FRIDAy, MARCH 27 , 2020. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE C5
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 (D)
♠ Q J 9 5
♥ Q 4
♦ A J 3
! J 9 5 2
WEST
♠ K 4 3
♥ A K J 7 6 5
♦ 9 5
! 10 6
EAST
♠ 2
♥ 8 3
♦ Q 10 8 7 6 4 2
! K 8 7
SOUTH
♠ A 10 8 7 6
♥ 10 9 2
♦ K
! A Q 4 3
The bidding:
“W
hen I’m declarer,”
a learning player at
my club sighed to me, “I need
a ‘clear memory’ key for my
brain. By the 13th trick, I can’t
remember what happened at
trick one.”
Counting the hand takes
experience and practice, but
anyone can do it. Against
today’s four spades, West
cashes the K-A of hearts
and shifts to the nine of dia-
monds. Declarer takes the
king and leads the ace and a
second trump, and West wins
and exits with a trump. East
discards two diamonds.
South wins in dummy,
discards a club on the ace
of diamonds and ruffs a
diamond. West discards a
heart. South then ruffs his
last heart in dummy. East
discards a diamond.
To succeed, South must
pick up the clubs. East must
hold either K-x or K-x-x.
If South has paid atten-
tion, he will know what to
do. West started with three
trumps, six hearts and two
diamonds, hence two clubs.
Since South’s only chance
is to find West with 10-x in
clubs, he must lead dummy’s
jack.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold:
♠ A 10 8 7 6 ♥ 10 9 2
♦ K! A Q 4 3
You open one spade, your
partner bids two clubs, you
raise to three clubs and he
tries three diamonds. What
do you say?
ANSWER: Your partner is
looking for game (and may
be headed for slam), and all
of your honors look good.
Your ace of spades and fit-
ting king of diamonds will be
useful. Jump to five clubs to
suggest good club support
and prime values. If partner
bids six clubs, you will cheer.
N-S VULNERABLE
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
Pass Pass 1 ♠ 2 ♥
3 ♠ Pass 4 ♠ All Pass
Opening lead — ♥ K
BRIDGE
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— Frank Stewart