The Washington Post - 07.03.2020

SATURDAy, MARCH 7 , 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 8 5

♥ K 7 5

♦ 7 4

! A K 7 5 3

WEST

♠ Q J 10 9 7

♥ J 9 8 3

♦ Q 2

! J 6

EAST

♠ A 6 3

♥ 10

♦ K 10 9 6 5 3

! 10 9 8

SOUTH (D)

♠ 4 2

♥ A Q 6 4 2

♦ A J 8

! Q 4 2

The bidding:

M

y “Simple Saturday” col-

umns focus on improv-

ing basic technique and

developing logical thinking.

You are today’s declarer,

and West leads the queen

of spades, winning, and

continues spades (not best

defense, as it happens). You

ruff the third spade. If both

trumps and clubs break 3-2,

you can make an overtrick,

drawing trumps and running

the clubs.

But more than half the

time, at least one suit won’t

break evenly. What then?

(If both break badly, you’re

sunk, so never mind that.)

If trumps break 3-2, you

can draw trumps, take the

queen of clubs and play low

from dummy on the second

club, keeping a link. You can

win the diamond return and

run the clubs for 10 tricks.

Take the A-Q of trumps. If

East-West follow, draw the

missing trump and proceed

with your club play. When

instead East discards on

your second high trump,

start the clubs. When West

ruffs the third club and leads

a diamond, you win, draw the

last trump in dummy and fin-

ish the clubs.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ 4 2 ♥ A Q 6 4 2

♦ A J 8! Q 4 2

Your partner opens one

diamond, you respond one

heart and he rebids two dia-

monds. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner has

a minimum-range opening

bid with at least six dia-

monds. He might make five

diamonds, but you should

explore for the cheaper

notrump game. Bid three

clubs. If partner bids 3NT

next, pass and wish him luck.

If he bids three diamonds or

three hearts, you will play at

a red-suit game.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 ♥ Pass 2! Pass

2 ♥ Pass 4 ♥ All Pass

Opening lead — ♠ Q

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart