The Washington Post - USA (2022-03-01)

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, MARCH 1 , 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

♠ Q 10 9 7 6

♥ K 5 2

♦ 7 5

♣ A 7 5

WEST

♠ 3

♥ Q 9 7

♦ K 8 4 3 2

♣ J 10 8 4

EAST

♠ 8 2

♥ A 10 6

♦ J 10 9

♣ Q 9 6 3 2

SOUTH (D)

♠ A K J 5 4

♥ J 8 4 3

♦ A Q 6

♣ K

The bidding:

F

or many years, Eddie

Kantar, an all-time great

writer who is universally

regarded with affection, has

contributed play problems

to the “daily bulletins”

at ACBL North American

Championships.

Kantar asks how South

should handle today’s four

spades when West leads the

jack of clubs. Declarer’s king

wins.

Say South draws trumps

and attacks the hearts, lead-

ing to dummy’s king. East

can take the ace and shift to

the jack of diamonds.

South could survive by

grabbing the ace, leading a

trump to dummy, discard-

ing a diamond on the ace of

clubs, ruffing the last club

and exiting with the queen of

diamonds. But if he finesses

with the queen, West can win

and exit safely, and South

loses two more hearts.

Kantar notes that South

has a lock. After he wins the

first trick, he takes the A-Q of

trumps, discards a diamond

on the ace of clubs and ruffs

a club. Then he leads the A-Q

of diamonds. The defend-

ers win and must break the

hearts, and declarer loses

only two hearts.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ 8 2 ♥ A 10 6

♦ J 10 9 ♣ Q 9 6 3 2

Your partner opens one

spade, you respond 1NT and

he bids two hearts. What do

you say?

ANSWER: This situation

is uncomfortable. To pass

might be a winning call, but

the normal action is to return

to two spades. If partner has

five spades but only four

hearts, he should do better

at the 5-2 fit. I would cer-

tainly bid two spades with Q

2, A Q 6, J 10 9, 10 9 6 3 2 to

preserve a chance to reach

game.

BOTH SIDES VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 ♠ Pass 3 ♠ Pass

4 ♠ All Pass

Opening lead — ♣ J

BRIDGE

©2022, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart