The sun., 1899-07-30
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
MORE ABOUT THE PROPER WAY TO
PLAY A TENACE HAND.
Remarks on the Recorded Play of Certain
Deala-Adynntngea of Landing TrMmps

Remarks on the Recorded Play of Certain
DealA-AdvnntaGes of Lending Trumps
Under Certain ConiltionS-rne Results
in Actual Play Analyses of Hands.
A number Of persons have been good enough
to send to THE Sun the recorded play OF certain
deals in which the original leader held major
tenace suit and did not open 1t. In some OF
these hands there are remarkable swings. but
unfortunately. these swings are not due in any
case to the way in which the hand was opened.
but to mistakes made in the contin uation.
One correspondent in Washington says: " In
| view OF the recent articles in THE Sun l
| thought its readers might be interested In
hand in which held Y's cards containing a
| double major tenace. | took the fnesse Sec
ond hand as commended by THE Sun. and
| lost five tricks by it," Unfortunately for the
accuracy Of this statement. no advice has so far
been given as to how to play n major tenace
suit when the hand is originally opened by an
other player. as it must have been II Y held the
| double major teuacc.
The advice referred to seems to be that
given on July 81 in which 1t was said that II the
opener had originally avoided double major
| tenace. he should be prepared to nnesse down
| to the 10 IL the suit were led through him and
he had strength enough in side suits or
trumps to Justify tlnessing at all. In the hand
sent by our Washington correspondent the
finesse Of the queen was made second hand on
an original lead OF jack. and this was what
cost tho five tricks. 1t would be anticipating
matters to take up the play ot the second hand
| now. but in order to prevent similar mis-
| takes il may be as well to repeat that
| the present investigation OF the value OF
tcnace suit refers only to the original leaders
hand. 1t never has been and never will be
good play to put n queen on a Jack led when
! you also hold the ace. because II the king is be-
hind you you are simply throwing your queen
away. and il your partner has it he will attend
to the jack. The only way to make both ace
and queen is to nut the on the Jack and
wait for the queen to be lcd up to. Playing the
queen second hand under such circumstances
is called = lnessng against your partner.
Several correspondents sent in hands in
which the original leader avoids major tenace
suit of five cards. As already pointed out five
hat is not now under ronSidrration because
the conditions that prevail when YOU have
probably more Of Il suit than any other player
at the table are lute different from those
isttng. when YOU have no plain suit Of more
than four cards.
We have already considered the cases in
which the original leader holds plain suit Of
knr IN ne w " ON
the left. and have found that even with the
winninE the frst trick with the Jack oil, 10. the
openinGsot the major t"nace suit shows
steady loss Of about half trick deal The
explanation OF this seems to be that the King.
being still ont and still guarded, blocks the
suit and sometimes brings it in for the adyer-
singiy guarded King second hand unless it is
badly wanted for re'ntrv purposes; so that If
first @ trick the the major ma tenace suit is Invariably
blocked unless the third hand can ruff it out.
Let us now turn our attention to the deals in
which the king is in the most favorable posi-
ton i2r the nnesse. on the right The only
major tenaeS suit, is that il gets the King out
Of the way in the ilrst r9nRd in ma large n;t n numnsr
In lO2 deals in which the King ls on the right
there, are oighty.six in which the original Lead
in which he holds double MAJOR tenace. 40 10
The dtGGr"n,e between thsse h. Two nc bhodlnGs lnS
card whereas the one with the double major
tenacc will put on either 10 or .: 80 the cases
In the eighty.six deals in which the original
H hodH h NJ bes pnn m Su 9 T9rs s m mn
tenac-, \ .. We. find that II he opens this snit
hsnd w @rH 6od % IN the
10. the king being alwnys on the right. Ia
hx ny S's naHsr Hs fs' Sere he
ing no instance in The SUNS 10000 deals in
which me third hand roIIh rnn tnH rst G3mnn
the first round are divided as follows:
In cases tn" 3 wins.
In cases III" wins
In Ii cases tn" 10 wins.
IN IN csHr. IN , Wins II second hand docs not play
cc.nd hanh from ana "mo m small only s.oor,
hand plars
This would seem to show that in forty-six
deals out o. eighty y-f"ur or more than half The
first round leaving the nr" and queen estah-
llShed N tue hanh Of the "rGlnaI Gj Leader IN IN
the result m total tricks taNr"n by various various
openings Of seventy hnnhs h To- b" as follows
Orig nal cal Of 'rHmps yi,l Is ......... $50 tricks
urgirsl load of other PLAIN suit. .4r2 tricks
The difference in favor oi the trump lead, as
comma - thr Op"nin. Oi the t1nuC' SUIT. -
: therefore ~ tricks in seventy deals, or almost
a tri"r a hand IN" difference in favor Of
/ opening any plain suit rather than the tcu0cc
; | is greater. h"lnE ~ tricks in seventy d"h Is.
| There were eighteen eases in which the
trimr lead was SUPERIOR t. al other "prnin4s.
Their" were eighteen cases in which the "irn-
E ~ ~ Ih th te"ncr but ~ r0t .n,I" case
! n the wi o." seventy deals did IA" "rcninE ot
III" cIacH suit "a gan trek NIX" ,T ,hnM WGn inin
n suits In The examination OF TIA. cases II
which tn" King ISn va on on MH Left W" ngnM ng %ny
5 eurcrior. it would aur"ar that only about
u once in sixty-thrrc d"ns would the original
J. Iftnr results Of The tw" situations so far "N-
= amin"d are a,-emhmh; they show The follow.
on on the right or lcft in!rrrcntly. Tn" figures
n ar, iounT Nv adding those given ON July III to
a thoS" pubishr! t"-iay;
Original AL of trump. Ni"ds.......... s2S tricks
original ,ad t'la suits ........... i2s r rts
" iGinA l"alu Other plA II suits $40 'trhi
n As the collection OF the f,jain suit is largely =
matter o. Judgment. in many cases II would
a still seem as If the ru" gwen in lHE SU% on
!" July li was tho safest Tor tn" beginner: &c
= stick to the TRUMP opening, because il Is Just
as good az any suit that can l." selected and
,. will give the payerau advantage loo tricks
:, in l2It deals over tho opening m tho tcnace
Y suit The cases in which III" King is in the
n partners hand are still TO be examined but he,
fore proceeding TO them il will be interesting
n to note some pecuiarites in managing the
. hands we are now considering.
d In the first place the lcAhpr after having ro-
i fused to open his tenace suit originally, must
it adhere to his detrrminatio and r"iuse TO oprT
d it, even in tho after development "i the hand
and he must also refuse TO play either queen O
ID nee second hand II the suit is led through him
y In examining THE SINS 10000 deals tins ruiz
" was never once departed from.
IL In the second place, il the hand is op"nco
a with a trump originally ani the player llnI'
Ie himself in the lead after catching all the All
- verse trumus. he must omen his second d-h"s
u plain suit in such manner that Ia partnc
will know that he has something better, ThiI
d can usually he done hv leading the top o
~ nothing. -, ,, ,--
Z =" ,i.I;.n ~ or 10 vipu CurrnaIe1 in uettinf