The Washington Post - 07.08.2019

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7 , 2019. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE C7

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

NO RTH

♠ Q 5 3 2

♥ J 8 7 6 4

♦ 8 4

! A K

WEST

♠ J 9 8

♥ 10 5 2

♦ K 9 6

! J 9 7 4

EAST

♠ K 10 7 6

♥ 9

♦ Q 10 7 5 2

! 10 6 3

SOUTH (D)

♠ A 4

♥ A K Q 3

♦ A J 3

! Q 8 5 2

The bidding:

I

continue a series on careful

timing by declarer.

Cy the Cynic observes the

procrastinator’s rule: “You

can do it today, but today will

be today again tomorrow.”

When Cy was declarer at six

hearts, he won West’s trump

lead with the ace and saw 11

tricks: five trumps in dummy,

three clubs, a diamond,

a spade and at least one

spade ruff in his hand.

If West had the king of

spades, Cy could get a 12th

trick with dummy’s queen.

Otherwise, he might need a

second spade ruff.

So Cy procrastinated; he

did not draw trumps. At Tr ick

Two he led a spade and let

West’s eight win. Cy won

the trump return cheaply

in dummy, took the ace of

spades and A-K of clubs, and

ruffed a spade. He cashed

the ace of diamonds and

pitched dummy’s last dia-

mond on the queen of clubs.

Cy then ruffed a diamond,

ruffed the queen of spades

and won the last two tricks

with trumps in dummy. If he

mistimes by drawing trumps

and relying on a second

spade trick or an unlikely

squeeze, down he goes.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ Q 5 3 2 ♥ J 8 7 6 4

♦ 8 4! A K

Your partner opens one

diamond, you respond one

heart and he bids one spade.

The opponents pass. What

do you say?

ANSWER: You have located

a trump fit. How high should

you raise? A raise to two

spades would be a chance-

giving action and would

show seven to nine points.

If your jack of hearts were

the ace, you would want to

play at game and would bid

four spades. Raise to three

spades, invitational.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

2 NT Pass 3! Pass

3 ♥ Pass 5 ♥ Pass

6 ♥ All Pass

Opening lead — ♥ 2

BRIDGE

©2019, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart