Advanced Bridge; The Higher Principles of the Game Analysed and Explained

Part 7

Chapter 73,861 wordsPublic domain

When the top cards are not in sequence the lead of the highest may lose a trick, and it is, therefore, safer to lead the second best. As with

10 [8] 7 5 2 9 [7] 6 4 3 The underlined card should be led.

+--------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | The underlines have been replaced with square brackets.| | For example [K]. | +--------------------------------------------------------+

If, however, you hold a long weak suit, and, say, two or more possible re-entry cards, do not hesitate to encourage a return of the lead by opening a low card.

THE ORIGINAL LEAD AT “NO-TRUMP”

OPENING A SHORT SUIT AGAINST A “NO-TRUMP” DECLARATION

If, as leader, your long suit is worthless, and your hand is generally weak, there is a chance that your short suit may prove to be your partner’s long one, and that the lead may help him to establish his suit. While the odds are two to one against the success of a short lead, in this case it may gain and certainly cannot lose much. If, however, you hold five or six cards in your suit, open it; there is always a chance that your partner may hold sufficient length in the same suit to help you establish and bring it in.

If your long suit contains but four cards headed by one honour, king, queen, or jack, with no other re-entry card in the hand, and you hold a good supporting short lead, like jack ten or nine (particularly if the make has been passed, and your short suit is a red one) the short opening admits of no criticism.

If you hold a three or four card suit headed by ace, king, and queen, no matter the length in other suits, the opening lead should be from the ace king queen combination. With three cards of re-entry you can certainly afford to lead one of them to determine whether conditions justify the long suit lead.

The dummy hand may discourage the lead of your long suit and make it advisable to try for your partner’s suit instead.

UNBLOCKING

To be able to use proper judgment in ridding yourself of cards that you fear may block your partner’s suit, you should thoroughly understand the leads, and above all things, you should have perfect confidence that your partner has made the correct one. Remember that a high card led against a “no-trump” declaration indicates great strength or great length, and that you can rarely lose more than one trick by throwing your own high card on the one led by your partner; whereas a failure to unblock will often occasion the loss of several cards in your partner’s hand. If you hold four cards in the suit that your partner leads (provided of course the lead is high) save the lowest card, playing the third best to the first trick, and then play up. With five cards, play the fourth best to your partner’s high card lead, and then play up or down as the situation demands.

With length in the suit that your partner leads, especially as an original opening, it is often advisable to indicate your strength by playing first a high and then a lower card. This echo or signal encourages your partner to continue the suit.

With three cards in your partner’s suit two of which are honours, the lower of the honours should be played to the first trick. By playing the lowest card of all you will invariably block the suit.

With three cards including but one honour, the middle card should be played to a high card lead, and the honour should be thrown or played to the second lead. Be careful to return the highest card of your partner’s suit, as this will minimise loss from blocking and allow your partner to continue the suit without interruption.

The following are given as examples of unblocking:

+-------------+----------------+----------+ | HOLDING | ON PARTNER’S | PLAY | | | LEAD OF | | +-------------+----------------+----------+ | J 9 8 7 2 | K | 7 | | J 8 5 3 | K | 5 | | K Q 7 | A | Q | | Q J 8 | K | J | | K Q 5 | J | Q | | Q 8 3 | K and A | Q on A | +-------------+----------------+----------+

RETURNING PARTNER’S LEAD

To return partner’s lead, or to play for your own long suit? At times you will find this a most difficult question to decide. It can be stated that ordinarily it is better play to return your partner’s original lead, for rarely are two suits made against a “no-trump” declaration. In fact, it is hard enough to bring in one suit.... It will assist you to settle this difficulty if you notice carefully the card led by your partner, and infer from it the length of his suit. You can often tell how many cards of that suit are in the dealer’s hand. If, for instance, your partner’s lead indicates four cards and there are three cards of that suit in dummy and two cards in your own hand, it is evident that the dealer must hold four, and the chances are, if the lead is returned, he will eventually be left with the master card. As it is, of course, your purpose to avoid making cards good for the adversary, should you hold a good suit under these circumstances and a sure re-entry card, abandon your partner’s lead by all means and play for your own hand.

When dummy holds four cards in your partner’s suit, hesitate to return the lead, if by so doing you may establish the suit for your opponent; but when dummy is weak in the suit, lead at the first opportunity, through the dealer’s hand. Sometimes, if your own long suit is headed by ace and king, it is well to lead the king before returning your partner’s lead. This should always be done if the queen is on the table, to make sure that your suit will eventually be led through dummy’s queen. If you hold ace queen or ace queen jack over the king in dummy, you would naturally prefer that your partner lead the suit; but with a hand containing a sure re-entry card in another suit, particularly when you hold the commanding card of the adversaries’ suit, do not wait for your partner to lead; establish the suit yourself. If, with no re-entry card, you intend playing for your own long suit, do not draw all the cards of your suit from your partner’s hand. If your partner has a card of your suit as well as a card of re-entry, your suit will make; otherwise it is useless.

With four cards or fewer of your partner’s suit, the highest card should always be returned. This is done in order that the suit may not be blocked, and also to show your partner what high cards are held by the dealer. When it is evident that you and your partner hold an entire suit with the same number of cards in each hand, it is well to arrange the lead on the last round of the suit according to whether you would prefer to lead up to weakness or to have your partner lead through dummy’s strength.

With five cards of your partner’s suit, especially if his lead indicates but four, it is very difficult to decide how the suit should be returned. If a low card is returned, it may lead your partner to believe that all the high cards are in the dealer’s hand, and induce him to discontinue the suit. On the other hand, the return of a high card may block the suit so that you will be left with a card which may never make. No rule can be given for this situation. It must be left to the judgment of the player.

HOLDING UP BY THE NON-DEALERS

Holding up is a strategy resorted to at “no-trump.” The idea is to retain a high card until one hand is exhausted and cannot lead the suit to the opposite hand. Holding up does not often gain when the hand with the long suit contains an entry card except at such times as the dealer does not or cannot overtake; usually it is better play to take the trick and trust that your partner can eventually stop the suit. Do not hold up a high card if you can block the suit later, or if there is a possibility that your partner holds an honour in the suit.

The following are examples of holding up:

(The underlined card indicates the lead.)

K♠ J♠ 10♠ 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ +-------+ | Y | | A B | A♠ 6♠ 5♠ | Z | +-------+ [Q♠]

In this case, dummy holds no entry card. The ace should not be played by B until the dealer has no card of the suit.

A♠ J♠ 10♠ 9♠ 7♠ 5♠ +-------+ | Y | 4♠ | A B | K♠ 6♠ 3♠ | Z | +-------+ [Q♠]

If dummy holds no entry card, B should not take the first trick.

[Q♠] J♠ x-------x | Y | | A B | A♠ 8♠ 5♠ | Z | x-------x

B should pass both the queen and the knave. By passing the second trick, if the dealer fails to overtake, or if the dealer does not hold two re-entry cards, the suit cannot be made.

A♥ K♠ J♠ 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ x-------x | Y | 2♠ | A B | A♠ 5♠ 4♠ | Z | x-------x [Q♠]

Y has an entry card. B should refuse to win the trick, trusting that Z has no other card to lead.

A♠ 10♠ 7♠ x-------x | Y | K♠ 6♠ 3♠ | A B | | Z | x-------x [Q♠]

A should refuse to cover the honour. If he waits until the third round, the suit is blocked. Z may have no re-entry card.

[Q♠] J♠ x-------x | Y | | A B | K♠ 6♠ 4♠ | Z | x-------x

In this case, the honour should be covered. If Z holds the ace, the suit is blocked.

A♠ J♠ 8♠ 6♠ 4♠ x-------x | Y | Q♠ 5♠ | A B | | Z | x-------x [10♠]

A should cover the ten led. It may establish the king and nine in B’s hands. If Y has no card of re-entry B can then hold up.

[K♠] x-------x | Y | | A B | A♠ 7♠ 5♠ | Z | x-------x

As Y has no other card to lead, B should refuse to part with the ace. Z cannot make the suit without two re-entry cards.

TAKING OUT RE-ENTRY CARDS

If you hold the commanding card of the adversary’s suit, endeavour to take out your opponent’s re-entry before the suit is cleared. It is equally important that you take out this re-entry card if you know that your partner has the command of the adversary’s suit. In extreme cases do not hesitate to sacrifice a king or queen in order to accomplish this purpose. When the dealer attempts to make a card of re-entry for an established suit, hold up a higher card in order to frustrate his scheme of play.

THE DISCARD

This part of the game merits much more consideration than a cursory knowledge of Bridge would suggest. The ordinary Bridge player is confused by the many difficulties attendant on discarding, and his cards are apt to be injudiciously thrown away. It would greatly simplify the discard if you were always to throw away your lowest card or to follow some other hard-and-fast rule; but, unfortunately, the discard is so affected by the particular situation and by the previous play as to preclude the possibility of establishing such a rule. When you advise the beginner to throw away a high card instead of a two spot, the situation appears to him hopeless; he fails to realise that at times high cards have little value, and, to obtain the lead, honours and even smaller cards must be properly protected.

When opposed to the dealer, it should be your aim both to protect your hand and to give your partner information. As the eldest hand, your opening lead indicates strength or weakness; any subsequent discard is simply the card that you can best spare, and is not intended to convey any definite information. As the original leader, it is important that you know your partner’s suit, and this information he should convey to you by a recognised system of discarding decided on before beginning the game. Thus the discard from the strength or from weakness refers only to the first card thrown away by the younger hand.

There are three methods of discarding used by Bridge players, each having the same object--to protect the hand and to give information.

1st. Strength both with a trump and at “no-trump.”

2d. Strength with a trump and weakness at “no-trump.”

3d. Weakness both with a trump and at “no-trump.”

Some merit may be claimed for each; but there is a wide difference of opinion regarding the relative values of these discards. In Whist, as well as in Bridge, there has always been more or less discussion on this point. It can, however, be stated that the foremost authorities on Whist have uniformly agreed that with strength declared against you, the best discard is from your strong suit.

THE DISCARD AGAINST A DECLARED TRUMP

The great majority of Bridge players use the strength discard against a trump declaration, and there is little doubt that this is sound. It is imperative that you protect honours in the weaker suits, for rarely will your long suit be brought in against the dealer.

The claim made by those who use the weak discard against a trump make is that it permits them to throw away a short suit, and thus eventually to establish a “ruff.” When a player is discarding from strength, this “ruff” can be obtained with equal facility by the proper use of the reverse discard.

Without a doubt the weak discard should be used on a spade declaration that has been doubled either by you or your partner. In this case, trump strength is probably with you, not against you. The same argument cannot be used, however, on a doubled heart, diamond, or club, whereas spades may have been declared from weakness, the other declarations indicate trump strength.

THE DISCARD AT “NO-TRUMP”

The writer has placed himself on record as being in favour of the strength discard, and since doing so has seen nothing that would tend to change his views on this subject.

A theory of good play may be so unfortunately worded as to convey a mistaken impression, and it is amusing to hear the various methods of discarding discussed by players of little experience; not long since, a hand was published to illustrate the loss of one trick by discarding strength, when an ace is first lost by bad play, and the discard so palpably wrong as to insult the partner’s intelligence.

To those who have not taken the time to analyse hands thoroughly, the discard of a card that may possibly make, naturally seems the waste of a trick; but consider how seldom a suit, not led originally, is brought in against a “no-trump” make; remember that you do not expect to win on the adversary’s make, but only hope to minimise your loss, and that often in trying to save all the cards of your long suit, honours in the weaker suits are unguarded which, if properly protected, would have won tricks.

An objection that is raised to discarding from weakness at “no-trumps” is that one discard does not positively show your strong suit. In many hands, to be sure, your partner can obtain the information from the cards in dummy, but at times, when one suit has been led and another discarded, your partner is left in doubt as to the suit to lead, and a wrong guess may result in serious loss.

Again, the discard from weakness may betray your partner’s hand, by giving information that will enable the dealer to finesse successfully. The dealer is more likely to have strength in your weak, than in your strong suit.

The discard from weakness is of no material help to your partner in discarding, as you may hold a high honour in your weak suit, while with the strength discard, your partner, when he is forced to protect his hand, does not fear to unguard honours in your suit.

If you were to play a hundred deals of “no-trump” hands, making the first discard from the weak suit, and then replay the hands making the first discard from strength, the result would be overwhelmingly in favour of the strength discard. It is impossible to make the first discard from weakness uniformly without unguarding honours in the adversaries’ suits, and only the novice attempts to do so.

To say that one should always make the discard from weakness or from strength is wrong both in theory and in practise. No hard-and-fast rule can be followed without loss. With confidence that an intelligent partner will read your discards, you can allow common sense and reason to dictate the occasions to deviate from the rule.

You should aim first, to protect your hand; second, to give your partner information; and, third, to keep your long suit. In the majority of hands, it is immaterial whether you discard from strength or from weakness, but in those which show a difference, the strength discard does not in any hand lose more than one trick, while the loss occasioned by the discard from weakness varies from one to four tricks in a hand.

If you use the strength discard and find it advisable in any particular hand to throw away your weak suit, you can always do so by using the reverse discard. This is also true when the weak discard is used, but, unfortunately, in the latter case, two cards from your strong suit must be thrown away.

No matter what system of discarding you may use, occasionally a trick will be lost, but after an analysis of over ten thousand deals the writer is of the firm opinion that the discard from strength at “no-trump” will lose less than the discard from weakness.

HINTS ON DISCARDING

If three suits have been led or shown, do not attempt to discard from strength. You question your partner’s intelligence. If your only four-card suit contains but one honour, do not indicate strength unless you are particularly desirous of having that suit led to you.

When you have no suit that you are anxious to show, discard from the suit led originally by your partner, or even, when it is obviously established, from the adversary’s suit. This implies that you have no strength to indicate, but you are protecting your hand.

It is bad policy to discard all the cards of one suit, as it betrays any strength your partner may hold.

As the younger hand, infer from your partner’s discards what suit he is guarding.

When the dealer can lead through a king in your hand, try to keep it twice guarded.

It would be unwise to discard from an established suit if you hold a sure re-entry card; as all you require is the lead, the best discard is from the suit containing the re-entry card.

If you hold a tenace or strength in a suit over the dummy hand, it may be a better discard than your longest suit.

When your partner has shown a four or five-card suit, don’t look to him for much further strength.

Protect all four-card suits even if they are but to the nine or ten, and remember a jack or ten twice guarded will often block the dealer’s suit.

Watch the dealer’s discards and protect the suit that he is saving.

THE REVERSE DISCARD

In discarding, the play of a high and then a lower card reverses the original meaning of the discard. If you adopt the strength discard, and wish to throw away your weak suit at “no-trump” do so by discarding first a high and then a lower card. If you use the weak discard and wish to protect your weak suits, discard first a high and then a lower card from your strong suit.

The reverse discard may be used when it is shown that two discards can be made.

DISCARDING BY THE DEALER

The discard offers fewer difficulties to the dealer whose two hands reveal the suit that should be protected, and show the cards that can be conveniently spared.

In a “no-trump” hand it is especially necessary to guard all weak suits; not forgetting that a four-card suit to the ten will often block the opponent’s lead.

The second suit that they will open is often shown by the adversary’s discards; and this, too, will aid you to prepare a proper defence.

When you hold trump strength discard losing cards from one hand on winning ones in the other.

At times it may be necessary to discard high cards to unblock a suit and to protect honours in another suit.

In discarding endeavour to conceal both your weakness and your strength; you may often mislead your opponents and tempt them to lead to your strong suit.

THE DEALER’S PLAY

The dealer’s play of the twenty-six cards is undoubtedly the most interesting that Bridge offers; the skilful management and keen perception required to combine the two hands against adversaries ready to take advantage of the slightest error, make this part of the game correspondingly difficult. With no partner to mislead, the dealer can use strategy to deceive the opponents, while he gains the same information from each adversary’s play as if he were the partner of both. His opportunities to draw inferences are almost innumerable, and give him occasional openings to prepare clever pitfalls for the unwary adversary.

The opening lead--Is it from a long suit or a short suit? What honours are held by the original leader? What cards are placed by the third hand play? These are all questions that must be premised by a thorough knowledge of the correct leads and third hand play. In addition, the dealer must be familiar with the most advantageous play of the various combinations or cards, must locate honours by his adversaries’ discards and arrange the lead accordingly; must know how to unblock as well as how and where to make entry cards. A knowledge of trump management--to know when to lead and when not to lead trumps--is no small part of the dealer’s requirements.

A hand that is well and quietly played merits commendation, which partner and opponents seldom hesitate to bestow.

COMBINING THE HANDS OF DEALER AND DUMMY