The Washigtnon Post - 03.04.2020

(Joyce) #1

friday, april 3 , 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
♠ Q J 4
♥ Q 7
♦ Q 10 8 5 3
♣ 8 5 2
WEST
♠ 8 3
♥ J 8 6 5 4 3 2
♦ K 4
♣ 7 4

EAST
♠ K 10 9 7 5
♥ 9
♦ A 7
♣ K 10 9 6 3
SOUTH (D)
♠ A 6 2
♥ A K 10
♦ J 9 6 2
♣ A Q J

The bidding:

U


nlucky Louie had suf-
fered through another
losing session in my club’s
penny game.
“I woke up this morning
feeling like a million dollars,”
Louie told me. “Now it’s more
like ‘insufficient funds.’”
Louie loses mostly
because he plays in haste.
In today’s deal, he leaped
boldly to 3NT at his second
turn. West led a spade, and
when dummy tabled Q-J-4,
Louie beamed. He covered
with the queen, and East
signaled with the 10. When
dummy led a diamond, West
took the king and led his last
spade, forcing out Louie’s
ace, and when East won the
next diamond, he cashed
three spades. Down one.
Louie’s thinking was insuf-
ficient. If East has both high
diamonds — two entries to
the spades — Louie will fail.
But if the diamond honors
are split, Louie must play low
from both hands on the first
spade.
West leads another spade:
queen, king, ace. When
Louie starts the diamonds,
West wins but has no more
spades, and Louie has time
to set up his diamonds, mak-
ing an overtrick.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold:
♠ K 10 9 7 5 ♥ 9
♦ A 7 ♣ K 10 9 6 3
Your partner opens one
heart, you bid one spade and
he rebids two hearts. What
do you say?
ANSWER: This situation is
tough. Partner could have
many hands with which
some game contract might
be a good proposition for
your side. Since you lack the
high-card strength for game
and are unlikely to have a
good trump fit, to pass would
certainly be reasonable. If
vulnerable, you might try for
game by bidding 2NT.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 ♦ Pass 2 ♦ 2 ♠
3 NT All Pass
Opening lead — ♠ 8

BRIDGE

©2020, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart
Free download pdf