The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-06

any one vino mas studied at all the phiIoso-
ply of whist that trunlps 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-entry Tor the establishment of
your own or your partners suit, or CO when
you haven't enough tru1nps 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 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 to exhaust tie trumps in
the opponents hands, For instance, A has
four trumps, B, his partner, has one, C has
five and d has three Now if a should lead
out his trrnnps, 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 trumps are evenly distributed,
then AS trump lead would be proper under
certain conditions. The only way, of course,
that he 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 opponents
signals for trumps. Then again, if A has
good plain suits back OF his our trumps,
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 always
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 skillful use of the trumps by
two partners and also how suit may be I'M
blocked, two very important points. 1t also
brings into play one of the subtleties of
6nesse, and shows to what an extent the
inesse can be carried.
The hands are as follows:
Al, 2 hearts, 8 diamonds, q, KIN, 9, 8, 6, 4
clubs, k, q, 9, 3spades
B-A, 10, S, e. 4, 3 hearts, 5, diamonds,
k, 10, 5, 3 clubs. 10 spades.
C-Kn hearts, k, q. KIN, 9, 72 diamonds, 9
clubs, a, KIN, 8, 6, spades
DIX, q, 9, 5 hearts, a, 10, s, 6 diamonds,
q, clubs, z, 5, spades.
. clubs turned by A
Round &c k d, Bad, Sd, A3d DIS
play of the 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 XII d, B 5 d, D Cd, A4c.
Round ga Sc, G &c, B 10c, &C.
BIS finesse here is remarkable and shows
great skill Here is probably his reasoning:
A leads from his fourth best. l (B) have the
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
will keep my and play my 10. AS it hap
pened, the was the one card higher held by
the opponents, and D held it; but if B had
played his he would have lost the trick.
This play gives a good insight into the finesse
Round I'D d, A 6 C, B d, B los.
Round "a kn C, G IS, B kc, DC.
B 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 when you hold three by returning your
highest and then next highest, and when you
hold four or more by returning the fourth
best, or by echoing-playing an unnecessary
ly high trump before a low trump on your
partners lead). But it happens in this case
that B has no means of informing his partner
as to the number he holds. He knows that
the KIN is good, but if he passes it A may lead
again. B therefore takes the trick with tbe
X, and in the next round returns plain suit.
in the hope that after that the fall of the
cards will show A that he CD has two trumns
left.
Round 6-B h, D 5 h, A2h, Cknh
Round 7-B h, D oh, A7h, C6s.
Round Sd K h, a &C, CSs, B3h.
Round "a K S, Gas, Bic, D4s
1t is useless to continue the game nv
rounds. now brings in his hearts, and a
and B take all the rest of the tricks. A and
make by points.
desire once more to call attention to DIS |
play of the diamonds By playing his of
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 couId |
not be done if D had held up the 10.
Tom LANSING.