The Washington Post - USA (2020-08-10)

MONDAY, AUGUST 10 , 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 J 9

♥ 8 5 4

♦ A J 8 6 2

♣ 4 2

WEST

♠ 8 5 2

♥ K J 9 6 2

♦ K 4

♣ J 10 8

EAST

♠ 7 6 4 3

♥ Q 7

♦ Q 10 9 7

♣ K 9 5

SOUTH (D)

♠ A Q 10

♥ A 10 3

♦ 5 3

♣ A Q 7 6 3

The bidding:

I

n a lifetime of bridge, I have

never played a mistake-free

session. (Neither has anyone

else.) But I have learned

that mistakes are portals of

discovery.

In today’s deal, West led

a heart against 3NT, and

declarer let East’s queen win

and played low again on the

heart return. When West led

a third heart, East threw a

spade, and South won.

South next led a spade to

dummy and returned a club:

five, queen, eight. He went

back to dummy with a spade

and led another club, and

when East played low, South

took the ace and led a third

club, losing to the king. He

had four club tricks and nine

in all.

If East puts up the king

on the first or second club

lead, South succeeds by

playing low. Still, both East

and South erred. On the third

heart, East must discard his

king of clubs. South can’t set

up the clubs without letting

West get in to run the hearts.

South must win the sec-

ond heart. Then he can man-

age the clubs to set up the

suit without losing a trick to

West.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ 8 5 2 ♥ K J 9 6 2

♦ K 4 ♣ J 10 8

Your partner opens one

diamond, you respond one

heart, he bids two clubs and

you return to two diamonds.

Partner then bids two hearts.

What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner bid a

third time even though your

two diamonds pleaded weak-

ness. He has a good hand

and game interest. Since

all of your honors are work-

ing — you have no “waste”

in spades opposite his short-

ness — bid four hearts. He

may hold 7, A Q 3, A J 7 6 5,

K Q 6 4.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass

Opening lead — ♥ 6

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart