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
- 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
©2020, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
— Frank Stewart