The San Francisco call., 1897-07-11

is this true when the ei der has an established
suit and but four trumps. 1t informs your
partner that your trump lead is made for that
suit, and you run no risk OF his refusing to
return the trump or of his forcing you by the
lead of his own suit, if he has no trump 10
give you. This line of play is almost obliga-
tory among PLAYERS who lead trump from
four trumps and three three card suits, as
where the suit is not first shown four card
trump lead is generally taken 10 indicate that
holding, and the partner of the leader may
exercise some discretion as 10 whether or not
TO return the trump.
FIVE TRUMPs AND NO LONG PLAIN SUIT.
From hand containing five or more trumps
and no suit OF more than three cards, we un-
besitating advise the lead of a trump, ex-
cept IN rare cases where the leader holds a
short suit as king, queen, jack, king, queen
alone, or queen, jack, 10, accompan ed by
weakness in the other suits in these cases
the short suit lead may occasionally be made
10 advantage. We have no sympathy for
those players who refuse to LEAD trump be-
cause III hold nothing to exhaust trumps for"
That is not the point; but even if it were, the
argument is founded on a wrong PREMISE
the game of whist IS u partnership affair, and
tbs player who plays his own hand alone has
acquired an erroneous idea that will be fatal
to MS success as player. But the best rea-
SOD for the trump lead is that it is the only
play that is not shot in the dark the only
play that is based upon anything but pure
luck.
FOUR TRUMPs AND THREE THREE-CARD SUITS.
This brings US logically to a consideration
of hands containing four trumps and three
three-card suits. We do not intend here to
enter into an analysis OF the comparative mer-
its OF the trump lead and the forced lead from
this character of hand. We favor the trump
lead, as We have frequently stated in com
Ting upon the play of various deals pub
lished in this column. We allow some excep-
tIons 10 this rule-such short suits as king
queen, jack; queen, jack, 10; queen, jack,
8, and occasionally, where the trumps are
very small queen, jack and any small card or
jack, 10 and a small may be opened, where
the balance of the hand is weak. We object to
the lead OF queen from queen and one small,
or 10 at the head OF two or three, and more
particularly to the lead OF any smaller card at
the top of three-card suit The lead from
ace, king or queen and two others we regard
as disadyantageous. We have indicated above
ou chief argument in favor of The trump lead
1t is not that it is a good lead in ITSELF except
where the plain suits are strong, but that a
lead from q short suit is worse; il is a choice
between evils the lesser of which we believe
TO be the trump lead.
spect are not shared by all writers or expert
players, but we are not entirely without sup-
port Cavendish, Hamilton, Trist and Briggs
are quartet in whose company we are not
ashamed to be found. Their views this
question are, we believe, identical with those
above expressed. Mr. Work is the only mod
ern writer who advises against the trump lead
though there are many fine players who are
with him. Our opinion is not, however,
based upon those of the gentlemen men
toned. We experimental for years with both
lines OF play, and discarded the ,short-suit
lead only after becoming convinced from the
results OF experiments in actual play that the
lead OF the trump was better. The old idea
that trump lead must invariably be re-
turned finds no place with us. It's senseless.
especially in the case of an original lead from
four trumps. The decision of whether or not
10 return the trump must rest in the sound
discretion of the leaders partner
FOUR TRUMPs AND FOUR OR FIVE CARD SUIT.
With tour trumps and suit OF four or more