The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-11
FOR LOVERS OF WHIST
Diedrich Gives an Example
From Actual Play.
LOGIC OF THE AMERICAN LEADS.

Conventional Plays Legitimate When Not
Running Counter to Logic-Neglect of
an Opportunity to Give Information Is
Often Positive MisinformattOn.
The American leads are based both up
on logic and convention, the latter not
oontravening, but rather complementing,
the former. The information that is given
to the partner through logical inference
may be very summarily discussed and dis
missed. A lead from sequences, beginning
with the ace since it is impossible for the
trick to be taken except by a trump, indt-
Gates clearly the position of the command
of the suit. Leads from suits lacking the
king are also logical. When three or more
hi gh cards are present, and always when
there are five or more in suit, the ace is
led, since with either strong cards or long
suits, it is reasonable to utilize your forces
early to establish the suit or force trumps,
when this latter is advisable.
The logical lead from sequences lacking
the ace is the king. 1t compels the play
of the ace when it lies with the opponents
and saves it when it is held by the partner.
With five or more cards in suits, however,
from logical point of view the play of a
lower card is equally good, even though at
times it may bring an ace unnecessarily
from the partner. The suit is thereby es-
tablished in the hand of one player; a very
desirable thing, especially when trumps
have been led. For similar reasons from
sequences lacking both ace and king the
queen is led.
When it is logical to lead low card,
convention points to the original Fourth
Best as the proper one, for subsequent
play, when low card is called for, will
indicate the length of the suit led from.
Thus the lead of six, taken by your part
ner, who leads back from four in suit q
commanding card on which you discard
the five, both opponents following suit,
indicates to your partner that you have
the other three cards of the suit besides
his two, eight having been played. As,
from the convention of his return, which
will be explained in the play of third hand,
you know he had four in the suit, every
card is also located by you.
1t may be urged in this connection by
the novice, who is skeptical of these estab-
lished conventions, that they inform the
opponents as we'll as the partner of the
state of your hand. But what if they do?
In tho example given above, while it
would be disastrous to your side to have
the suit led the third time, since the
weaker of the opponents could trump in
and the stronger increase his strength by
the discard of losing card, the opponents
cannot lead it because they have neither
the lead nor the cards in the suit, and
your partner, who can, will not. 1t is
true that in some cases, especially when
the lead is in the hands of the opponents,
opportunities for giving information may
be designedly neglected by experts, but
this is not the rule for novices.
We will close with an illustration of the
evils resulting from misinformation con-
veyed in two leads of seemingly indifferent
cards from the correct suit.
In all these illustrative games hearts
are trumps. and south leads. The under
lined card wins the trick.
GAME TRANSPORTATION IN CARD LED.
Cards held South-Hearts, 10, g. 4; clubs, A,
8; diamonds J, 4, 3, ?; spades 8, Z, 6, 3.
Cards held, West earts, z, 6; clubs, 10, s. 3,
2: diamonds Z. 10, 8, 8; spades, J. 5. 4.
Cards held, North-Hearts, A, Z, Q, 3; clubs,
<, J, 8, J, 6; diamonds, A, Q, 6; spade, K.
Cards held East - Hearts, J turned up
trump, g. s. 2; clubs, Q, 4; diamonds, 2, s;
shades A O. 10 @ 2