The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-25
FOR LOVERS OF WHIST
Diedrich Discusses a Style Based
on the Principle of Finesse.
A CLEVER BUT HAZARDOUS LEAD.

Through Strong Up to weak-P1aying For
Position and tho Dangers Attending It.
How Two Daring Methods OF Play May
Protect Each Other.
Within the broad meaning of the term
nnesse," that style of tho game which
may be termed playing for position"
may DO very properly included. 1t Is based
on the Same principle which underlios the
simple hnesso by one player In order to
catch a high card which probably lies to
the right Of tho one flnessing. 1t is really
nnesse by two players instead of one.
Thus IL s., holding queen, jack and
others, leads tho queen, through tho king
held by W., n. having ace, the effect Is
Just the same rs though N. hold both ace
and queen.
The same principle lies back of all so
called strengthening" leads. If ten spot
is lead by S. in this game under average
conditions, N. may decline to take cor
tain trick and reserve his high cards, risk
ing hnesse, which, even If successful,
reduces the forces Of the opponents at lit
tic expense to his own side However such
leads are hardly justiflable except upon the
indication that, of the opponents, second
hand Is stronger In the suit and when the
lead OF your own long suit or tho return
or your partners lead Is inadvisable.
Great care should BIO taken in this esti-
nation of tho relative strength OF the
hands of your opponents. If fourth hand
Is deep flnesser, he may have given false
evidence by his previous play of tho state
of his hand and be able to capture by his
reserved force the cards played by your
partner.
For example, in a previous round, on
the lead of n jack heading four others by
W. n. playing low from queen, and E., with
King In hand refusing to play 1t, If S., after
taking tho trick, supposes E. to BIO weak
and leads the same suit his partners
queen Is sacrificed and tho suit established
in tho hands of W.
If, however, E. had played the king and
thereby disclosed tho resultant weakness
OF his hand tho lead of low through W.,
would, If 5. had enough of the suit remain
Ing to fight 1t out afterward with W., be
quite advantageous
With opponents who finesse very little
or never at all and with O partner who Is
given to rescrving his forces and trusting
to you, the lead through strength Is not
only worry safe, but often great trick win
ner. 1t might be urged that declared weak
ness in your right hand opponent might
be taken as an Indication that trumps
round, but, with no indication of signal
from tho others, tho drawing of a trump
from him at little expense to your sido is
OF no great momont.
The great merit of this style of play ia
that it compols tho man DESTROYS of cstab-
fishing his suit to play his high cards at q
disadvantage, not knowing whether the
commanding card lies with the first or
third hand. The best method for him to
adopt Is to play tho highest in his hand.
If he takes the trick, he must lead card
which your partner may take and which
you, holding the master card are certain,
barring trumps, to capture, or he must
turn to another unknown suit and give
you, ut fourth hand, decided advantage
in position
How strong this may be can be seen
when 1t Is taken into consideration that
you can again lead through strength. at
the expense of a trump from an opponent.
who by this timo may be wildly signaling.
or course In this game tho commanding
card of your left hand opponents declared
suit should never be led by you. You
would be thon doing that which your OPP
ponent is most desirous you should do
good rule to follow in this case Is the
reverse Of the golden one 1t Is, "What-
ever you sec your enemy doesn't like to do,
make him do It," When you know that
from tho fall of the cards on tho previous
round, If no could regain the lead. he
would not continue tho suit, at least with
the lead of high card, then, by your play
of that suit put him in a dilemma about
playing that high card. There Is great
deal of need for good judgment in adopt
ing this style of play. DIRDRlcH.
Kniokerbockor Whist Club. New York.