The Washington Post - 05.08.2019

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, AUGUST 5 , 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

NO RTH (D)

♠ Q 10 4

♥ K Q 3

♦ Q 6 4

! K Q 6 2

WEST

♠ 8 7 3

♥ A 9 7 5 4

♦ K 10 8 3

! 5

EAST

♠ K J 9 6 2

♥ 10 6

♦ 7 5

! 9 8 7 4

SOUTH

♠ A 5

♥ J 8 2

♦ A J 9 2

! A J 10 3

The bidding:

U

nlucky Louie had driven

by a church with one of

those changeable signs out

front.

“It spoke directly to me,”

Louie sighed.

“What did it say?”

“‘God always has another

cream pie up His sleeve.’”

Everything happens to

Louie. When he was declarer

at today’s 3NT, he won the

first heart in dummy and

led a diamond to his jack.

West took the king, pondered

and shifted to a spade:

10, jack, ace.

Louie next took the A-Q

of diamonds. When East

discarded, Louie cashed

his clubs, but at the 10th

trick, he had to lead a heart.

West won and led another

spade, and East had the rest.

Down one.

Louie mistimed and was

hit with a cream pie. He

should win the first heart

in his hand and lead a low

diamond. If West wins, Louie

has nine tricks. If West

ducks, Louie can force out

the ace of hearts to assure

his game. And if East had

the king of diamonds, he

couldn’t lead a spade effec-

tively, and Louie would have

time to set up nine winners.

This week: all in good

timing.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ Q 10 4 ♥ K Q 3

♦ Q 6 4! K Q 6 2

Neither side vulnerable.

The dealer, at your right,

opens one diamond. What do

you say?

ANSWER: You have 14

high-card points and should

pass all 14 of them. This

hand is better oriented for

defense, especially since the

queen of diamonds is more

likely to win a defensive

trick. I would be ashamed to

table this hand as dummy if

I doubled one diamond for

takeout and forced my part-

ner to bid.

N-S VULNERABLE

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1! Pass 2 NT Pass

3 NT All Pass

Opening lead — ♥ 5

BRIDGE

©2019, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

— Frank Stewart