The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-20
THE FORCE.

= trS OF moderate ability as the ques-
lion of when to force or not to force
partners Only a few days ago we over
heard fine player make the remark
hat in his opinion more tricks We're
lost by the refusal to force partner
than were gained. We will preface
ilais discussion with the statement that
cur experience compels us to deny
this conclusion. We take, in general.
An extreme view against the free
Sforcing Of partner. AS Hamilton we'll
says, AT best the forcing game is
poor one. 1t is a cheap way of making
tricks. There are comparatively few
hands where the best play-the play
which viii make the most tricks-ren-
ders it necessary to deliberately force
Your partner. Playing for ruff or a
cfoss-ruff is cheap whist and very
often results in loss, even when the
ruff is established. There is nearly al
ways a better line of play possible"
Hamilton gives the commonly ac-
cepted general rules which apply to
forcing partner with great clearness,
and We cannot improve ON them; they
are as follows:~
< 1. Do not force your partner when
you are weak in trumps.
Ii viii be safe for the moderate
player and beginner to never violate
this rule. The cases when it's violation
is justifiable are covered by some of
the following principles.
,. You may force partner when you
are strong in trumps.
This rule is subject to many excep-
tions. We will endeaVor to state some
that occur to US:
trumps it is ordinarily better play 10
lead trumpS if your suit or partners
declared suit needs protection, and
postpone the force until later in the
hand. 1t can be given then without
danger from overtrumping, and it may
become unnecessary by reason of dis
cards secured. The trump that part
ner saves by not being forced is often
the means by which he re-enters later
In the hand and makes the cards CT
his established suit.
b. 1t is frequently better play to
lead a strengthening card to partners
suit, or to lead from weakness to his
: discard, for partner must lead after ac-
cep1ng the force, and a lead TO your
weakness may be disastrous This is
almost always better play when part
ner has shown four trumps, and is
often advisable when you have no in
dlcation of his trump strength.
L
ner when you see a probability of a
better score by another line Of play For
example, your partner trumpS a suit
and leads jack Of his suit; you hold ace
and one small, and win with ace; YOU
have great trump strengtt-enough to
exhaust trumps, and losing cards OF the
suit partner can trump. Unless YOU
can absolutely depend on your partners
leading trump after the force it is
folly to force him, for another lead of
his suit may put it out of your power
to bring it in. Draw the trumps and
discard your losing cards on partners
suit. 1t is a far better game and a
winning one.
d. Be careful about forcing partner
when the play will give an adversary
an adVanta geous discard We have
seen the benefit of a ruff more than
ccunterbalanced by discards
) You may force partner, though
weak in trumps, when he has shown a
desire to be forced.
This rule might be thus stated: Force
partner when it seems trick winning to
do SO. He has trumped a doubtful
card, refused to lead trumps when you
or ne have a suit established, returned
his last card of your suit without lead
ing trumps or showing his own suit or
deliberately forced an adversary or re-
Trained from forcing his partner. You
draw the inference that he is weak in
trUmps, and may force him if you
think best
4. When a cross ruff is evident, great
care is necessary here. A cross ruff
, may not be the best thing for the hand
1t may last just long enough to weaken
your strong trump hands so that the
adversaries will be able to draw your
remaining trumps and bring in cards
which would have been dead but for
the ruff. Not very long since we saw
RTeiprCS a riff mi
tiated by his partner, lead a trump,
and bring in his partners suit. Result
a gain OF several tricks over the play at
the other table, where the cross ruff
was kept up.
). When great strength of trumps
has been declared against you.
This, of course, on the theory that if
the adversaries hold most of the
trumpS your partner is probably weak.
II is a fair inference, and the rule is
good as above stated, but the mere
indication of strength by an adverse
ry, if you are weak, does not necessar-
lily mean that partner is weak; there
are thirteen trumps, and, if an adver-
holds five and you one, there are seven
more somewhere and your partner may
hold enough of them TO control the
hand, if he is not forced. There is
generally some other indication to
guide in these cases, but we believe in
being very cautious about the force
for it is apt to be more disastrous
than where the adversaries are weak
If you render your partners strong
trump hand unable to cope with the
row stronger trump hand of an ad-
versary.
Mr.. Hamilton adds another rule:
Force your partner when, in your
judgment, the situation is a justifica-
tion for doing So This rule embraces
all the rest, and is. well enough for
the expert, but hardly safe for the tyro
who doesn't know a situation when he
. sees one. But it is, nevertheless, the
most satisfactory of all rules Play
according to your Judgment. if YOU
with the rules as laid down by others
A HAMILTON BICYCLE DEAL.
The following deals were played in the Ham
ilton-Capital Bicycle A. W. L. challenge
trophy match. The comment upon the plav
at each table given below is by Mr.. Work
Our comment is follows: East, play at
trick 2, table !, is sound and shows good
Judgment the only objection is the possible
deception OF partner. The rest of the play
whist. At table 2, East's lead of the
trump queen is not winning play though
it is impossible to say it was not justified
Al trick 4, Hamilton north plays the king
third hand from king, queen and two others
instead of the queen. Mr.. Work calls this
''The Hamilton King Queen play It is
false card play in partners suit made for
the purpose of inducing the right hand ad-
vcrsary, if he has but two Of the suit, to
mark the queen with his partner on the
third round, and hence not to trump. There
are doubtless cases where the play will gain
tricks, but there are alEo cases where 1t will
lose by deceiving partners We are oppos-
ed TO false carding in partner suit, and