Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-03-02
OBSERVATIONS ON WHIST.
The Great Importance Of the Trump
Lead-The Finesse and UnbIocking

The Great Importance Of the Trump
Lead-The Finesse and UNLOCKING.
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 suit of four or less
when he has no business TO lead them at all.
The old rule ''whai in doubt lead trumps"
has caused more havoc than would readily be
supposed. But If the whist student will bear
in mind just what the trump is for and the
reason it is played at all, he cannot go far
wrong in his trump lead. It is obvious to
any one who has studied at all the philoso-
ply of whist that trumps can only be used
in two ways to advantage o. 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-ent-y for the establishment OF
your own or your partners suit, or % when
you haven't enough trumps in your own
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 .1he reason
why whist authorities will ot,sNnder ordi-
nary conditions, permit the original lead of
trumps from suit of four, is because four
may not be enough to exhaust the trumps IN
the opponents hands. For instance, \ has
four trurps, u, his partner, has one, G has
five and D has three. Now if A should lead
out his trumps, after the fourth round he
would not have any left, while c, his left
hand opponent, would have one. Consequent
ly, A would be playing his opponents hand.
But if the trunps are evenly distributed
then AS trump lead would be proper under
certain conditions. The only way, of course
that ne can tell whether they are evenly dis
Tibuted is by watching the fall Of the cards
during the first two or three rounds-to
notice. for instance, if either of his opponenta
signals for trumps Then again, If A has
good plain suits back of his four trumps, a
trump lead may be correct even if one of his
opponents has five, for A may be able to force
his opponents trump hand.
The main object for a to determine is, Of
course, whether he can exhaust the trumps
in his opponents hand. He can almost alway,
do it if he has five trumps; he may do it 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 to be carefully studied.
1t illustrates the slillful use of the trumps by
two partners and also how suit may be I'M
blocked, two very important points. It also
brings into play one of the subtleties of
fnesse, and shows to what an extent the
fnesse can be carried.
The hands are as follows:
Az, hearts, 3 diamonds, q, kn, 9, s, 6, 4
clubs, k, q, 9, 3spades.
B-A, 10, s, G, 4, 8 hearts, 5, 4 diamonds,
K, 10, 5, 8 clubs, 10 spades.
C-Kn hearts, k, q. kn, Q, ~ diamonds, g
clubs, a, KIN, s, 6, spades.
DIX, q, 9, hearts. a, 10, 6, 6 diamonds,
a, clubs, Z, 5, spades.
Q clubs turned by A.
Round &c k d, B d, D s d, A d. Dis
play of the s deserves attention. He does not
wish to block his partners suit and he re,
members the rule which applies to the case.
When your partner leads originally from
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 5 d, ID 10 d, A &C.
Round ga SC, c 2 C, B 10 C, D &C.
BIS finesse here is remarkable and shows
great skill. Here is probably his reasoning:
A leads from his fourth best. tB) have tho
k and 10, consequently A must have in his
hand outside of the k and 10, all but one
card higher than the s. This card is just as
liable to be in C's as in AS hand; therefore
l will keep my K and play my 10. As it hap
pened, the a was the one card higher held by
the opponents and D held it; but if had
played his k he would have lost the trick
This play gives good insight into the finesse.
Round I'D d, A 6 C, B 2 d, Il 10 S.
Round 5-A kn C, c IS, B kc, DC.
makes another play which deserves at
tention. When you have four trumps and
your partner leads, it is your duty to call his
attention to the number you hold as soon as
possible, so that he may avoid leading once
too often. This can be done by the return
lead tyvhen you hold three by returning your
highest and then next highest. and when yot
hold four or more by returning the fourth
best, or by echoing-playing an unnecessary
~ high trump before low trump on your
partners leadl. But it happens in this case
that b has no means OF informing his partner
as to the number Re holds. He knows that
the KIN is good, but if he passes it a may lead
again. b therefore takes the trick with the
k, aud in the next round returns plain suit,
in the hope that after that the fall of the |
cards will show A that he (B) has two trumps
left
Round 6-B a h, d b, A 2 b, c KIN h.
Round 7-B 6 h, D q h, A7h, Cos.
Round Sd h. a &C. C. s s, 3h.
Round "a k 5, c a s. B SC, D4s
1t is useless to continue the game by |
rounds. B now brings in his hearts, and A !
and take all the rest of the tricks. A and
B make by points
desire once more to call attention to DIS !
play of the diamonds. By playing his OF |
diamonds on C's lead, and then his 10, he is |
left with the 6, which had his partner had
an opportunity he could have played on C's |
lead without blocking C's suit This could /
not be done if D had held up the 10
Tow LANSING.
How Patti Looked When Is Girl.