The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-28
FOR THELOVERS OF WHIST
"Deidrich'' Tells How First Game
Should Be Played.
The CHOICE OF SUIT TO BE LED.

Three Forces In WhiSt-LOnS TFuHnpS,
High Cards and Long Suit-ThoLead
of the First Protects the SecODd and
Establishes the Third.
Following the general line of advice
given in the previous article in this series
namely, that the player should seize ev-
cry opportunity to inform his partner OF
the character of his hand, especially the
numerical strength of his suits, let US
imagine novice seated at his first game.
The style of play is duplicate with turned
up trump. Lot the new player remember
the number rs well as the suit of this card.
If he is the dealer, he may be able to give
information to his partner of strength in
trumps by the play of a higher trump
than the one turned, for both the signal
to your partner that you desire trunps to
be led to you and the echo to his lead
of trumps informing him that you have
four or more, the echo in the case of three
trumps being left to experts, consists in
the play of an unnecessarily high card.
1t generally takes two rounds to indicate
this, but one round will do it in the case
of the turned up trump. For example, by
the play of the six or seven, when the five
or four has been exposed.
Continuing with the superstition that
the novice is in the Dealers position, he
will be fourth hand to the first lead. The
new player when fourth hand should al
ways take the trick when he can. If he
cannot, let him throw off lower card,
this, however, being unnecessarily high,
as indicated by the play next time of a
still lower card when he desires to call for
trumps. If he has none of the suit his
discard will be from his shortest suit ex-
cept when strength of trumps has been de-
olared to lie with the opponents.
If he takes the trick, he is in the position
- ~, 4H,--% Z
slider is whether or not trumps should be
led. The invariable rule for tho novice,
with five or more trumps, is lead them;
with less, don't. When more expert with
the command of all suits, trumps may be
even led from three. With the command
of one long suit and re-entry cards.. O.,
those bound to take tricks, in at least one
other suit, trumps may be led from four,
but in these cases the trumps must be
fairly high ones. The reason for the trump
lead is that with trUmps in your oppOn-
ents hands the long suits of yourself and
partner cannot become established, since
the lowest trump is better than ace or
other commanding card of a side suit.
There are only 3 trunps, and the presence
of five in your hand, with the equal chance
that your partner is as strong in them as
either of your opponents, gives preponder-
ating chances to your side that, after
trumps have been led twice or three times,
you Will D6 1Slb WIFI bDO remaining ones,
which will oct as re-entry cards, allowing
you to trump your opponents suits and
lead your own. In this lead of trumpS
notice what your partner plays. If you
see from his second play that he has thrown
off on the first an unnecessarily high card,
he is ''echoing" to yOu-Jhat is, indieat-
ing that he has four trumps or more
Then, watching the play of the opponents,
it will be easy to locate the presence or alb
sence of the remaining trumps. When you
sec that the high truInps are with one OPP
ponent, stop leading trumps Never pull
commanding trump with trump when q
suit lead will do the trick as we'll. AS
long as you are exhausting trumps from
both opponents, even though losing tricks,
continue the trump lead on every oppor-
tunity.
Advice as to which card of your five or
more trumps to lead will be given later in
the tabulated American leads.
If you are not strong enough in trumps,
lead from your best long suit.
If, however, your only long suit has
been already opened by your right oppon-
ent, the fourth hand to you, lead another
suit, your partners, if you can locate it
by inference from elimination, or direct
play, or your left hand opponents suit, if
this has been similarly indicated. You
may lead through strong, but never up to
strong suits in your opponents hands.
Above all things, do not lead commanding
cards in your opponents suits. Lead help
ing cards from short suits, when you are
compelled to lead from such to assist your
partner. These are cards, ten, knave or
above, on which your partner may, if the
play of second hand or his own strength
warrants it, throw off weak cards, thereby
preserving the high ones for ultimate COM
mand of the suit.
Do not lead suit of which both of your
opponents have none, as the weak man
will trump, and the strong man may fur
ther increase his strength by the discard
of a losing card. When, however, but one
opponent can trump, and he is the one
who has command of trumps, lead high
or established cards to force him to trump.
In fact, the three forces a player has at his
command are trumps, high cards and
long suits. With power in the first, you
protect your second and establish your
third force. Without power in the first,
by the play of the last you weaken the
trump power ofyour opponents. You lose
nothing by not leading high cards in short
suits. These are probably the long ones
of your opponents, who are delighted to
see their suits established by your lead of
the commanding cards in them. The play
of a singleton, or lone card, i'll a suit, never
justifable when it is a low one, is some
times defended as a good lead, helping
card, whom it is high one but Just as
high cards of short suits are certain to be
led, too, so is a singleton, and tho lead by
another than yourself does not give mis-
information to your partner. To recapit-
ulate to the choice of suits to lead:
First, with five or more tFumps lead
them; second, in other cases the longest
suit, except (a) when the fourth hand to
your lead has declared strength in this, or
(b) an opponent weak in trumps may as
sist his partners declared strength in
them by trumping in and allowing him
to discard a losing card. In these cases (c)
lead helping cards from short suits to your
partners declared strength or, falling