The Washington Post - USA (2022-01-19)

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19 , 2022

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 (D)

♠ K J 7 2

♥ J 3

♦ A 7 4

♣ A 7 5 2

WEST

♠ 9 4

♥ K 9 6 4

♦ Q 10 9 5

♣ Q 10 9

EAST

♠ Q 10 6

♥ 8 7 5 2

♦ J 6

♣ K 8 6 3

SOUTH

♠ A 8 5 3

♥ A Q 10

♦ K 8 3 2

♣ J 4

The bidding:

“Y

our honor,” the district

attorney stated, “we

will prove that South commit-

ted a f elony: He lost a c old

game.”

“Proceed,” the judge

directed, and the court heard

evidence.

“West led a trump against

four spades,” the DA began:

“deuce, 10, ace. South led

a diamond to dummy and

let the jack of hearts ride.

West took the king and led

a second trump. Declarer

put up dummy’s king; West

would not have led a trump

from the queen. South took

the A-Q of hearts, pitching

a diamond from dummy,

cashed the king of diamonds

and ruffed a diamond. East

discarded.

“South was then stuck

in dummy. When he led the

ace and a low club, East won

and took his high trump, and

South had a diamond loser.”

“My client was unlucky,”

South’s counsel roared.

“Guilty of mistiming,” the

judge ruled. “Declarer must

duck a club at Trick Two. If

West leads a second trump,

South wins and finesses in

hearts. The finesse loses,

but West won’t have a third

trump, and South can cross-

ruff for 10 tricks.”

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ K J 7 2 ♥ J 3

♦ A 7 4 ♣ A 7 5 2

Both sides vulnerable. You

open one club, your partner

bids one spade and the next

player jumps to four hearts.

What do you say?

ANSWER: Don’t let your

opponent’s bid goad you

into an unsound action. You

would have raised partner to

two spades, but you can’t bid

four. Pass. If after two pass-

es, your partner doubles,

suggesting a good hand but

not necessarily great hearts,

you can reconsider bidding.

N- S VULNERABLE

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1 ♣ Pass 1 ♠ Pass

2 ♠ Pass 3 NT Pass

4 ♠ All Pass

Opening lead — ♠ 4

BRIDGE

©2022, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart