The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-11-18

The beginner Is usually Iold never
to lead trumps originally at bridge I'M
less his partner doubles the dummy s
declaration or itsis a weak spade. which
the eldest hand has doubled himself.
Like all general rules. this has its
exceptions.
There are many hands in which the
trump lead is the least of several evils.
the plain suits being all of them worse
openings than the trump.
In order to understand what eonsti-
tutes the difference between a good
suit and a bad suit for an opening lead
it is necessary for the player to un-
derstand the value of position with re-
gard to certain combinations of cards.
High cards in sequence are always
good opening leads, and three-card Sc
uuences are the best of any. This in
cludes all such combinations as A g,
K Q J, Q 10, or A K, K Q. and even
O ]. If you take pack of cards and
sort out one suit, giving one player
any sequence of three honors, it will
be obvious that the lead of an honor
must win the trick or force out a
higher honor, establishing the remain
ing high cards In the leaders hand. If
the leader holds X Q and the A does
not fall on the K,-the K wins and the
] follows the K, with the same result.
This seems simple, but its Importance
to follow.
The chief thing to observe in connec-
ton with these sequences is, that 1t
does not matter who leads the suit, or
where the higher card may be; because
one of the sequences will be played In
any position, and with precisely the
same result; it will hold the trick or
force the command of the suit.
But now let us take three honors
n
Q 10, and give one adversary the K
g. Now lead from the A Q 10 suit in
any manner you please, and you can
not possibly make more than one trick
in it, unless some one else leads the
suit to you. Observe also that it does
not matter on which side of you the
opposing K j lies.
Now let any player but the holder OF
the A O 10 lead the suit, and the trick
taking value of this A Q 10 combina-
ton becomes Immediately dependent
on the position of the K ] 9. We have
already seen that the position of the
lead with or against high cards in Sc
quence does not make the slightest
difference in the result: but when the
high cards are not in sequence 1T may
make 4 great difference.
Put the K 10 and small on the
right of A @ 10 and small, and the
-
vided that player does not lead the
suit, no matter who else leads it. But
the X j combination is good for
three tricks only on condition that the
holder of the A Q 10 combination, and
no one else, leads it; otherwise the
X 9 is good for nothing.
This is a very important distinction
and should be carefully studied, be-
cause upon a thorough understanding
OF II the whole strategy of bridge de-
ponds.
Put the X on the left of the
A 0 10 and the conditions are COM
pleteIy changed. because the Q 10
are no longer good for three tricks un
less one particular player leads the
suit the one with the K 8. 1t is now
the ] 9 combination that must win
three tricks, no matter who leads pro-
vided the holder of the K does not
do so himself
Nothing so strongly impresses a
position or a point of play on the
memory as to lay out the actual cards,
and the reader should always take
time to lay out the hands and study
elementary positions of this kind.
After experimenting with any three
honors not in sequence, try two, A @
and small in one hand, K ] and small
in the other and observe the result
when one leads the suit as compared
to the result when the other has to
lead it.
Attention should be especially di-
rected to the fact that there may be
an advantage for either combination,
dependent on the position of the op-
posing combination, but that this adj
vantage is always thrown away If the
holder Of the combination leads the
suit himself, no matter where the other
combination may be, unless it is In the
hands of his partner.
If it is true that the original lead
from any of these combinations of
honors not in sequence must be disad-
vantageous unless the partner has the
other high cards, the odds against
which are 2 to l, 1T should certainly
be the object of the Oldest hand to
avoid such an opening lead. After he
has seen dummy he may forego his
advantage and try to make the best of
it. or he may hold on TO it until his
chance comes. If he has A @ 10 and
sees neither K nor J in the dummy he
may wait until his partner gets in, or
he may speculate on his partner having
the X He knows his suit is good for
three tricks If he does not lead 1t, no
matter who does. Even If dummy has
both K and 1t may be possible that
dummy will have to lead the suit, no
matter how much he would like to
avoid 1t.
Tt is not uncommon for a player to
hold these undesirable combinations in
more than one suit, and If they are
plain suits it may be better to lead the
trump, which may not do partner any
harm, in preference to leading a suit
which will do the leader himself harm.
There are two sides to all questions in
bridge tactics, and one of them is
whether it is better to avoid what may
do yourself harm and risk injuring