The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-02)

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, MAY 2 , 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

♠ 6 3 2

♥ K 10 4

♦ Q 6

♣ A K J 5 4

WEST

♠ 4

♥ Q 9 7 6 2

♦ A 10 7 2

♣ 9 7 2

EAST

♠ Q 10 9 7 5

♥ A 3

♦ K J 5 3

♣ 10 6

SOUTH (D)

♠ A K J 8

♥ J 8 5

♦ 9 8 4

♣ Q 8 3

The bidding:

“I

don’t see how you could

have known, Holmes.”

“You fail to reason logi-

cally, Watson.”

Dr. Watson and Sherlock

Holmes were reviewing a

match against Professor

Moriarty. In today’s deal,

Watson had overcalled

in spades; nevertheless,

Holmes as West had led a

heart against Moriarty’s 3NT.

“The professor put up

dummy’s king,” Watson

recounted, “and I took the

ace and returned a heart to

your queen. Had I been in

your place, I would have led

a third heart to set up my

long suit with the ace of dia-

monds as an entry.”

“That is why you are

a card-pusher, Watson.

Declarer’s play was reveal-

ing. Why would he play

dummy’s king of hearts when

to play low was much more

attractive? Clearly, he was

desperate to win the first

trick, and only because he

feared a shift to some other

suit. That could only be

diamonds.”

When Holmes took the

queen of hearts, he led a low

diamond, and the defense

took four diamonds for down

two.

“Quite amazing, Holmes.”

“Elementary.”

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ 6 3 2 ♥ K 10 4

♦ Q 6 ♣ A K J 5 4

You open one club, and

your partner bids one heart.

What do you say?

ANSWER: You have

options, none ideal. A bid

of 1NT would describe your

hand reasonably well, but

the three low spades are

unsettling. A rebid of two

clubs would show a six-card

or longer suit. I would choose

a raise to two hearts, sug-

gesting a possible trump

suit. You may land at a weak-

ish 4-3 fit, but then you may

have no better contract.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

Pass Pass 1 ♣ 1 ♠

2 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass

Opening lead — ♥ 6

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart