The Washington Post - 12.11.2019

C6 EZRE the washington post.tuesday, november 12 , 2019

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 JAMES ALLEN

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 6 ♥ J 6 3 ♦ A Q 4 ♣ Q 9 6 4 2 WEST ♠ K J 7 5 2 ♥ K 9 2 ♦ 8 5 ♣ A 10 5

EAST ♠ 10 8 4 ♥ Q 8 7 ♦ 10 9 7 3 2 ♣ J 8 SOUTH (D) ♠ A 9 3 ♥ A 10 5 4 ♦ K J 6 ♣ K 7 3

The bidding:

“M

y partner is quite impossible to argue with,” a club player com- plained to me. “He says he has his faults but being wrong isn’t one of them.” My friend showed me today’s deal. As West, he led a spade against 3NT, and dummy’s queen won. Declarer next led a club to his king. “I took the ace,” West said, “and led the king of spades. Declarer played low, won the next spade and led a second club: five from me, nine, jack. My partner then led a heart, but declarer had three clubs, two spades, three diamonds and a heart. “My partner insisted that I’d misdefended,” West told me. “I began to protest, and he said, ‘Save time; just see it my way.’” Did West do anything terrible? When South leads a club to his king at Tr ick Two, West must play low smoothly, retaining his entry. Then if South leads a second club and ducks in dummy, hoping East had A-8, East can win and return a spade, setting up West’s suit while West still has the ace of clubs. South will go down. DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠ K J 7 5 2 ♥ K 9 2 ♦ 8 5 ♣ A 10 5 Both sides vulnerable. The dealer, at your right, opens one heart. What do you say? ANSWER: Many successful experts would routinely bid one spade. They do well with an aggressive competitive style. But to overcall is risky; the bid has no preemptive value, and the hand is full of losers. If the next player has some spades and some points, you might suffer a large penalty. I would pass but would not criticize any- one who bid.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass Opening lead — ♠ 5

BRIDGE

— Frank Stewart