The San Francisco call., 1906-12-30
Copyright, 1906, by r.. F. Foster
No. 81

The reason that 1t is good policy to
lead small cards from suits of five or
six, even when such suits are headed
by both ace and king, is that 1t leaves
both partners with cards of the suit In
their hands, so that IL either of them
can get into the lead the suit will be
brought into play.
But it is sometimes very necessary
for one partner to know whether or
not the other can get in. There Is no
method by which the third hand can
show that he holds certain winning
card in an unplayed suit, unless he
holds two of these and thinks the cir
cumstances justify him in discarding
one, such as the ace from both ace and
king. Such expensive methods are not
only rarely necessary. but the oppor-
tunity for them seldom arises.
Re-entry cards may be inferred,
however, even if they cannot be shown.
1t does not follow that because your
partner shows strength in a suit, as
by his discard, that he holds the ace of
it, The most common inferences as to
re- entry cards are made with regard
to the leaders hand, and there are
some opening leads. especially against
no-trumpers, in which variations are
made in order to indicate accompany
ing re-entry cards in other suits.
These re-entries may not be abso-
1utely certain tricks, such as aces, but
they should be more than probable
tricks, the only condition being that
the suit shall be led. Such combina-
tions as a twice-guarded king. or a
x suit or K and ], or even three
cards to the @ J, may be looked upon
as possible re-entries. Three cards to
a @ is q very doubtful proposition as a
re-entry, unless the make is on the
right.
one very common way Of showing
a re-entry in another suit is by vary
ing the method of opening such COM
binations as A @ and others in long
suit When there is good re-entry
in another suit the custom is to lead
the ace first and follow with the queen
in the usual way; but If there is no re-
entry and the suit must bring itself
into play. it is usual to begin with the
@. so as to get the K out Of the way
at once. At the same time this avoids
exhausting the partners power to re-
turn the suit, in case he is able to get
In on another suit
Apart from its advantages in this
respect, OF which an exceuent lilustra-
tion will be found in hand No. 10, in
Rosters Complete Bridge" the system
Of leading the A or the Q, according to
the circumstances of the case. leads to
some very interesting hands The diff
ference in the line of play, which is
made possible by the inference that the
original leader has or has not a certain
winning trick in another suit, is often
instructive.
If he begins with the ace and the
play shows that he holds @ and ] also,
he must have a trick in something, and
it becomes the duty of the third hand
to infer what it is. II he begins with
the Q and the play shows that he holds
the ace, he cannot have trick in any
other suit, and the third hand knows to
look out for himself, and trust his part
ner, for nothing but the suit opened
When the third hand is a careful
player and can depend on the original
leader to show his possibilities in this
way he will be able to vary his play
according to circumstances. Here is a
hand that illustrates this in rather an
interesting way:
The position Of the cards was -as fol-