The Washington Post - USA (2021-10-27)

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27 , 2021

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

♠ A 9 2

♥ J 8 6 3

♦ 10 7 4 3

♣ K 5

WEST

♠ Q J 10 3

♥ Q 10 4

♦ K J 5

♣ 8 6 2

EAST

♠ K 8 7 6 4

♥ 9 7

♦ A 8

♣ 9 7 4 3

SOUTH (D)

♠ 5

♥ A K 5 2

♦ Q 9 6 2

♣ A Q J 10

The bidding:

C

y the Cynic, a notorious

putter-offer, insists that

procrastination is a good

thing: You’ll always have

something to do tomorrow

but nothing today.

Cy’s penchant for delay

often serves him well when

he is declarer — and waits

to draw trumps. In a team

match, both Souths played at

four hearts, and West led the

queen of spades.

At one table, declarer

took the ace and cashed

the A-K of trumps. When

East-West followed low,

South started the clubs. He

took four rounds, pitching

two diamonds from dummy,

but West carefully refused

to ruff. When declarer led a

diamond next, West took the

jack, cashed his high trump

and led another spade, and

South lost two more tricks.

Cy was declarer at the

other table and waited to

attack the trumps. He ruffed

a spade at Trick Two, led a

club to dummy and ruffed a

spade.

The Cynic then took the

A-K of trumps and ran the

clubs. West ruffed the fourth

club, but dummy shed two

diamonds, and Cy lost only

two diamonds and one

trump.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ 5 ♥ A K 5 2

♦ Q 9 6 2 ♣ A Q J 10

South in today’s deal

opened one club with this

hand. Do you agree with that

call?

ANSWER: South survived

when North responded in

diamonds but would have

been in a bind if North

had responded one spade;

South’s hand was not worth

a “reverse.” Most players

would have opened one

diamond, planning to rebid

two clubs over a one-spade

response, though to open

one club was a better lead-

directing action.

N- S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 ♣ Pass 1 ♦ Pass

1 ♥ Pass 2 ♥ Pass

4 ♥ All pass

Opening lead — ♠ Q

BRIDGE

©2021, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart