DAILY CROSSWORD
ACROSS
Critical measurements in “Apollo 13” 5 When tripled,
“yadda”: abbr. 8 They may be wrapped at restaurants 13 China neighbor 14 Common pace
for a slugger 16 “__ you special” 17 In a big stack 19 Assessor’s
decision
20 Kind
21 Car wash option 22 Serious reading? 24 B-complex
vitamin
26 Old fad items packed in boxes with breathing holes Conclude with Achieves New job requirement, perhaps “That makes sense” Convertible’s spot
Help for ones seeing stars? Macabre rock genre Where odds are posted: abbr. Modern capture? Negri of silents Starter starter? “Nattering nabobs” veep Track runners Many a head shop garment Don’t forget about Have in hand Reddit VIP One you usually don’t want to meet Makeshift branch hanger 58 “Hello” balladeer 59 Miss a syllable
or two, say 60 Formerly 1 27 28 29 30 33 34 36 38 41 43 45 46 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 61 Rich veins 62 Medium skill 63 Invader from below
DOWN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 18 23 __ skiing Sending out Round fabric pattern element Compass dir. Hunt in “Mission: Impossible” films
Brand with a leporine mascot Tooth not examined by a dentist Solid, in a request Speaker Fastened anew, as a corset Sandwich component? “Boss of the Plains” apparel brand Golfing groups Gradually goes down “Come on in!”
DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:
My “Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and developing logical thinking.
All opponents are not created equal. When you are declarer, one opponent may be “dangerous”: You don’t want him in the lead. The other will be “safe”: If he gets in, you don’t mind.
In today’s deal, West leads a diamond against your 3NT. East is “dangerous.” If he wins a trick and leads a spade through your K-J, terrible things may happen. You don’t need a second diamond trick, with a finesse, to make game: You have at least three hearts and at least five clubs.
Take the ace of diamonds and let the 10 of clubs ride. A first-round finesse loses if West has a 25 26 28 31 32 35 37 38 39 Whispered sweet nothings They take things the wrong way Smallest Battleship pieces Connected with Bottom-line positives Looie’s underling Metaphor for a potential crisis Best-case “The Wizard of Oz” plot twist— literally singleton queen but gains if he has any low singleton. You succeed easily.
You would go down if you finessed in diamonds at Trick One. East wins and shifts to a spade, and the defense takes five spades. You would also go down if you mismanaged the clubs by taking the ace before finessing.
DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ KJ ♥ K53 ◆ 64 ♣ A K J 9 6 3. Your partner opens one spade, you respond two clubs and he bids two diamonds. What do you say?
ANSWER: This problem is difficult. If partner holds a perfect minimum hand suchasAQ1076,76,A7 5 2, Q 4, a winning contract will be six clubs, or 6NT 40 Denied access,
on social media 42 First artist whose first six albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 44 Genetic variant 47 Squeezed (in) 49 Casting array 50 Annoying sort 52 Numbered
work
56 __ Miss
57 “I. Am.
Speechless.” played from your side. A rebid of three clubs would not be forcing. Stall with a “fourth-suit” bid of two hearts.