ 5

♦ A 9 8 6 3 ♣ Q 8 7 5

The dealer, at your left,

opens one club. Your part-

ner doubles, you bid one

diamond and he bids one

spade. What do you say?

ANSWER: If partner had a

13-point hand with spades,

he would have overcalled

one spade at his first turn.

His actual sequence prom-

ises at least 17 points. If you

held Q 4 2, 5, A 9 8 6 4, 9 8

7 5, you might raise to three

spades. As it is, your queen

of clubs is probably wasted.

Pass.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

2 ♣ Pass 2 NT Pass

3 ♥ Pass 4 ♥ Pass

6 ♥ All Pass

Opening lead — ♦ Q

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart