The Washigtnon Post - 03.04.2020

friday, april 3 , 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

♠ Q J 4

♥ Q 7

♦ Q 10 8 5 3

♣ 8 5 2

WEST

♠ 8 3

♥ J 8 6 5 4 3 2

♦ K 4

♣ 7 4

EAST

♠ K 10 9 7 5

♥ 9

♦ A 7

♣ K 10 9 6 3

SOUTH (D)

♠ A 6 2

♥ A K 10

♦ J 9 6 2

♣ A Q J

The bidding:

U

nlucky Louie had suf-

fered through another

losing session in my club’s

penny game.

“I woke up this morning

feeling like a million dollars,”

Louie told me. “Now it’s more

like ‘insufficient funds.’”

Louie loses mostly

because he plays in haste.

In today’s deal, he leaped

boldly to 3NT at his second

turn. West led a spade, and

when dummy tabled Q-J-4,

Louie beamed. He covered

with the queen, and East

signaled with the 10. When

dummy led a diamond, West

took the king and led his last

spade, forcing out Louie’s

ace, and when East won the

next diamond, he cashed

three spades. Down one.

Louie’s thinking was insuf-

ficient. If East has both high

diamonds — two entries to

the spades — Louie will fail.

But if the diamond honors

are split, Louie must play low

from both hands on the first

spade.

West leads another spade:

queen, king, ace. When

Louie starts the diamonds,

West wins but has no more

spades, and Louie has time

to set up his diamonds, mak-

ing an overtrick.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ K 10 9 7 5 ♥ 9

♦ A 7 ♣ K 10 9 6 3

Your partner opens one

heart, you bid one spade and

he rebids two hearts. What

do you say?

ANSWER: This situation is

tough. Partner could have

many hands with which

some game contract might

be a good proposition for

your side. Since you lack the

high-card strength for game

and are unlikely to have a

good trump fit, to pass would

certainly be reasonable. If

vulnerable, you might try for

game by bidding 2NT.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 ♦ Pass 2 ♦ 2 ♠

3 NT All Pass

Opening lead — ♠ 8

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart