The Washington Post - 06.04.2020

monday, april 6 , 2020. the washington post EZRE 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)

♠6 3

♥Q J 4 3

♦K 10 4

♣A K 7 4

WEST

♠K 10 9 8 5 2

♥8 2

♦A 2

♣Q 3 2

EAST

♠J 4

♥A 7

♦9 8 6 5 3

♣ 10 9 8 5

SOUTH

♠A Q 7

♥K 10 9 6 5

♦Q J 7

♣J 6

The bidding:

C

y the Cynic continues to

struggle with his weight.

“You need to shed some

pounds,” I told Cy.

“I read somewhere,” the

Cynic said, “that if you weigh

180 pounds on Earth, you’d

weigh only 76 on Mars. I’m

not overweight; I’m just living

on the wrong planet.”

Cy can rationalize about

his weight, but he can’t deny

his misplays in my club’s

penny game. When Cy was

declarer at today’s four

hearts, West led the ace and

deuce of diamonds. Cy won

and led a trump, and East

grabbed his ace and led a

third diamond.

West ruffed and exited

with the queen of clubs. The

Cynic won and drew trumps,

but when he led a spade to

his queen, West produced

the king. Down one.

“The spade finesse might

have won,” Cy rationalized.

After Cy wins the second

diamond, he must take the

A-K of clubs and ruff a club.

He then leads a trump. East

can win and give West a dia-

mond ruff, but then West is

end-played: He must lead a

spade from his king, and Cy

is safe.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠J 4 ♥ A 7

♦9 8 6 5 3 ♣ 10 9 8 5

The dealer, at your left,

opens one club. Your partner

doubles, you respond one

diamond and he jumps to

two spades. What do you

say?

ANSWER: If partner had

doubled and bid one spade,

he would have shown extra

strength: at least 17 points.

(With a weaker hand and

a spade suit, he would

overcall one spade.) His

actual sequence shows a

powerhouse, and you have

two useful honors. Bid three

spades.

E-W VULNERABLE

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1 ♣ Pass 1 ♥ Pass

2 ♥ Pass 3 NT Pass

4 ♥ All Pass

Opening lead — ♦ A

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart