FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 , 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 JULES RIVERA
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
♠ J 5 3
♥ K 9
♦ 6 3 2
♣ A 7 5 4 2
WEST
♠ Q 10
♥ 8 7
♦ Q J 10 8 7
♣ K 10 8 3
EAST
♠ 8 6 4
♥ J 6 4 2
♦ K 9 5
♣ Q J 9
SOUTH (D)
♠ A K 9 7 2
♥ A Q 10 5 3
♦ A 4
♣ 6
The bidding:
“L
ook at this,” Unlucky
Louie said to me in a
tone of disgust. “Harlow can’t
have any luck left after this
deal.”
Even as Lady Luck laughs
in Louie’s face, she smiles
on the player we call Harlow
the Halo.
“I was West in a penny
game,” Louie said. “Harlow
was South, and his bidding
was outrageous. I led the
queen of diamonds, and
Harlow won and cashed the
A-K of trumps — and my 10
and queen fell.”
“Remarkable luck,” I said.
“There was more,” Louie
growled. “Harlow could avoid
losing a diamond only by
pitching a diamond from
dummy on a winning heart,
then ruffing his low diamond.
He needed to find East, who
still had a trump, with four
hearts.
“So the Halo led a heart to
the king and back to his 10!
He took the A-Q to discard
dummy’s diamonds, ruffed
a diamond, took the ace of
clubs, ruffed a club, drew
East’s trump and claimed.”
You need not admire
Harlow’s bidding, but he gave
himself a chance to make
the grand slam. Luck can
favor a man who makes it
part of his plan.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold:
♠ J 5 3 ♥ K 9
♦ 6 3 2 ♣ A 7 5 4 2
Your partner opens one
heart, you respond 1NT, he
bids two clubs and you raise
to three clubs. Partner then
bids three hearts. What do
you say?
ANSWER: Partner sug-
gests six hearts, four clubs
and extra values. With a
minimum 6-4 hand, he
would rebid two hearts. Bid
four hearts. (Some experts
advocate showing a second
suit and would always bid
two clubs; I believe that is a
minority view.)
N- S VULNERABLE
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 ♠ Pass 2 ♠ Pass
4 ♥ Pass 5 ♣ Pass
5 ♦ Pass 5 ♥ Pass
7 ♠(!) All Pass
Opening lead — ♦ Q
BRIDGE
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— Frank Stewart