The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-15

ings, with variations, from the given
hand. II is strong enough, to all ap-
pearanoe. for the trump attack. Grant
ed that II is, you may open the trumps
low, with the 4, trusting partner for the
first round, and retaining command in
order to continue or stop the trump
lead according to the development, or
you may open them high, with the
king, continuing with the ace, or. per-
haps, small one, or switching to the
diamonds, according to the drop TO the
first trick. Some conservative players,
however, consider that the single club,
although 1t Is the ace, is an element
of weakness that renders the trump at
tack inadvisable before the only really
strong suit, the diamonds, Is developed.
Now. IL you open the diamonds, shall
you lead the ace, followed by a small
one, and, perhaps, permit a weak ad-
verse hand to get in a ruff, or shall you
lead low, and run the risk OF winning
never trick in the suit? II you open
low, there are two ways of doing ii,
according to the system of play you
practice. The fourth-best lead, signi-
flying nothing more than the fourth
best, Is at once conservative, so far
as trump management is concerned,
and calculated to retain command of
the suit in an advantageous manner
Its danger is the possible loss of a trick
by allowing the adversaries to ruff,
and it's virtue Is that it can scarcely
lose more. The practically sure re-en-
tries in clubs and spades will enable
the given hand to get in at will and
lead trumps to stop the ruff.
THE second way of opening the dia-
monds low is to lead the deuce, under
one of the systems showing strength
in trumps, 50 that IL partner has sup
port in the diamond suit he will
promptly initiate the trump attack.
This is at once a conservative and a
forward method of opening.
"The last opening that is at all
worthy of consideration Is the bid for
the ruff, consisting of the original lead
of the singleton ace of clubs, followed
by the ace and small diamond. Only
the thoroughbred ruffer would try this
scheme, and the odds are away against
it's success.
Opinions differing, the Herald whist
man can do no more than give his
and this is in favor of the trump at
| first. The hand is very strong, and Il
would be even stronger If trumps were
| out of the way. Fosters idea is that II
the hand would be improved by the
| exhaustion of trumps. no matter
whether you are strong in them or not
you should start the trump attack
This is a good way of putting 1t. There
is unquestionably some danger in at
L Aw.
the given hand, in case the adversarie!
have numerical trump strength anC
| great plain-suit strength against you
Nevertheless, while you may lose {
bunch of tricks on this account ono,
in a long while, you are liable to los,
bigger lot of tricks singly by neg
lecting to open the trumps at tn,
earliest opportunity.
'It may be that the correspondent
who has propounded this conundrun
has freak deal, in which the truml
opening Is a heavy loser. This woulC
prove nothing. No individual distri
button of the cards would prove any
thing. When it is said that such an,
such an opening from a certain hant
Is the best 1t Is simply meant tina
1t will result most advantageously il
the majority of a great number of in
stances, but it may be that in on
particular deal 1t will go heavil,
against you.
zone must play whist on principl
when he knows nothing about the la.
of the cards in the other hands. Sucl
is his position at the opening of tn
play. With the problematic hand Civ
en- above, the proper opening on prin
ciple seems to be the trump attack
because the plain suit strength is S
great. 1t is nearly certain that tria
of the hand, dealing the other 80 card
large number of times, and testin
the effects of the various plausibl
openings, would show the small-ear
opening from the trumps to be general