Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-21
BRIDGE DEPARTMENT
EDITED BY w. R. WHARTON

The sign o. signifies small cards
In all other cases lead fourth best.
The great advantage of regularity in
this regard is that it enables the third
hand in many instances to read your
holdings, taking this knowledge of es-
tablished leads into consideration and
at the same time examining the COM
position of the dummy and his own
hand.
In the next article will be compiled
a similar list of established leads for
no-trump. These in some respects diff
fer materially from those given above
for reasons which will be then given.
Let us next consider
Third Hand Play-DecIared Trump
The third hand should endeavor by
strict attention to the opening lead,
the composition of the dummy hand
and his own, and such differences as he
may draw from the declaration, to de-
termine the leaders holding in the suit
led. If the card led be an honor this
is usually easy. For instance, if a
king be opened you know that the lead
er holds either ace or queen. There
fore, if you can see either, or if either
be played by the dealer, you know the
leader holds the other. If the queen be
led you know that the leader does not
hold either ace or king, and if neither
is in sight you know the dealer holds
both, or, if one is in sight, that the
dealer holds the other. You also know
that the leader holds the jack.
If a jack be led, the leader may or
may not hold either the ace or king,
but does not hold both and does not
hold the queen. If dummy holds either
king or queen and you hold the ace. or
dummy holds the queen and you hold
the king, you should not cover unless
dummy does. On the other hand, If
dummy does not hold queen or king
you should cover a jack led with either
ace or king if held by you third hand
If small card be opened, endeavor to
determine whether it be fourth best
from strength or the high card of q
short suit The eleven rule will give
you much assistance. For instance, if
you subtract the card led from eleven
and can see in the dummy and your
own hand more than this number of
cards higher than the card leds you
know that it is the top of a weak suit.
If the card opened is either nine or ten,
it is almost certain to be top of nothing.
If you are satisfied that it is fourth
best, then by an examination of the
cards held by yourself and dummy, to-
gether with the knowledge that from
certain combinations of high cards an
honor is always led, you can generally
determine what high cards in the suit
are held by your partner, and the other
high cards in the suit not in sight must
of course be held by the dealer. For
instance. if an eight be led you at once
know that there are three cards in the
suit higher than the eight held by 9TH
ers than the leader. If you or the dunn
my hold the queen, you know that the
leader can have opened fourth best
from the following combinations only:
Eight, nine, ten, ace; eight, nine, ten.
king; eight, nine, jack, ace; eight,
nine, jack king; for if your partner
had held both ace and king he would
have led the king and if he held either
ace or king, with jack and ten. he
would have led jack. Similar reason
ing and calculations will enable you to
solve other positions which arise.
You are thereby enabled to finesse in
diligently and profitably.
Returning the Lead
If from the differences you have
drawn and the cards in sight you do
not see an advantage in returning the
lead at once after winning the first
trick, YOU should consider whether the
weakness of dummy may not offer
more advantageous opportunity in an
other suit You should also consider
the probability of the weak trump hand
roughing the good cards of yourself or
your partner If the declaration be
original and the dummy hand be weak
In trumps, short in one suit and hold
ing no great strength in any suit, it is
frequently best to lead trumps through
the strong trump hand at once. But
never forget that the dealer possesses
the great trump strength, and if dunn
my discloses a strong suit this may be
very disastrous. and per contra, that
forcing the strong trump hand some
times so weakens it as to destroy this
advantage. Great care, therefore,
should be exercised before leading
trumps but you should remember that
the dealer who makes an original trump
declaration is rarely strong in the 9TH
er suits, for IL so he would have de-
clared no-trump in preference to a suit.
Under such circumstances, therefore, 1t
is usually the dummy hand which fur
nishes his side tricks. and If dummy be