, 1890-11-16
POINTS ON CARDS.

A Pew Easy but Important Questions
About Whilst Answered.
Enthusiast-As / understand it the sig
nal Is an unnecessarily high card played
before n low one, but for the life OF me /
cant understand what the echo Is.
Answer-The echo is precisely the same
thing as the signal. When your partner
is strong In trumps and leads them and
you are also strong, you simply signal
that is TO say, you echo his lead. II clubs
are trumps your partner leads and you
have the two and three. play the three first
and then the two.
Enthusiast-Of course. But with how
many trumps do you echog
Answer-With four or more. Your part
ner will probably not lead trumps with
less than five. By your echo you show him
you have at least four, and the remaining
four are with your opponents. Your play
is very valuable. because il shows him lust
how many times to lead trunps.
Enthusiast-Ies, but suppose you take
the trick on his lead OF trumpsf OF course
you have got 10 return his lead-I believe
you say that nothing but sudden death
should prevent this-kow are you going to
Hhow him then how many trumps you
bavei
Answer-The rule is that when you have
three or less TO return the highest; more
NAAAAAA AAAhNH " ANAhAA II -IHNI.
This Is ironclad.
Enthusiasts this merely an arbitrary
rulef Isn't there some reason for itt
Ans Ner-Ehere Is "A reason, and n rood
reason, for every rule in whist. Besides
the information II conveys, the play OF the
highest OF three or less strengthens your
partners hand. Mind you, this rule ap-
plies TO plain as well ~ trump suits. Your
partner leads from his strong suit, doesn't
hos ANh.N nagaW..aI L.. a "a IL
He wantT to get the high cards ont first, so
that his low cards will rise correspondingly
10 value and have the command. Now, II
you have out three cards Of this suit IL Is.
comparatively speaking. useless to you.
Therefore by leading back the highest to
yNur partner you first strengthen his suit:
sscond. bring out the high cards Ia the
hands OF your opponents, and, third. show
HIN where the carts lie. II, on the con.
.rwy, you have four cards, then your suit
y almost ss likely 10 be established "a that
Of your partners. Then there Is no par
ocular reason why you should give In to
him.. for In the first place he may have led
from only four. aud, second, the fourth
card of your suit can he established ~ ems
lily as his.
Enthusiast-I follow you. But suppose
your partner leads from 1--WE and you have
o originally. You lead back your fourth
bOst, which Is the lowest one, and your
opponents follow suit. That makes eight
cards that have been played. Your oppo-
uents haven't any left, and Of the remain
ing five you have two and your partner
three. Now suppose, at a critical state of
the game, that you partner has the lead
and is obliged to lead this suit. Suppose
the trumps are out. Now it is evident that
his three cards, II they are higher in value
than your two cards, are good for three
tricks. But II, on the contrary, you are
Obliged TO take the first two tricks, then IL
will be impossible for you to give him the
lead and you are bound to lose a trick. But
II when the suit wa first played you had
taken care to throw away the high cards,
then you would have let the command re-
main in his hand. Please tell mo how this
is, going to be done.
Answer-The process is called lubbock
ing" and IL is one OF the most intricate
problems In whist. You have stated the
case fairly. In brief, you must watch the
fall Of the cards, and IL your partner is
very strong In any suit you can almost al
ways tell just what cards of yours are
likely to block his suit, and can dispose of
them in time. For instance, II you have
queen, s, Q and 3, and your partner is very
strong, you will In many cases see the al
vantage of throwing of first the s and
then the Q. This will not be a signal, be
cause the higher card is played second.
This system of unlocking, however, does
not affect In the main the rule of the re-
turn Of the highest OF three or less and of
the lowest OF four, or the fourth best OF
more than four. Ton MASON.