C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, MAY 24 , 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
SUDOKUNORTH
♠ 9 6 4
♥ J 8 5
♦ A K Q 7 2
♣ J 2
WEST
♠ Q 7 2
♥ K Q 4 2
♦ 4
♣ K 9 7 6 5EAST
♠ J 10 5 3
♥ 6 3
♦ J 6 5 3
♣ Q 8 4
SOUTH (D)
♠ A K 8
♥ A 10 9 7
♦ 10 9 8
♣ A 10 3The bidding:A
safety play is like an
insurance policy. You pay
a premium — you give up a
chance to take the maximum
number of tricks in a suit —
and you guard against a loss
of tricks you can’t afford.
Against today’s 3NT, West
led the six of clubs: deuce,
queen, ace. South had a
second club stopper and
expected to make overtricks.
He took the A-K of diamonds
... and West showed out.
South was still confident;
he let the eight of hearts
ride. West took the queen
and led the king and a third
club. Declarer’s 10 won, but
when he led a diamond to
dummy’s queen and passed
the jack of hearts, West pro-
duced the king and cashed
two clubs. Down one.
I’ve heard cynical people
complain that their insur-
ance will cover everything
except what happens, but
that wasn’t the case here.
South’s simplest play to guar-
antee nine tricks is to let his
10 of diamonds ride at Trick
Two.
East wins, but South’s
safety play assures four
diamond tricks, plus two
spades, two clubs and one
heart.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold:
♠ A K 8 ♥ A 10 9 7
♦ 10 9 8 ♣ A 10 3
Both sides vulnerable. The
dealer, at your right, opens
one diamond. What do you
say?
ANSWER: To act with bal-
anced pattern — a hand bet-
ter suited for defending — is
unpleasant. Still, you have
15 prime points and no wast-
ed honors in the opening
bidder’s suit. Double. I would
pass with A K 8, Q 10 9 7, K
10 6, Q 4 3, but to pass with
the actual hand might miss a
game, especially since your
opponent may have opened
a light hand.N-S VULNERABLESOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass
Opening lead — ♣ 6BRIDGE©2022, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
— Frank Stewart