The San Francisco call., 1906-11-04

There are some exceptions to the
rules for the original lead, both In
the first and in the second trick. The
principal reason for departing from the
regular method of opening the hand on
the first trick is that the partner has
doubled. The reason for changing the
suit on the second trick is usually be-
cause dummy's cards show that some
other suit would be more advanta-
geous.
When it is the eldest hand, or lead
er, that doubles, there should not be
any necessity for rules to guide him,
as he is supposed to know what he
doubled on and what he wants to do
with the hand. 1t is when the pone
doubles that the eldest hand should
know just what is expected of him, so
that his partner may get the full bene-
fit of his assistance.
Two things must be considered in
the opening lead when the pone dou-
bles-the position of the declaring
hand with regard to the doubler and
the cards held by the leader himself.
If it is a no-trumper that is doubled
by the pone the American practice is
for the eldest hand to lead his best
heart. This is called the heart con-
vention. Some persons imagine that it
originated in America, but 1t is one of
the earliest known points in the tao
tics of the game. AS long ago as 1870,
when bridge was played in England by
some Greek merchants who had learn
ed the game in their own country, we
have it on record that the lead of a
heart when the pone doubled a no
trumper, or. bridge" was the regular
play.
BY the way, it is curious to hear
people say they bridge" it, meaning
"a xylo the al
meaning of bridging it is to make it
no-trumps When a player says he
Will bridge it, meaning he will pass 1t,
he is evidently not aware of the cor
rect use of the word, an error which
has been indorsed by magazine that
ought TO know better.
Most writers on the game give it as
a rule for the eldest hand to lead his
best heart when his partner doubles
a no-trumper, unless he holds an A K
or X Q suit, in which case he should
lead that once. This answers the
double purpose of allowing the leader
TO see dummy's cards, and at the same
time shows the third hand a suit in
which there is a certain trick If it
should at any time be useful
The proper lead under such circum-
stances is the K. regardless of the
number of cards in the suit, because
the object is not to play the suit in
such manner as to get the most tricks
out of it, but simply and only to show
the partner that the ace is still in the
hand of the leader.
Many of our best players object to
this lead of a suit other than hearts,
no matter how strong it may be. They
insist that the eldest hand should lead
his best Heart when the pone doubles
a no-trumper, no matter what he holds
in other suits, and that when he does
not lead heart it should be conclusive
evidence that he has not got one. 1t
will be time enough to show his suit
by the discards later in the play, they
say. The doubler, being the strong
hand and therefore the one to dictate
the play, practically says to his part
ner, Lead me your best heart. and I
will be responsible for the result"
In this respect the doubling of a no.
trumper by the pone is very like the
old trump signal at whist. 1t is a
command for the partner to abandon
his own hand. no matter how good it
may appear to be, and to play the
game dictated by the stronger hand
the one that calls for trumps at whist;
the one that calls for hearts at bridge.
If the pone doubles no-trumper, he
certainly does it without knowing that
the eldest hand holds anything as good
as an AK suit, much less an a, x, @
suit, and he is therefore willing to
have heart led. whether the eldest
hand has any such strength or not.
II the heart is not led Immediately,
the pone is in doubt as TO whether or
not his partner has a heart, and this
may place him in difficulties. The first
problem hand in the Globe Open Bridge
Tournament last winter was an ex-
ample of this position. Out of more
than 1000 solvers, only about fifty led
the heart originally. all the others
making at least one lead from A. x, Q
suit first
After examining all the deals that
have come to my attention in which
the pOne has doubled a no-trumper
am obliged to confess that l have yet
to see a hand in which the leader held
an AK suit and lost anything by lead
ing 1t once; but l have seen one or
two in which he put his partner in
some difficulties, especially in the end
of the game, by not showing his AK
suit first. Much as 1 regret to differ
from some really first-class players of
my acquaintance. among them the best
player in New York, probably, 1 have
still to see the advantage of showing
an AK suit before responding to the
pones demand for a heart lead
Here is a hand which 1 saw a few
weeks ago. u dealt at the score of s
all on the rubber game. He passed
it, and Y declared no-trumps, which
doubled, so to get the heart lead
from his partner This was the posi-
tion of the cards: