The Washington Post - 27.03.2020

FRIDAy, MARCH 27 , 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 (D)

♠ Q J 9 5

♥ Q 4

♦ A J 3

! J 9 5 2

WEST

♠ K 4 3

♥ A K J 7 6 5

♦ 9 5

! 10 6

EAST

♠ 2

♥ 8 3

♦ Q 10 8 7 6 4 2

! K 8 7

SOUTH

♠ A 10 8 7 6

♥ 10 9 2

♦ K

! A Q 4 3

The bidding:

“W

hen I’m declarer,”

a learning player at

my club sighed to me, “I need

a ‘clear memory’ key for my

brain. By the 13th trick, I can’t

remember what happened at

trick one.”

Counting the hand takes

experience and practice, but

anyone can do it. Against

today’s four spades, West

cashes the K-A of hearts

and shifts to the nine of dia-

monds. Declarer takes the

king and leads the ace and a

second trump, and West wins

and exits with a trump. East

discards two diamonds.

South wins in dummy,

discards a club on the ace

of diamonds and ruffs a

diamond. West discards a

heart. South then ruffs his

last heart in dummy. East

discards a diamond.

To succeed, South must

pick up the clubs. East must

hold either K-x or K-x-x.

If South has paid atten-

tion, he will know what to

do. West started with three

trumps, six hearts and two

diamonds, hence two clubs.

Since South’s only chance

is to find West with 10-x in

clubs, he must lead dummy’s

jack.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ A 10 8 7 6 ♥ 10 9 2

♦ K! A Q 4 3

You open one spade, your

partner bids two clubs, you

raise to three clubs and he

tries three diamonds. What

do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner is

looking for game (and may

be headed for slam), and all

of your honors look good.

Your ace of spades and fit-

ting king of diamonds will be

useful. Jump to five clubs to

suggest good club support

and prime values. If partner

bids six clubs, you will cheer.

N-S VULNERABLE

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

Pass Pass 1 ♠ 2 ♥

3 ♠ Pass 4 ♠ All Pass

Opening lead — ♥ K

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart