Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-02-26
OBSERVATIONS ON WHIST.
The Great Importance Of the Trump
Lead-Ths Finekse and Unblocking.

Lead-rhs Fin~sse and Unblocking.
In whist there is more ignorance displayed
in the management OF trumps than perhaps
any other branch of the game. The average
player generally makes the error Of leading
out his trumps from a suit Of four or less
when lac has no business TO lead them at all.
The old rule when In doubt lead trumps'
has caused more havoc than would readily he
supposed. But il the whist student will bear
in mind Just what the trump is for and the
reason il Is played at all, he cannot 20 far
wrong in his trump lead. IL is obvious to
any one who has studied at all the philoso-
ply Of whist that trumps can only be used
in two ways 10 advantage az to exhaust
the trumps in the opponents hands and,
by having one or two left over in
your own, to use these one or two
as cards Of re-entry for the establishment oi
your own or your partners suit, or ca wher
you haven't enough trumps in your owl
hand, so that by leading you can exhaust
those in your opponents hands, TO make
tricks by trumping. The first is the offensive
play; the second Is the defensive. The reason
why whist authorities will not, under ordi,
nary conditions, permit the original lead OF
trumps from a suit OF four, is because -four
may not be enough u exhaust the trumps in
the opponents hands. For instance, A has
four trumps, b, his partner, has one, c has
five and b mas three. Now il A should lead
out his trumps, after the fourth round h,
would not have any left, while c, his left
hand opponent, would have one. Consequent
ly, A would le playing his opponents hand
But il the trumps are evenly distributed
then AS trump lead would b. proper under
certain conditions. The only way, OF course
that he can tell whether they are evenly dis
tributed is by watching the fall of the card,
during the first two or three rounds-tC
notice, for instance, if either of his opponents
signals for trumps. Then again, II A ha,
good plain suits back of his four trumps, q
trump lead NAV be correct even il one of hi,
opponents has five. for A may be able 10 force
his opponents trump Land.
The main object tor A TO determine is, OF
course, whether he can exhaust the trumIc
in his opponents hand. lie cana almost Away,
do il if lie las live trumps; he may do ii If he
has four, possibly If he has three and good
plain suits TO force with. But all this de
ponds on the fall OF the cards. The hand
which follows deserves 30 be carefully studied
1t illustrates the skillful Use of the trumps by
two partners and also how u suit may be un
blocked, two very important points. Ii alsc
brings into play M Of the subtleties OF
finesse, and shows TO what an extent the
tinesse can be carried.
The hands are ms follows.
Al, = hearts. 3 diamonds, q, KIN, o, s, O, 4
clubs, k, q, ., 3spades.
B-A, 10, 5, T., I, 3 hearts, 5. 4 diamonds
K, 10, 5, 8 clubs, 10 spades.
C-Kn hearts, k, q, KIN, Q, Z, 2 diamonds, .
clubs, a, kn, s, 9, 2 spades.
DIX, q, ., 5 hearts, a, 10, s, O diamonds
a, Z clubs, Z. ), 4 spades.
Qclubs turned by A.
Round &c k d, B 4d, d Sd, AID d,
play Of the 5 deserves attention. He does no,
wish TO block his partners suit and he re
members the rule which applies 10 the case
When your partner leads originally from q
suit Of which you have four play the third
best and then the second best, otherwise you
may block his suit in the fourth round.
Round &c KIN d, b I'D, ID 10 d. A4c.
Round ga Sc, Gee, B 10 C, ID &C.
Db htN u u itiilu habit uiu tubNt
great skill Here is probably his reasoning
A leads from his fourth best. | (BD have the
K and 10, Consequently A must nave in hi,
hand, outside or the k and 10, all but one
card higher than the y. This card is Just a,
liable 10 be in C's US in AS hand; therefort
l will keep my k and play my 10. As it hap
pened, the a wa the one card higher held by
the opponents, and ID held it; but IL B had
played his K he would have lost the trick.
his play gives agood insight into the inesse
Round I'D a d, A &c, B I'd, B los.
Round 5-A KIN C, c rs, B k C, Die.
b makes another play which deserves at
tention. When you have four trumps and
your partner leads, it is your duty to call hi,
attention to the number you hold as soon a,
possible, SO that he may avoid leading one,
too often. This can be done by the return
lead when you hold three by returning you
highest and then next highest, and when you
hold four or more by returning the fourtl
best, or by echoing playing an unnecessary
ly high trump before a low trump on YOU
partners leadl. But it happens in this cas-.
that b has no means Of informing his partnel
as to the number he holds. He knows tina
lns MI cppi, out us paSrts ~ n may ieh,
again. b therefore takes the trick with tn,
X, and in the next round returns a plain suit
in the hope that after that the fall Of th,
cards will show A that he tBD has two trump
left.
Round 6-B a b., d 5 b., A 2 h, C kn b.
Round 7-B q h, d q h., A b, Cos.
Round SD K b, A &c, Css, B3h.
Round "a ks, G as, &c, D4s
1t is useless to continue the game b,
rounds. B now brings in his hearts, and 4
and B take all the rest of the tricks. A an,
b make 4 by points.
I desire once more to call attention to d
play Of the diamonds. By playing his s o
diamonds on C's lead, and then his 10, he |
left with the o, which had his partner ha,
an opportunity he could have played on c.
lead without blocking C's suit. This coul,
not be done IL ID had held up the 10.
Tow T~g,-a