The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-18
FOR LOVERS OF WHIST
Diedrich Discourses on Irregular
Leads.
FORCED PLAY OF SHORT SUITS.

Lead high TO Preserve and Establish Your
Partners Strongth-Efreot OF Turned Up
Card on Trump Lead-Psrmissibls varI-
ations.
There will often DO occasions when tho
regular American leads must be departed
from. For instance an honor card turned
up on the right of the leader will neoes-
sarily cause a variation from the usual
mode of play. If this Is acc or king, con-
sldor seriously the question of leading
trumps under any but tho safest oiroum-
stances Rather signal to your partner to
lead through the declared strength. II
the turned up cord Is queen, with ace,
king and Others, or king, jack, 10 and
othors, lead king. If it is a jack, from
acc, queen, 10 and others, lead queen.
Even If it is q 10 or u 1t Is best from
king, jack, Q and others, or jack, 10, 8
and others, to lead tho jack, or from
queen, jack, 8 and others, tho queen
Never, in these circumstances, lead Fourth
Best.
When your partner has high card
turned as trump, of course the rule Is
varied in just the contrary way, and Fourth
Bost is led in the majority of cases. This
Is the rule also when q high card is turned
to your left.
When the opponent on the right has do.
clared strength in your long suit, It some
times becomes necessary for you to lead
from q short one OF three cards or leas.
Common sense hero suggests that you
play In why to preserve tho high cards
which your partner may have In the suit
rathor than to draw them for the purpose
of clearing what is at best but short suit
in your own hand. Therefore In nearly
every case lead the highest card In the
suit. From suit Of three containing
only ono honor you may, II you arc forced
to 1t, lead low. This applies also to short
suits containing tho major and minor
tenaces, ace and queen and king and jack,
which should, however, never DO led If
there is another suit with cards rs high as
the jack and ten in it.
There arc other circumstances when
players with the game we'll in hand may
depart from tho conventional leads. To
quote from Hamilton, "Modern Scientific
Whist" page 75:
'You may at any time lead tho king
from the ace, king and three or more
small when you deem it advisable to show
the ACC rather than numerical strength
You may likewise lead the king from
ace, king, knave and two or more small,
with the idea. Of changing the suit to
await the return for the fincsse. You may
iCStu Il Ouitl bcSu lrOlll hCC King anu
ace and four or moro small. You may re-
fuse TO open from your best suit =
when 1t is headed by n tenace. The fall
to tho first lead may render an irregular
second lead necessity. e On the
other hand, double tenacos, like the ace,
queen, ten, arc not good suits to open. So
also arc any three card suits not in So
quence, or n court card and one or two
small. No singleton is ever led,
except the ace of trumps las an original
lead)."
GAME II-IRREGULAR LEAD VERSUS REGULAR.
Cards held, South-Hcarts, a, Q. 0, s. 2: clubs.
X. 4: diamonds, 6. 4; spades K, g. 8, 2.
Cards held, West-Hearts, 0, 81 clubs, A, Q, 8;
diamonds. K, Q, 10, s, 9; spades, A, 4. 8.
Cards held. North-Hearts. 10: clubs, 10, z, 6,
2; diamonds, A. ], 0. 3. S; spades, ], 10. o.
Cards held, East-Hearts. X, j, 8. Z, 4; clubs.
j, 9, 8. 3: diamonds, 81 spades, Q, z, @.
King of hearts turned as trump to the East
South leads The UNDERSIGNED card takes the
trick and the card below is led