The Washington Post - USA (2020-08-03)

C6 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, AUGUST 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 (D)

♠ A K 3

♥ A 6

♦ K J 10 5

♣ Q 6 5 2

WEST

♠ J 10 9 8

♥ Q 8 4

♦ 8 6

♣ K 8 7 3

EAST

♠ Q 7 6

♥ 7 3

♦ Q 9 4 3

♣ A J 9 4

SOUTH

♠ 5 4 2

♥ K J 10 9 5 2

♦ A 7 2

♣ 10

The bidding:

A

nother letter arrived from

the Society of Finessers

— they are nothing if not

persistent — complaining

that finesses never win in my

column deals.

“Sir: We must again pro-

test your disdain for the

finesse, an honorable tech-

nique that wins fully half the

time, except when you write

about it.”

Gentlemen, let me give

you something else to com-

plain about.

At four hearts, South

takes the ace of spades,

cashes the ace of trumps

and finesses with his jack,

losing. South wins the next

spade, comes to his ace of

diamonds, draws trumps and

leads a diamond to dummy’s

10. East produces the queen
    and cashes a spade and a
    club for down one.
    “Two finesses lose,” the
    Society grumbles.
    After South wins the first
    spade, he should take the
    A-K of trumps, gaining time.
    He continues with the A-K
    of diamonds and leads the
    jack.
    East wins and returns a
    spade to dummy, but South
    discards his spade loser
    on the 10 of diamonds. He
    makes his game without tak-
    ing a finesse.
    DAILY QUESTION
    You hold:
    ♠ 5 4 2 ♥ K J 10 9 5 2
    ♦ A 7 2 ♣ 10
    You open two hearts
    (weak), and your partner
    responds 2NT. The oppo-
    nents pass. What do you
    say?
    ANSWER: In every prac-
    ticed partnership, partner’s
    2NT is an artificial inquiry.
    Partnerships use different
    rebidding schemes, some
    more complicated than oth-
    ers. A common and simple
    treatment is for opener to
    show a side-suit feature —
    and ace or king — if he has
    one. If that is your agree-
    ment, bid three diamonds.

N- S VULNERABLE

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1 NT Pass 4 ♥ All Pass

Opening lead — ♠ J

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart