Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
BRIDGE TALKS
Written Expressly for The Star By Miss Bessie
Allen of Milwaukee. All Rights Reserved.
No. Is.
Playing Dummy In a Declared Trump
Hand

When a trump Is declared and you and
dummy together hold seven or more trumps
it is generally good play to lead trumps
and exhaust the adversaries', especially
when either you or the dummy hold a good
suit to establish and bring in.
The ideal hand In a no-trump consists
of q suit which becomes established and
the small cards made to take tricks. In
a declared trump, other than a forced spade
make, you and the dummy together proba-
bly, have the majority of the trumps and
with almost any long suit that can be
cleared an immediate trump lead Is i'm
perative. First exhaust the adversaries'
trumps and then the small cards of an es-
tablished suit become good for tricks.
When holding but seven trumps between
dummy and yourself. four in one hand and
three in the other, you must study the
hand before leading the trumps. If you
hold three commanding trumps and an es-
tablished suit you may lead the trumps
but II your long suit is not established 1t
Is generally wiser to lead that and force
the high cards from their hands before
leading the trumps. When holding seven
trumps divided five in one hand and two
in the other it is usually best to lead them,
regardless of their value.
If the adversaries have the high ones
they must take the tricks and II they are
divided you can at least prevent their MAX
ing them separately.
With five trumps in one hand. the only
time you do not lead them Is when you can
let the weak trump hand trump in on
short suit; try them to let the weak hand
ruff before leading the trumps.
Never force the strong trump hand to
trump unless you can establish cross ruff
(you trumping one suit and dummy an
other). This makes your trumps separate
ly and is almost a sure gain Upon gain
ing the lead and wishing to lead trumps
it may be that it would be preferable to
have the lead come from the hand which is
not in, and therefore you may have to lead
plain suit first in order to put that hand
in, so that the trump lead may be made
most advantageously
In leading trumps the same principle APP
plies as in leading plain suits-lead so that
the weak hand shall be exhausted Of its
high cards first. And in t1nessing the same
rules apply as in no-trump hand.
Holding a tenace in one hand have the
lead come from the other hand and finesse
the lower card of the tenace; or, having
In the other hand the card next in sequence
below the lower card of the tenace lead
that and pass 1t.
Have the weak and short hand lead up
to the one which is long and strong the
shorter hand getting rid of Its high cards
first.
Should the adversaries have but one re-
naming trump and that the command. 1t
Is usually foolish to lead for it, except in
the one case where in either hand you have
long established suit which you do not
want interrupted when you begin to play
1t, because you have no other re-entty with
which to regain the lead and continue It,
In declared trump the general rule is
to lead trumps at once unless you have
fewer than the adVersaries with no very
high ones, or when you can let the hand
that is weak in trumps trump In on q
short suit
Cavendish has said: THE streets OF Lon
don are crowded with people, poor because
they would not lead trumps when they had
five
In playing against a declared trump If
the dealer does not lead and exhaust the
trumps you must be most watchful He
is probably trying to let his weak hand
trump in on some short suit and you may
have to lead trumps to prevent this.