The Washington Post - 03.03.2020

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAy, MARCH 3 , 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

♠ 4 2

♥ K 7 3

♦ K J 9 4

! A 10 9 3

WEST (D)

♠ 10 7

♥ 10 9 4 2

♦ Q 7 6 2

! 8 5 2

EAST

♠ K J 9 8 6 3

♥ J 8 6

♦ A 5

! K 4

SOUTH

♠ A Q 5

♥ A Q 5

♦ 10 8 3

! Q J 7 6

The bidding:

“I

think my game is going

downhill,” a club player

told me sadly.

“Why so?”

“Everything I do,” he said,

“feels like I’m going uphill.”

My friend was declarer at

today’s 3NT, and West led

the 10 of spades in defer-

ence to East’s opening bid.

“I won with the queen,”

my friend said, “and let the

queen of clubs ride.”

“The finesse wasn’t a

favorite when East had

opened the bidding,” I

observed.

“East won,” declarer

sighed, “and forced out my

ace of spades. I could take

only eight tricks before he

got in with the ace of dia-

monds and beat me with

good spades.”

South’s play made suc-

ceeding at 3NT uphill work.

East is sure to have the ace

of diamonds on the bidding

and probably the king of

clubs, but West may have the

queen of diamonds. At Tr ick

Two, South should let the

eight of diamonds ride.

East takes the ace to con-

tinue spades, but declarer

wins and repeats the dia-

mond finesse. He can win

three diamonds, two spades,

three hearts and two clubs

on an end play.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ A Q 5 ♥ A Q 5

♦ 10 8 3! Q J 7 6

After two passes, the

player at your right opens

one spade. South in today’s

deal overcalled 1NT with this

hand. Do you agree with that

action?

ANSWER: Personally, I

wouldn’t have been as brave.

If the North and West hands

had been exchanged, South

would have gone down a few

at 1NT doubled. I would have

passed. I like 1NT overcalls

to contain a point or two

more as well as a possible

source of tricks.

BOTH SIDES VULNERABLE

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

Pass Pass 1 ♠ 1 NT

Pass 3 NT All Pass

Opening lead — ♠ 10

BRIDGE

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