The Washington Post - 18.03.2020

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAy, MARCH 18 , 2020

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)

♠ J 10 4

♥ K

♦ Q 10 5 2

! A K 10 8 4

WEST

♠ 7 5

♥ J 10 4 3

♦ A 8 7 6 3

! 6 5

EAST

♠ A K

♥ Q 8 7 5 2

♦ K 9 4

! Q 7 3

SOUTH

♠ Q 9 8 6 3 2

♥ A 9 6

♦ J

! J 9 2

The bidding:

T

he player we call

“Secondhand Rose”

showed up at my club today.

When the lesson about “sec-

ond hand low” on defense

was taught, Rose must have

been out on a date with Jiggs

the plumber.

Rose was today’s East,

and West led the jack of

hearts against four spades.

Declarer took the king and

led dummy’s deuce of dia-

monds, and Secondhand

Rose ... with the king!

Rose then cashed her

high trumps and led another

heart. South won and ruffed

his last heart in dummy, but

with Rose holding the guard-

ed queen of clubs and West

with the ace of diamonds,

declarer had to lose another

trick. Down one.

South makes game if Rose

plays “second hand low” on

the first diamond. South’s

jack loses to the ace, but

later South can lead the

queen of diamonds for a ruff-

ing finesse against the king,

setting up a discard for his

club loser.

Rose’s defense was

astute. Unless West has the

ace of diamonds (and he

needed something for his bid

of two hearts), the contract is

surely unbeatable.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ A K ♥ Q 8 7 5 2

♦ K 9 4! Q 7 3

Your partner opens one

diamond, you respond one

heart and he bids one spade.

What do you say?

ANSWER: You could blast

into 3NT, but it would be sad

if partner passed and put

down J 8 7 4, A K, A Q 10 7

6 3, 5. Since you can’t place

the contract with confidence,

bid two clubs, the “fourth

suit,” to let partner make

another descriptive bid. If

he bids 2NT, you will raise to

3NT. Otherwise, you may play

at diamonds or hearts.

N-S VULNERABLE

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1! 1 ♥ 1 ♠ 2 ♥

2 ♠ Pass 4 ♠ All Pass

Opening lead — ♥ J

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart