The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-23
FOR LOVERS OF WHIST
Diedrich Discourses Upon the
Logic of the Discard.
HOW IT CONVEYS IMPORTATION.

Laws of the Discard In Long Suit Game.
How Modified For Short Suit or Ruling
Game-Drawing of Secondary differences
The primary principle which governs
the choice of suit and card in the suit for
discard is the strengthening of your own
hand.
This requires that the suit chosen be a
short one, and yet, if the discard Will vi
tally affect the chance of the leading card
in the suit even becoming the master one,
as in the case of king supported by but
one low card or queen by two, common
sense will require discretion in the matter.
In many cases, however, it is well to be
bold and risk the chance of loss in the
weakened suit in order to more firmly
hold the command in the others. This risk
should only be taken when there are indi-
cations of strength in your partners hand
taken as whole.
The natural logic of the game also re-
quires the discard of the lowest card in
the suit. This and the previous rule are
only departed from in the long suit game
for information. Hero it is that the rela-
tions between the mathematics of the
game and its conventions are most widely
strained. The rules of the American
game are as follows:
First.-The first discard should be from
your weakest suit, unless trumps are de-
clared against you, in which case the dis
card should be from your best protected
suit.
Second.-When you have entire COM
mand of any suit discard the best card.
The discard of the second best indicates
that you have no more of that suit.
Third.-Do not unguard an honor or
blank an ace or discard a singleton early
in the game, as you might thus prevent
proper lead to partner, and thereby block
his long suit.
Fourth.-If you have discarded from
four card suit, lead from the remaining
three cards, the same as in forced leads.
Now, it is undeniable that in game
employing as a settled principle the forces
of trunps and the consequent establish
ment of ono long suit, and to this end de-
manding the sacrifice of all chances to
ruff and to play for commanding position
in the suits of opponents, these rules are
not alone valuable for the conveyance of
Information, but even necessary as pro-
lection of the prearranged and inVariable
plan of campaign.
When, however, the partners are agreed
to play either the long suit or the rufing
game, as conditions may advise, the al
most invariable discard of low from
the shortest suit is advisable. Let US
see how this would affect the condi-
tions of rule ono. The discard from the
''best protected suit is a warning seized
upon by the opponents not to lead the suit
which you desire, and, as they presuma-
bly, have, or can soon secure, the lead, this
is case where Information can do your
partner little compensatory good. 1t can
readily be seen how discard from weak
when ple ying against opponents who sup
pose it to be from strength will lead them
to their ruin.
Rule two is proper when there is no 9TH
er suit from which to discard.
ho aho of
ing in game presenting itself so often,
more frequently it is claimed by some than
the certainty of establishment of long suit,
rule three may be boldly broken, always
in the case of a singleton, often in the case
of an ace accompanied by low, and with
discretion in that of a guarded honor.
The discard from a weak suit, of course,
does away with the necessity of rule four
relating to return lead from a four card
suit from which discard has been made
When a bold plan of discarding has been
adopted, keep it up. Wholly endanger one
suit rather than weaken several. If your
partner understands the principle of your
play, he can infer the condition of your
hand by the secondary process of elimina-
ton as well as If you gave him direct in
formation. Knowing one weak suit in
your hand, and looking at his own, as we'll
as estimating the strength of the oppo-
nents from their plays, he can arrive at
pretty close knowledge of what is your
best suit and the condition of your hand
in general.
Where conservation of forces is preserved
and information thus given by secondary
Inference, the game is certainly more log
zeal than when strength is diminished for
the sake of imparting information of
greater value to the opponents who have
the lead than to the partner who is grind
ing his teeth over his inability to get it,
DIEDRICH
Knickerbocker Whist Club. New York.