Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-03-10

other evening not 500 yards from the
city building, the question arose when
LII everyone should not make an or
iginal lead OF trumps, holding five or
more? Some contended that there
were hands which justified a short
suit lead.
Others took the opposite view, n
lady present, an exceedingly bright
player, declaring that only a few even
ings ago she held a hand containing
ace, king, jack and three small trumps,
(spades) three small diamonds, three
small hearts and the nine of clubs.
Ordinarily she would have opened
from the top of her trump suit, but
she conceived the idea that if the club
suit was the opponents her partner
might take the first round and return
the lead, she getting in a little rough
and then leading her trumps; or if Sec
Ond hand took the trick, realizing it
Was an irregular lead, and lead trumps
the queen would fall to her major ten
ace, in which event h would go on
with the trump lead, the fall of the
cards showing her partners best suit,
which after trumps were all out b
could lead. Now this was a very
pretty and reasonable bit of strategy
in the minds eye, but how did it
work? Why the left hand opponent
trumpet the club, then led his ace and
king of diamonds, and then a small
one, which third hand trumped and
returned a club. Second hand covered
with jack of trumps and third hand
covered with queen, the only remain
ing trump in the hand. On the over
play trumps were led and the enemy
made a gain of three tricks. The lady
vowed that was the very last time CD
she would ever make such a goosey
play.
The truth is that the play was not
so bad as it was unfortunate, although
there will be many good players who
will question the judgment of that
statement under the circumstance.
But let that be as it may the purpose
is to show that very good players from
time immemorable have gone out OF
the beaten track and-if unsuccessful
have provoked from their partners
unmeasured adverse criticism. Play
ers, however, who have the hardihood
to take such tangents may receive
consolation from what follows, taken
from the whist column of the New
York Evening Post.
A bright player was heard to say:
II do not lead trumps just because l
happen to have five or even six. i
want a suit or some other reason be-
yond the mere fact of having the
trumps themselves" DIR. William Pole
says in his Theory of Whist With
five trumps, whatever they are, and
whatever the other components of the
hand, you should lead trumps, because
the chief use of trumps is to disarm
the opponents by exhausting theirs
In order to bring in your W long
suits" The assumption is made that
failing a long suit in your hand, your
partner is all the more certain to hold
such cards, and Oavendish endorses
this rule. Now this unfortunately is
not always the case. There are two
chances to one that the only suit ca
pable of bringing in may be held by
the enemy, and If you lead your
trumps out just because you have
them, knowing nothing of the lay of
the land, you are unquestionably play
ing the enemy's game.
Other of the older authorities do not
agree with Pole and Cavendish in this
matter. Payne in his 'Maxims,' ITO,
lays: IF you hold five trumps with a
good hand, lead trumps. Trumps not
out with a bad hand, although you
hold five small trumps."
Mathews in his advice to Young
whist Players 1904, says: "Unless
you have a strong suit yourself, or
reason to suppose that your partner
has one, do not trump out unless you
have six"
Admiral Birney, 1923, says: eff with
five trumps, five or six small cards of
another suit are dealt you, dt will be
better to lead from the latter"
Major A, 1885, says: you should
not leaG trumps with five or wen six
unless you have or suppose that your
partner holds a strong suit"
Even the most conservative players
and writers of to-day in this country
have been forced to admit that leading
trumps from five does not always turn
out well. Perhaps one of the prettiest
ways of getting around this difficulty
is that suggested by P. J. Tormey, who
advises the lead of a low trump from
five as an original opening, the partner
not to return them unless he has a
suit already established. If he have
a suit hopeful Of establishment, let
him first clear the way in that suit
before going on with the trumps.
The shOrt-Suit authorities who claim
to have made the discovery that it is
unwise to lead trumps just because
you have them, have only rediscover-
ed what was praetised by the whist
payers of a hundred years g Dupli-
cate has done much to sift the wheat
from the chaff in whist, and it has been
made plain by this method of play that
there are times when the trumps
should not be led, no matter how great
the temptation may be. If trumps are
exhausted by leading them the average
/, value Of the trump suit will be reduced,
that of the side suits increased.
Reasoning, then, by analogy, If the
player with five or more trumps con
siders that the plain suits are so strong
that after the trumps are exhausted
their trick-taking value will be in
creased. let him lead tha trllmn hut