The San Francisco call., 1897-06-13
John H. Briggs on the Discard.

Every whist player that reads this article
should cut it out and preserve it. In our
opinion 1t Is one of the best papers that has
ever been written on the subject. It should
be read and reread. John H Briggs is known
throughout the whist world as one OF the
greatest expert players living. His letter is
quite lengthy, but in justice to Mr. Briggs we
should publish it in its entirety or not at all.
The subheads we have taken the liberty of
ado ing to it;
THE DISCARD FROM WEAKNESS
When you have no card of the suit led If
you do not trump you play a card of your
weakest suit. Your aim in making discard
Is TO weaken your hand as little as possible
and in throwing a card from your weakest t
suit you do as little harm as possible. Your
aim in establishing your strong suit is to
bring in your long cards after trumps are out:
you therefore would not discard from that
suit unless you were forced to do so, for by so
doing you would lessen the number of cards
to be made in tnat event. Your first discard
should, therefore, be from your weakest suit
DISCARD FROM STRENGTH.
You depend on strength in trumps TO bring
in your long cards, and for that reason it is
clear, II your opponents show great strength
in trumps by leading or asking for them, that
your chance of bringing them in is small. In
this case you would try to protect your weak
suits, because II is in these that your oppo-
nents probably have their strength, and YOU
would therefore discard from your strongest
suit.
This is a forced discard, and it is very i'm
Dortant that your partner should recognize it
as such. Therefore your partner must assume
that you are weak in the suit you first discard
if trumps are not declared against you; but
when trumps are declared against you he must
assume that you are strong in the suit from
which you originally throw away.
Now that your partner knows that You dis
card from your strong suit when trumps are
against you he will, unless he has very
strong suit of his own, lead the suit in W hich
you have shown strength by your discard
ACTUAL TRUMP STRENGTH DISCARD
The following is most excellent advice.-Ep
But even when your adversary has shown
strength in trumps, either by leading or cal
ing for them, if you have or the play shows
that your partner has sufficient strength tn
hold his own with the adversary, the discard
should be from weakness. IT is the actusl
trump strength that controls the discard The
lead and the call govern until the deyeloD-
ment shows otherwise. To the average player
this is one of the most difficult positions in
whist. Take an example: An adversary leaos
what proves to be a four-trump suit and his
partner wins. He makes a return show
ing that he had three trumps at the
most. You had one trump, and must dis
card. II must be very clear that your
partner had at least FIVE trumps, and you
should discard from weakness. Now this
should not deceive your partner. If he has
any confidence in you ne must give you credit
for reading the situation ana play you aceo rd-
| ingly. 1t may be possible that a situation
quite similar to this might arise: Although
your partner has the greater strength or suf-
ficient trumps TO hold his own, you may not
be able TO see it at the time that you are
called upon 10 discard. In such a situation
you must discard from your strong suit. AL
though your partner has the trump strength,
he is just as able you to see that you could
not place it with him when you discarded.
/ He must read you for discard from your
! strong suit Again, suppose that your part
ner opens with four-trump lead; you have
| none: you must credit one of the sdversa-
rles with i've trumps at least, and your dis
card should be from your strongest suit
DISCARD WHEN OPPONENTS CALL OR LEAD
TRUMPs
II your opponent leads trumps and your
! lartner makes an echo you will learn under