The Washington Post - USA (2021-12-25)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25 , 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 ♠ 10 8 5 4 ♥ 6 4 2 ♦ K 9 5 ♣ K Q 5 WEST ♠ 6 2 ♥ J 10 9 5 ♦ 10 7 6 ♣ A 8 4 2

EAST ♠ A K ♥ Q 8 7 ♦ J 8 4 2 ♣ 10 9 6 3 SOUTH (D) ♠ Q J 9 7 3 ♥ A K 3 ♦ A Q 3 ♣ J 7

The bidding:

S

imple Saturday columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking. My friend the English professor defines “double booking” as when you cheat and dive into a second book before you finish one you started. There may be nothing terrible about that, but getting your priorities mixed up as declarer can be harmful. Against today’s four spades, West led the jack of hearts, and declarer won with the king and led a trump. East won and returned a heart, forcing out the ace. When he won the next trump, the defense cashed a heart and West’s ace of clubs. Down one. South needs to read two books on dummy play. His priorities were wrong. Since South was clearly at risk of four losers, he must delay drawing trumps: At Trick Two he leads the jack of clubs to set up a fast discard. If West ducks, wins the next club and leads a second heart, South wins and goes to dummy’s king of diamonds to pitch his heart loser on the high club. Then he can start the trumps safely. DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠ Q J 9 7 3 ♥ A K 3 ♦ A Q 3 ♣ J 7 The dealer, at your right, opens one club. You bid one spade, the next player bids two clubs and two passes fol- low. What do you say? ANSWER: It is often wrong to sell out at the two level when the opponents have found a fit. You have a good hand (your overcall of one spade was fine), and your partner probably has a few points. Double. You may make a two-level contract or drive the opponents higher.

N-S VULNERABLE

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1 ♠ Pass 2 ♠ Pass 3 ♠ Pass 4 ♠ All Pass Opening lead — ♥ J

BRIDGE

— Frank Stewart