SATURDAY, MAY 7 , 2022. 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
SUDOKUNORTH
♠ K Q 3 2
♥ A Q 8 7 5
♦ A 2
♣ 5 3
WEST
♠ 7
♥ 10 6 4
♦ J 10 9 6 4
♣ K J 10 8EAST
♠ 8 6 5 4
♥ K J 9 3
♦ 8 7 5 3
♣ 9
SOUTH (D)
♠ A J 10 9
♥ 2
♦ K Q
♣ A Q 7 6 4 2The bidding:“S
imple Saturday” col-
umns focus on improv-
ing basic technique and logi-
cal thinking.
One of the first play tech-
niques novice players learn
is the finesse: an attempt
to win a trick with an inter-
mediate card by playing it
after one opponent plays.
Finesses are not sure to work
and may be necessary evils.
It’s surely wrong to try one
that is an unnecessary evil.
At today’s six spades,
South won the first diamond
with his king, cashed the
A-K of trumps and next tried
a finesse with the queen of
clubs. West took his king and
returned the jack, and alas
for South, East ruffed.
South didn’t need to win
a club finesse for 12 tricks;
his finesse was unnecessary.
South should win the first
diamond with the ace and
attack his side suit: He takes
the ace of clubs and con-
cedes a club.
If West returns a diamond,
declarer wins, ruffs a club
with dummy’s king of trumps,
leads a trump to his ace and
ruffs a club with the queen.
South can then draw trumps
and claim the slam.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold:
♠ K Q 3 2 ♥ A Q 8 7 5
♦ A 2 ♣ 5 3
You open one heart, and
your partner bids two dia-
monds. What do you say?
ANSWER: A bid of two
spades — in a suit that
outranks the one in which
you opened — would be a
“reverse,” promising extra
strength. Rebid two hearts.
But some pairs allow a
reverse with a minimum
hand after a response at the
two level. Like many bidding
issues, it’s a matter for part-
nership discussion.N-S VULNERABLESOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 ♣ Pass 1 ♥ Pass
1 ♠ Pass 4 ♠ Pass
5 ♣ Pass 5 ♦ Pass
6 ♠ All Pass
Opening lead — ♦ JBRIDGE©2022, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
— Frank Stewart