The Washington Post - USA (2021-10-23)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23 , 2021. 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 JULES RIVERA

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

♠ A 7

♥ 4 2

♦ K Q 7 6 3

♣ 10 7 6 5

WEST (D)

♠ K Q J 8 4

♥ A 6

♦ 8 4 2

♣ K 4 3

EAST

♠ 10 6 2

♥ 10 7

♦ J 10 9 5

♣ Q J 8 2

SOUTH

♠ 9 5 3

♥ K Q J 9 8 5 3

♦ A

♣ A 9

The bidding:

“S

imple Saturday”

columns focus on

basic technique and logical

thinking.

Cy the Cynic is a hard

man: He says that if you

make the same mistake

more than once, the second

time is a choice. Players

should know better than to

play in haste to the first trick

as declarer, but some keep

doing it.

Against today’s four

hearts, West led the king of

spades, and South took dum-

my’s ace — and then started

to think. He conceded a

spade, but then West led the

ace and a low trump, clear-

ing dummy’s trumps. South

couldn’t ruff his last spade

in dummy or use the K-Q of

diamonds, so he lost another

spade and a club. Down one.

South played too fast.

He must let West’s king of

spades win. If West shifts

to the ace and a low trump,

South can unblock the ace of

diamonds and reach dummy

with the ace of spades to dis-

card on the high diamonds,

making an overtrick.

If instead West leads

another spade at Trick Two,

South can do just as well,

reaching dummy by ruffing

his last spade.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

♠ A 7 ♥ 4 2

♦ K Q 7 6 3 ♣ 10 7 6 5

The dealer, at your left,

opens one heart. Your part-

ner doubles, the next player

passes and you jump to

three diamonds. Partner bids

three spades. What do you

say?

ANSWER: Your jump-

response showed about 10

points and invited game,

and since partner bid a new

suit after he doubled first, he

has a good hand. You should

treat his bid as forcing. Raise

to four spades.

E- W VULNERABLE

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

1 ♠ Pass Pass Dbl

Pass 2 ♦ Pass 2 ♥

Pass 2 NT Pass 4 ♥

All pass

Opening lead — ♠ K

BRIDGE

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— Frank Stewart