The Washington Post - 21.10.2019

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, OCTOBER 21 , 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

 A J 10 7 3

 A K Q 10 9 2

 None

 K 10

WEST

 K 5

 8 7 5 3

 J 10 7 6 3

 6 2

EAST (D)

 8

 6

 K Q 9 8 5 4 2

 A Q 8 4

SOUTH

 Q 9 6 4 2

 J 4

 A

 J 9 7 5 3

The bidding:

T

he ACBL’s annual Youth

NABC, held at its Summer

Championships, drew hun-

dreds of young players — a

good sign for the game’s

future.

Many juniors competed

in the major events. In the

Open Pairs (reported by

Robin Hilyard), East was

17-year-old Ethan Wood of

Dover, Mass. When North-

South roared into six spades,

Ethan declined to sacrifice

at seven diamonds. West led

a low diamond, and dummy

threw a club. Instead of play-

ing the textbook queen, the

lower of his equal honors,

Ethan followed with the king.

That play — apparently

denying the queen — con-

vinced declarer that East

had the king of trumps for

his opening bid. Instead of

finessing in trumps, South

led to the ace. He lost a

trump and a club.

Declarer might have gone

right; if East held the king of

trumps, West had nothing

resembling a raise to two dia-

monds. But concealment on

defense is a subtle art, and

if a junior player foresaw the

possible effect of playing his

king of diamonds, he is to be

admired.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

 Q 9 6 4 2  J 4

 A  J 9 7 5 3

Your partner opens one

heart, you respond one

spade and he bids two dia-

monds. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your hand is not

strong enough to bid 2NT

— you would promise about

11 points — and certainly

not to bid three clubs, which

would commit your side to

game. Nor should you rebid

two spades with a ragged

five-card suit. Bid two hearts.

Partner should expect only a

tolerance for hearts, not real

support.

BOTH SIDES VULNERABLE

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

1  1 (!) 2  6 

All Pass

Opening lead —  6

BRIDGE

©2019, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart