The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-10-10
Problems of the
Bridge Table

One of the surest tests of a player g
ability at bridge is the manner in
which he handles the secondary lead
at no trump, says writer on Bridge
When the original opening has been
low card from the longest suit and
the leader wins a trick in the suit
which the dealer has opened at the
second trick, the situation does not
generally present a problem of great
difficulty, for the selection of the suit
which has been chosen by the leader
Is OF some guidance in the choice of
suit from which to lead. Or when
the leader can see that he has the
game saved, provided he can place his
partner in the lead so that he can
come up to him through the leader.
the selection of a secondary lead is
frequently the simplest sort of prob
lem for all that is required is to find
single trick winner in the hand of
the partner. In such a situation the
lead of low card from a suit which
the leader can stop when it comes
back to him is often perfectly sound
Judgment and Imagination.
1t is when the saving of the game
depends upon the leaders partner and
the secondary suit is opened because
it is evident that continuance of the
suit first opened will establish it in
the hands of the dealer and of dummy,
that sound Judgment, to which must
be added certain amount of imagin.
alton is needed to prevent disaster.
Iu1 J
leading card which will help to
establish what may be in the dummy's
hand. and imagination to help the lead
ed to draw a mental picture of what
the dealer may hold and what induced
him either to declare or to pass the
make.
1t is a difficult lesson for most play
ers to learn that length in suit is the
greatest element of success at no trump
and that leading the longest suit is
fundamental principle toward this end
Satisfactorily, such players will grasp
the opportunity of leading through a
a ten ace held by dummy even if that
be dummy 5 longest suit. Now, while
this may be good play at a declared
trump, it is, generally speaking, alb
solutely unsound at no trump; for if
the leader partner holds the king of
dummy's best suit. the king must
make before the suit can be establish
ed and there is no danger that discards
will give an opportunity for the
second round to be ruffed
A Point for the Strategist.
As a general rule the most profit
able secondary lead, if the choice must
he made, without any guidance from
iiscaTds, is the choice of a suit by the
leader Of which dummy holds the few
est cards, especially if that happens to
be a red suit, for the dealer would have
named red trump {score permitting)
N preference to weak no trumper
There are times when the saving of
the game depends upon the finding of
number of tricks in the hand of the
leaders partner, and the change of
suit is not simply an effort to throw
the lead, but a strategy of far greater
Importance, and then the suit in which
both the leader and dummy are short
presents the best opportunity. and a
lead which otherwise would be mex.
eusahle becomes sound.
Such cards as NAV be 0nened
secondarily can convey no information
except that it is the highest card that
the leader holds in that suit, unless IL
can be read as the fourth best cards
of the second suit opened. The lead of a
King does not absolutely mark either
the ace or the queen with the leader.
It is more likely to be the sacrifice of
a certain trick by the leader in the
hope that it will he repaid by making
8 number of cards good in the hand
of the partner.