Читать книгу Foster's Complete Hoyle: An Encyclopedia of Games - R. F. Foster - Страница 8

WE	THEY
	36
	30
18	100
16
8
	40
	36
	250
42	492
	42
	450

WE	THEY
8	16
	18		100
		40	30
		36	36
8	34	76	166
	8		76
			250
	42		492
			42
			450

The scoring on which this rubber is won and lost was as follows: WE started with a contract to win one heart and made it, with simple honours, scoring 8 toward game and 16 above for honours. Then THEY set a contract for two tricks, getting 100 in penalties, against simple honours in royals, scored as 18 above for WE and 100 for THEY. Then THEY made four odd at no trump and 30 aces, winning the first game, under which a line is drawn.

On the next deal THEY made four odd in royals, with four honours, 36 each way, winning the second game and also the rubber, for which they add 250 points. Both scores are now added up and the lower deducted from the higher, showing that THEY win 450 points on the balance.

CUTTING OUT. At the conclusion of the rubber, if there are more than four candidates for play, the selection of the new table is made by cutting; those who have just played having an equal chance with the newcomers. The reason for this is that a Bridge table is complete with four, and that a rubber is usually too long, with its preliminaries of making the trump, and its finalities of settling the score, for players to wait their turn. A rubber at Short Whist is often over in two hands; but a carefully played rubber at Bridge sometimes occupies an hour.

CHEATING. Most of the cheating done at the bridge table is of such a character that it cannot be challenged without difficulty, although there is enough of it to be most annoying.

Some players will place an ace about four cards from the top when they shuffle the cards, so that when the pack is spread for the cut they can draw it and get the first deal. Second dealing is a common trick, especially on ocean steamers, marking the aces and slipping them back if they would fall to an adversary dealing them to the partner instead, who can go no trumps and score a hundred aces several times in an evening. Women are great offenders in trifling matters, such as asking the dealer if she passed it, when nothing has been said; looking over the adversaries’ hands as dummy, and then pushing dummy’s cards forward, as if arranging them, but in reality indicating which one to play. A great deal of petty cheating is done in putting down the score, and also in balancing it by cancellation. In large charity games, some women are so eager to win a prize that they will stoop to all manner of private signals, and some go so far as to make up a table and agree to double everything, so that some one of the four shall have a big score. Another common trick in so-called social games is to have a stool pigeon to overlook the hand of another and signal it up to the confederate who is playing.

There may be some remedy for this sort of thing, but so far no one seems to have found it; or at least they lack the courage to put it in practice and expose the offenders.

SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY. The great secret of success in auction lies in sound bidding, so that no bid shall have a double meaning and the partner may be able to rely absolutely on the information which the bid should convey. The complications of the situation are so numerous, owing to the variations introduced by each succeeding bid as the players over-call one another, that it would be impossible to cover them in a work of this kind, and the student would do well to consult some such work as “Whitehead’s Conventions,” which covers every situation that could possibly arise in the bidding.

A few general hints may be of assistance in showing the principles that govern the more common situations.

The Dealer’s Bids may be divided into four parts; a spade, a losing suit, a winning suit, and no trumps. The one-spade bid simply means, “I pass,” but it does not signify that he will not be willing to bid on the second round. It has nothing whatever to do with the spade suit.

The dealer should never call any suit on the first round of bids unless he has two sure tricks in it. If it is a losing suit, he may have just those two tricks and nothing else, and the shorter the suit the better, but the tricks must be A K, or K Q J, or A Q J. If it is a winning suit he must have at least five cards of it and a trick or two in some other suit to back it up.

If the dealer bids two spades, he shows two sure tricks in a short spade suit and a sure trick outside. If he bids three spades he shows five or more spades and strength enough outside for royals, but denies two sure tricks in the spade suit itself. The dealer should bid no trumps when he has not length enough to bid hearts or royals, but has a hand as good as three aces, well protected in three suits.

The Second Hand should declare just as if he were the dealer when the dealer starts with one spade. He may even go no trump on a lighter hand. When the dealer bids a suit, second hand should over-call only when he can make his contract or wishes to indicate a lead in case third hand should go to no trumps. Second hand should never take the dealer out of a losing suit with a winning suit unless he has seven tricks in his own hand. If the dealer bids no trump, second hand should pass, unless he is prepared to over-call any further bid for three tricks.

Third Hand is not obliged to take the dealer out of a spade, and should not do so unless he is a trick or two stronger than he would have to be to declare as dealer. But the dealer must never be left in with a two or three spade bid. If third hand cannot do any better, he should declare a royal. When the dealer bids no trump, third hand should take him out with any weak five card suit and nothing else, simply to warn him that there are no winning cards in the hand. Always take him out with five cards in a winning suit, no matter how strong the rest of the hand.

Take the dealer out of one suit with another suit only to deny his suit. Take him out of a winning suit with no trump, only to deny his suit and show strength in each of the three other suits. If the dealer bids no trump and second hand calls a suit, double if you can stop the suit twice, otherwise show any good suit of your own, but do not go two no-trumps unless you can do it all yourself. Leave that to your partner. Do not assist your partner’s suit bids with less than three tricks if second hand over-calls.

Fourth Hand bids on the bidding much more than on his cards. He should never take the dealer out of a spade that both second and third hand have passed unless he can go game. If the dealer bids a losing suit, second and third hands passing, leave him in unless you can go game and are not afraid of a shift. If the dealer bids a winning suit, second and third hands passing, make any sound declaration. If the dealer starts with no trumps, show any suit that might save the game if led at once by your partner.

Subsequent Bids. Any suit bid on the second round but not on the first, shows length without the tops. When a winning suit is taken out by the partner, a losing suit bid on the second round shows tops in it. Any suit rebid on the second round, without waiting for the partner’s assistance, shows six or seven sure tricks in hand.

Never bid a hand twice, unless its strength is greater than indicated by the first bid. Having bid a club on ace king alone, that is the end of it. If you have an outside ace, which the club bid did not show, you can assist your partner once on that trick, but no more. Having assisted your partner’s suit bid with three tricks, do not bid again unless you have a fourth trick in hand, but if he rebids his suit without waiting for you, you may assist on one trick, especially a high honour in trumps.

Do not double unless you have a certainty and are not afraid of a shift. Do not give up a fair chance for going game yourself just to double an adversary, unless you are sure of 200 in penalties at least, and do not give up the rubber game for less than 300. Always remember that a double may enable an adversary to go game, and will often show the declarer which hand to finesse against.

Free Doubles are opportunities to double when the declarer will go game anyhow if he makes his contract, but they should never be made if there is any chance that he may shift.

Free Bids are anything better than a spade by the dealer, or anything that over-calls a previous bid, because no one is forced to bid on the first round. A Shout is a bid that is a trick more than necessary to over-call the previous bid. It shows a solid suit, or five or six sure tricks in hand. In a losing suit it is a loud call for the partner to go no trumps if he can. A free bid in a losing suit shows the high cards; in a winning suit it shows the tricks in hand.

A Forced Bid is one that is necessary to over-call, such as two diamonds over a heart. This does not mean that the caller would have bid two diamonds originally. A player who must indicate a lead against a no-trumper makes a forced bid.

The Original Lead. The first card must be played before dummy’s hand is exposed.

OPENING LEADS. The position which we have first to consider is that of the eldest hand, usually designated by the letter “A,” who sits on the declarer’s left.

Selecting the Suit to Lead. If your partner has declared a suit, lead the best card you hold of it, regardless of number, unless you have an ace-king suit of your own, in which case lead the king first and have a look at dummy. If partner has not declared anything, lead your own suit. With high cards not in sequence, such as ace-queen, king-jack, or even queen-ten, in every suit but trumps, lead the trump.

There is a great difference between playing against a trump declaration and against no-trumpers; because in the first case the leader is opposed to unusual trump strength and his object must be to make what he can of his winning cards, before the declarer gets into the lead and discards his weak suits, so as to be ready to trump them. But in the second case, there being no trumps, the leader’s object should be to get a suit established against the dealer, if he can, and the longer the suit is, the better. The dealer’s strength in a no-trumper is usually scattered, and he may often be found with a weak or missing suit, which is generally the suit in which the eldest hand or his partner is long.

We shall first consider the leads against trump declarations, because they are more common and are also the more useful. If a player makes a trump-hand lead against a no-trump declaration, he will not do nearly so much harm as if he make a no-trump-hand lead against a trump declaration. For that reason, if a player cannot master both systems of leading, it is better for him to learn the leads against trumps than those against no-trumps.

Rules for Leading High Cards. With such a suit as A K Q 2, no one need be told not to begin with the deuce. Whenever a player holds two or more of the best cards of a suit he should play one of them. If he holds both second and third best, playing one of them will force the best out of his way, leaving him with the commanding card.

The cards which are recognised by bridge players as high, are the A K Q J 10, and if we separate the various combinations from which a player should lead each of them, a study of the groups so formed will greatly facilitate our recollection of them.

In the first group are those containing two or more of the best cards. In this and all following notation, the exact size of any card below a Ten is immaterial.

So far as trick-taking is concerned, it is of no importance which of the winning cards is first led; but good players lead the King from all these combinations in order that the partner may be informed, by its winning, that the leader holds the Ace also.

In the second group are those containing both the second and third best, but not the best.

The King is the proper lead from these combinations. If it wins, the partner should have the Ace; if it loses, partner should know the leader holds at least the Queen.

Both these groups, which contain all the King leads, may be easily remembered by observing that the King is always led if accompanied by the Ace or Queen, or both. Beginners should follow this rule for leading the King, regardless of the number of small cards in the suit.

There is only one combination from which the Queen is led,

when it is accompanied by the Jack, and there is no higher card of the suit in the hand. Whether the ten follows the Jack or not, does not matter. With any two high cards in sequence, the lead is a high card when playing against a declared trump.

The Jack is never led except as a supporting card. It is always the top of the suit, and the suit is usually short. The object of making such an opening is to avoid leading suits headed by two honours which are not in sequence. These are good Jack leads:

The Ten is led from one combination only:—

The Ace should not be led if it can be avoided; but it is better to lead it from suits of more than four cards, so as to make it at once. If the Ace is accompanied by the King, the King is the card to lead, not the Ace. If the Ace is accompanied by other honours, such as the Queen or Jack, it is better to avoid opening the suit, unless you have five or more cards of it. But if you do lead a suit headed by the Ace, without the King, be sure that you lead the Ace, when playing against a trump declaration, or you may never make it.

All such combinations as the following should be avoided, if possible, as more can be made out of them by letting them alone:—

But with three honours, A Q J, the Ace should be led.

Rules for Leading Short Suits. It will sometimes happen that the only four-card suit in the leader’s hand will be trumps or a suit headed by honours not in sequence, which it is not desirable to lead. In such cases, if there is no high-card combination in any of the short suits, it is usual to lead the highest card, unless it is an Ace or King. Many good players will not lead the Queen from a three-card suit, unless it is accompanied by the Jack. All such leads are called forced, and are intended to assist the partner, by playing cards which may strengthen him, although of no use to the leader. The best card should be led from any such combinations as the following:—

Small-card Leads. If the suit selected for the lead does not contain any combination of high cards from which it would be right to lead a high card, good players make it a rule to begin with the fourth-best, counting from the top of the suit. This is called the “card of uniformity,” because it indicates to the partner that there are remaining in the leader’s hand exactly three cards higher than the one led.

Should the player be forced to lead any of the undesirable combinations shown on the last page, he would begin with the Ace if he held it; otherwise he would lead the fourth-best. In each of the hands shown this would be the four, and this card would be led, even if there were five or six cards in the suit. From this hand, for instance, the five is the proper lead:—

Rules for Leading Second Round. If the leader wins the first trick, having the best of the suit in his hand, he should follow with the winning card; but if he has several cards which are equally winning cards, he should lead the lowest of them. This is an indication to the partner that the card led is as good as the best; therefore the leader must hold the intermediate cards. When a King wins, your partner knows you have the Ace, if he does not hold it. Then tell him what he does not know, that you have the Queen also.

Suppose you have led the King from these combinations:—

Your partner knows you have the Ace, because your King wins. From the first, go on with the Jack, which is just as good as the Ace, but tells your partner you have not only the Ace but the Queen, still in your hand. From the second, go on with the Queen, the card your partner does not know, which tells him you still have the Ace, but not the Jack. If you have not the Queen, you will have to go on with the Ace, and your leading the Ace will deny the Queen.

If you have not the best, lead one of the second and third-best, if you hold both:—

From the first of these, having led the King, if it wins, go on with the ten, whether you have any smaller cards or not. From the second, if the King wins, go on with the Jack, which denies the ten, but tells your partner you still have the Queen. No mistake is more common among beginners than leading a low card on the second round, on the assumption that the partner must have the Ace. If you have led from King and Queen only, you must go on with the fourth-best; because you have not both the second and third-best. This fourth-best is the card that was the fourth-best originally. Having led the King from this:—

the card to follow the King is the six, if the King wins the first trick.

The Fourth-best. From any combination of cards, if you have not the best, or both the second and third-best, in your hand for the second round, lead your original fourth-best. From all the following, the proper lead on the second round would be the fourth-best, in each case the four of the suit:

Leading Trumps. A trump lead is sometimes adopted when all the plain suits are bad ones to lead away from, such as A Q, or A J, or K J in each and no length. If a player holds high cards which are not in sequence, such as the major tenace, ace and queen, it is very probable that the declarer holds the king. By refusing to lead such suits, and waiting for them to come up to the tenace, the declarer’s high card may be caught and a valuable trick saved. When a good player opens his hand with a trump, right up to the declaration, his partner should lead his best supporting cards boldly up to dummy’s weak suits.

The Pone’s Leads. When the pone gets into the lead, if he does not return his partner’s suit, he should open his own suits according to the rules already given for all the high-card combinations. If he has no high-card combination, it is usually better for him to lead some card that will beat Dummy than to lead his fourth-best. Suppose he wishes to lead a diamond, in which he holds Q 10 8 4 3; Dummy having the 9 and 6 only. It is better to lead the ten of diamonds than the fourth-best, because if the declarer does not follow with an honour, your partner will not have to sacrifice an honour to keep Dummy from winning the trick with the 9.

After the opening lead, when Dummy’s cards are exposed, the knowledge of his cards may change the aspect of the game greatly; but the proper cards to lead to and through Dummy will be better understood in connection with the play against no-trumpers.

No-trump Leads. The chief difference in the leads against no-trumpers is, that there is no hurry to make your aces and kings, the chief thing being to make some of the smaller cards good for tricks. When you are long in a suit, if you lead out the winning cards first, your partner may have none to lead you later on, and if you cannot make every trick in the suit before you lose the lead, you may never make anything but your one or two high cards.

The difference in the leads at no-trump is covered by a very simple rule; if you have only two honours in sequence, do not lead either of them, but begin with the fourth-best, even if your honours are the Ace and King. But if you have three honours in the suit, two of them in sequence, always lead an honour against a no-trumper.

The exception to this rule is, that when you are so long in the suit that you may catch some high cards with your high cards, you lead them first. With six or seven in suit to the A K, for instance, lead the King, on the chance of dropping the Queen. With seven in suit headed by the Ace, lead the Ace, but never with less than seven without the King. With six in suit, you may lead the King from K Q, without either Jack or 10; but with less than six in suit never lead the King from K Q unless you have the 10 or the J also.

THIRD HAND PLAY. The leader’s partner must do his best to inform his partner as to the distribution of his suit. The method of doing this is entirely different when there is a trump from that which is adopted when there is no trump. In the first case, all your partner wants to know is, who is going to trump his suit if he goes on with it. In the second case, what he wants to know is his chance for getting his suit cleared or established.

With a Trump. When third hand makes no attempt to win the trick, either because his partner’s or Dummy’s card is better than any he need play, he plays the higher of two cards only, the lowest of three or more. This is called playing down and out. Suppose third hand holds 7 and 2 only, and the lead is a King. The 7 is played. The leader goes on with the Ace, denying the Queen, and the third hand plays the deuce. If the Queen is not in the Dummy, the declarer must have it. In any case, the leader knows that if he goes on, his partner, the third hand, can trump that suit.

With three cards, the lowest falling to the first round, followed by a higher card, will show the leader that the third hand still has another of that suit.

It is not necessary to play down and out with an honour, because the leader can read the situation without it. Suppose third hand holds the J 5. He plays the 5 to the first round, because one of his two cards is an honour. The leader goes on with the Ace, and the Jack falls. Now the third hand must have the Queen or no more, and no matter which it is he can win the third round, with the Queen or with a trump.

Against No-Trumpers. When there is no trump, the third hand uses what is called the Foster echo. This consists in playing always the second-best of the suit, when no attempt is made to win the trick. Suppose the leader begins with the King. Third hand holds 10 8 7 4, and plays the 8. This marks him with only one card higher than the 8, and is a great exposer of false cards played by the declarer.

On the second round, the rule is, always to keep the lowest card of the suit until the last. If third hand held four originally, 10 8 7 4, his play to the second round is the 7, keeping the 4. If he held 10 8 7 only, his play to the second round would be the 10, keeping the 7. This makes it clear to the leader how many and what he holds.

High Cards Third Hand. When the third hand tries to win his partner’s lead, he does so as cheaply as possible. That is, holding both King and Queen, he plays the Queen, not the King. If his cards are not in sequence, he should always play the best he has. With Ace and Queen, for instance, he must play the Ace if the King is not in the Dummy. To play the Queen would be to throw it away if the declarer has the King. If the leader has the King, third hand gets out of his way by giving up the Ace.

FOSTER’S ELEVEN RULE. In trying to win tricks as cheaply as possible, third hand may often be guided by the Eleven Rule, which can be applied to any lead of a small card.

By deducting from eleven the number of pips on any low card led by his partner, the pone may ascertain to a certainty how many cards there are higher than the one led, which are not in the leader’s hand. This rule, which was invented by R.F. Foster in 1881, in connection with the game of whist, is now used by everyone with any pretensions to being a bridge player. The rule itself is this:—

When the eldest hand leads any card which is not an honour, deduct the spots on it from eleven. From the remainder thus found, deduct the number of cards, higher than the one led, which are not in your own hand nor in Dummy’s in that suit. This final remainder is the number of cards which are in the declarer’s hand which are higher than the card led. The principal thing to remember is, that it is only the cards higher than the one led that you need trouble about. To illustrate:—

Suppose you are third hand, and your partner leads the seven of clubs, Dummy lays down the Q 9 2, and you hold A J 3, thus:—

Deducting seven from eleven, you find it leaves four. These four cards, higher than the one lead, are all in sight, Q 9 in Dummy; A J in your own hand, therefore the declarer cannot have any card higher than the seven. If he has, your partner’s lead is not his fourth-best, as you will see if you lay out the cards.

RETURNING SUITS. When the third hand returns his partner’s suit, he should lead the higher of two cards, and the lowest of three, unless he has a card which will beat anything Dummy may hold in the suit, in which case he should always beat Dummy.

PLAYING AGAINST DUMMY. Some of the fine points in bridge arise in situations which require a careful consideration of the Dummy’s cards.

There are three great principles in playing against Dummy:—

1st. Lead through the strong suits, and up to the weak.

2nd. Do not lead through a fourchette.

3rd. Do not lead up to a tenace.

These rules must not be blindly followed in every instance. They are simply general principles, and some of the prettiest coups arise from the exceptional cases.

Leading Through Dummy. The eldest hand, when he does not deem it advisable to go on with his own suit, may be guided in his choice by the strength or weakness of certain suits in Dummy’s hand. The play against Dummy is especially important at no trumps.

Suits which it is good policy to lead through are A x x x, K x x x, or any broken sequences of high cards.

Suits in which Dummy is long, or holds any of the regular high-card combinations, should be avoided; winning or high sequences being especially dangerous. To lead such suits through Dummy’s strength is an invitation to partner to force you in the suit led.

It is not necessary for you to be strong in a suit which you lead through Dummy; and if you are both weak, is often advantageous; especially if it avoids leading one of his strong suits.

With A Q 10 x; Dummy having J x x x; play the 10. If partner has the King you make every trick in the suit.

With A Q 10 x; Dummy having K x x; play the Q. If Dummy passes, you make two tricks; if he covers, you have tenace over the Jack.

With A 10 9 x; Dummy having J x x x; play the 10. If partner has the K, your A 9 is tenace over the Q.

With A J 10 x; Dummy having Q x x x; if the suit must be led, play the Jack; but such positions should be avoided, except in the end game, or when you play for every trick.

With A J 10 x; Dummy having no honour in the suit; if you must lead the suit, play the 10.

In trumps, with K Q x x; Dummy having A J x x; play the Queen. If Dummy wins with A, play a small card for the second round, and he may refuse to put on the J. The declarer not having the 10, would make Dummy cover; but nothing is lost if he does, and it marks the 10 with your partner.

With King and others of a suit in which Dummy has not the Ace; avoid leading the suit until the Ace has fallen.

With King alone, play it if Dummy has the Ace; keep it if he has not.

Trumps. If a player in this position is strong in trumps, he should keep quiet about it and let the maker of the trumps develop the suit. False-carding is perfectly legitimate in trumps, and will deceive the declarer more than your partner.

End Games. There are cases in which it is necessary to play as if partner was known to possess a certain card, for unless he has it the game is lost. For instance: You want one trick, and have Q 10 x x, Dummy having K x x, of an unplayed suit. The Queen is the best play; for if partner has any honour you must get a trick; otherwise it is impossible.

You have K x in one suit, a losing card in another, and a winning card. You want all four tricks to save the game. Play the King, and then the small card; for if your partner has not the Ace and another winning card you must lose the game.

You have a losing trump, and Q x x of a suit in which Dummy has K 10 x. If you want one trick, play the losing trump, counting on partner for an honour in the plain suit. If you must have two tricks, lead the Queen, trusting your partner to hold Ace.

Leading up to Dummy. The best thing for the third hand, or pone, to do, when he does not return his partner’s suit, and has no very strong suit of his own, is to lead up to Dummy’s weak suits, and to lead a card that Dummy cannot beat, if possible.

The general principle of leading up to weakness suggests that we should know what weakness is. Dummy may be considered weak in suits of which he holds three or four small cards, none higher than an 8; Ace and one or two small cards; or King and one or two small cards. In leading up to such suits, your object should be to give your partner a finesse, if possible; and in calculating the probabilities of success it must be remembered that there are only two unknown hands, so that it is an equal chance that he holds either of two unknown cards. It is 3 to 1 against his holding both, or against his holding neither. Of three unknown cards, it is 7 to 1 against his holding all three, or none of them; or about an equal chance that he holds two of the three; or one only.

If Dummy holds any of the weak suits just given, you holding nothing higher than the Ten, you should lead it. Suppose you have 10 9 6; Dummy having A 3 2. The K Q J may be distributed in eight different ways, in any of which your partner will pass your Ten if second hand does not cover. In four cases, second hand would cover with the King, and in one with the Queen and Jack. In the remaining three your partner’s hand would be benefited.

If Dummy has King and one or two small cards, it is not so disadvantageous to lead up to the King as would at first appear; because it is forced out of his hand on the first round, unless declarer plays Ace, and it is usually good policy to force out Dummy’s cards of re-entry early in the hand.

In leading from high-card combinations, the usual bridge leads should be followed; but exceptions must be made on the second round when certain cards are in Dummy’s hand. For instance: With A K J and others, it is usual to stop after the first round, and wait for the finesse of the Jack. This is obviously useless if the Queen is not in Dummy’s hand. So with K Q 10, unless Dummy has the Jack; or K Q 9, unless Dummy has the 10. The lead from A Q J should be avoided if Dummy has the King.

With A Q 10 and others, J in Dummy’s hand, begin with the Queen.

With A J 9 and others, 10 in Dummy’s hand, lead the Jack.

With A J 10, Dummy having K Q x, play the Jack, and do not lead the suit again.

In trumps, with K Q and others, if Dummy has the J singly guarded, begin with the King as usual, but follow it with the Queen instead of the smallest; for declarer may have passed in the hope of making a Bath coup with both Ace and Jack. In plain suits this is a dangerous lead, as declarer having Ace, and wishing to force Dummy, would hold his Ace as a matter of course.

With short suits, such as K x, Q x; or even with King or Queen alone, the honour is a good lead if Dummy has no court cards in the suit. The Queen is rather a better lead than the King, the only danger being that second hand holds fourchette.

With Q J x, or J 10 x, one of the high cards should be played. With Q 10 x, Dummy having Ace or King, the Queen should be led.

With K 10 x, Dummy having Jack, the suit should not be led.

With such combinations as K x x x, Dummy having Q x, the suit should not be led.

When you have a suit which is both long and strong, such as A K x x x, and Dummy has no honour in the suit, it is a common artifice to underplay, by beginning with the smallest, if playing against no-trumps and you have a card of re-entry. This should not be done unless you have the general strength to justify such a finesse.

If you open a long suit, Dummy having only small cards, and your partner wins with Q, J, or 10, and does not return it, he has evidently a finesse in the suit and wants it led again.

End Games. In the end game there are several variations which are made possible by the fact that the cards on your right are exposed.

With A J x, Dummy having Q x x, the small card should be led.

With Q x, and an odd card, Dummy having K x x of the first suit; it is better to play the odd card; but if for any reason this should not be done, lead the Q, hoping to find A 10 with your partner.

The state of the score must be a constant guide in all end games. For instance: You hold Q 10 x, Dummy having J 9 x. If you want only one trick, play the Queen; but if you want two, play the small card.

SECOND HAND PLAY. The easiest position to play as second hand, is, of course, with the Dummy on your left, because Dummy’s cards will show what is best to be done. If a small card is led, you having King, put it on if Dummy has not the Ace; unless you want partner to get the lead. If Dummy has only two cards of the suit, neither of them the Ace, always play your King.

When the declarer leads a suit it is often important to count how many he and your partner can possibly hold. For instance: You have four, K x x x; Dummy has four, A J 10 x, and declarer leads the Queen. It is useless to play your King; for either the Queen is a singleton, and the declarer cannot continue the suit, which will compel Dummy to lead it to you eventually; or, the third round will be trumped, perhaps by your partner. If you have only two small cards with the King, put it on the Queen. You cannot save it, but you may establish your partner’s 9.

In the last three tricks, if you find yourself with a doubtful card, and the best and a small card of a suit which the declarer leads through you, win the trick and lead the doubtful card, for if the declarer held the best of that suit he would have led it first, to be sure of a trick.

Dummy on the Right. When Dummy leads through you, your skill in avoiding any traps the declarer may be setting for you will depend on your knowledge of how he manages his hand, and your ability to infer what he holds.

As a general principle, it may be assumed that any high card led by Dummy forms part of a combination, the unseen part of which is in the declarer’s hand. If Dummy leads a Queen from Q x x, you holding A J x, it is almost a certainty that the declarer holds the King. If you have A K x, the dealer must have J 10 and several others. If you have K x x, the declarer probably holds Ace, or a long suit headed by J 10.

When Dummy leads strengthening cards, they must be to give the declarer a finesse. If he leads a small card from small cards, some high-card combination must be in the declarer’s hand. In such cases it is useless for you to finesse. If you have any sequence superior to the card led, cover with the lowest. There should be no false-carding in this, because your partner is the only one that can be deceived.

With A K and others, play the King, whatever Dummy leads.

With A Q and others, Dummy having nothing higher than the 9, play the Ace.

With K Q 10, play the Queen on a small card led, unless Dummy has the Jack.

With A J 10 x, play Ace if Dummy has no honour in the suit. But if Dummy leads the 9, cover with the 10; if it loses, you lie tenace over the declarer.

With A J x, play the Jack on a 9 led. This prevents the finesse of the 9, and retains command of the suit. If Dummy has both K and Q, play your Ace. It is useless to play the Bath coup, for the declarer knows your cards, and your partner only is deceived.

With K x x, if Dummy has not the Ace, do not play the King, no matter what is led.

With Q x x, unless Dummy has both A and K, do not play the Queen. If your partner has the Jack guarded, one of you must make a trick. If Dummy has A J, and leads J, put on the Queen; it may make the 9 or 10 good in your partner’s hand.

With A x x, Dummy leading Jack, play the Ace.

With any fourchette, cover the card led.

If Dummy remains with one or two small cards of a suit that has been led, and you have the best, play it on the second round. Dummy’s play is evidently for the ruff, and if the declarer has not the second best, your partner has.

If you have King, and only one or two small cards, Dummy leading Queen from Q 10 x x, play your King. You cannot save yourself; but you may make the 9 good in partner’s hand. If you have three or more small cards, do not play the King, for either partner or the declarer must be short in the suit. So if Dummy leads Jack from J 10 and others, play the King with a short suit. If partner has Queen you establish it; if not, you cannot make a trick in the suit.

With short suits it is usually best to cover an honour with an honour; but with several small cards, such as K x x x, Dummy leading a singleton Queen, you should pass.

With K 10 x, Dummy having J and others, play honour on honour; small card on small card, whichever Dummy leads.

It is often important for the second hand to cover with what is called an imperfect fourchette. A true fourchette is the card immediately above and below the one led; such as K J over the Q, or Q 10 over the J. An imperfect fourchette is the card above the one led, and another next but one below it; such as K 10 over a Q led, or Q 9 over a J led. Covering forces the opponents to play two honours to win one trick, and will often make an intermediate card good in your partner’s hand.

THIRD HAND PLAY. In addition to the methods of echoing on the partner’s leads of high cards in the suit first opened, third hand must be ready to adapt himself and his play to any change of suit and will require constant practice in putting himself in his partner’s place, asking himself what the object is in leading certain cards through Dummy’s hand. The inferences from the conventional leads should be sufficiently familiar to need no further explanation; but even good players occasionally overlook indications that partner holds certain cards. For instance: A leads a small card; Y, Dummy, holds Q x x, and plays Q. You play the King and win the trick. This marks not only the Ace, but the Jack in partner’s hand; because the declarer would not play a twice guarded Queen from Dummy’s hand if he had the Jack guarded himself.

False cards should be avoided by the third hand as much as possible. The declarer will give your partner enough to puzzle over without your adding to the confusion. There are some exceptions in trumps. For instance: You have K Q x; Dummy has A J x x, and your partner leads. Unless Dummy plays Ace, you should put on the King, and change the suit.

If you hold Ace and others in a plain suit, partner leading Jack, pass it if Dummy has no honour. Perhaps by winning the second round you can give the invited force. With any other honours than the Ace, pass a partner’s Jack led.

If partner leads you a suit of which he knows, or should know, you have not the best, he must have a good finesse in the suit which he does not lead, and you should take the first opportunity to lead that suit to him.

In returning partner’s suits, some modification may be suggested by the condition of Dummy’s hand. For instance: With K x x; Dummy having A Q J x; if you win, third hand, on Dummy’s finesse, you may be sure your partner’s lead was a weak suit. If Dummy is weak in the two other plain suits, your partner may have a good finesse in one or both of them.

When your partner wins the first round of an adverse suit, and immediately returns it, he is inviting a force.

Dummy on the Left. When the player is third hand with Dummy on his left, his chief care will be to divine his partner’s object in leading certain cards up to Dummy.

The general principles of inference are the same as in the preceding case, and cards may often be inferred in the same manner from the evident intention of partner. For instance: You hold K x x; partner leads J, declarer covering with Queen. A glance at Dummy’s cards shows him to have 10 x x; so your partner may be credited with A 9. You have x x; your partner leading Q, covered by declarer with K, and Dummy having J x x. You may credit your partner with A 10. You have x x; your partner leads Q and declarer wins with Ace; Dummy holding 10 x x. Your partner must have J 9 and others, and the declarer has the King.

There are several cases in which you should not allow Dummy to win the trick. If you have only one card of a suit in which your partner leads Ace then Queen, and Dummy has the King twice guarded, trump at once, if you can to prevent Dummy from getting into the lead. Your partner leads Queen; you holding A 10 x, and Dummy having K x x. Let the King make on the first round.

If your partner leads a small card up to strength in Dummy’s hand, he is either inviting a force, or trying to establish a long suit. Under such circumstances, if you have the Ace, play it, and lead a second round of the suit immediately, which will settle the question.

If you have Q J 10 of a suit in which partner leads King, play the Jack, so that he will count you for Q or no more, and will not go on with the Ace.

IN GENERAL. Both the adversaries of Dummy should adopt the usual tactics for unblocking, etc., especially in no-trumpers, and in some cases Dummy’s exposed cards will make the matter more simple. For instance: You hold A Q alone, of a suit which partner leads. If you are the pone, and Dummy has not the King, play Ace and return the Queen.

FOURTH HAND. There is only one difference from the usual methods in playing fourth hand, and that is in indicating sequences by winning with the best and returning the lowest to show the intermediate cards. For instance: Fourth player, holding K Q J x, wins with King and returns the Jack. Or with A K Q, wins with Ace and returns the Queen. The reason for this is that the declarer gains nothing by the information, for he knows from the first what cards are out against him; but the information may be valuable to your partner, the second hand. If it is not the intention to return the suit at once, the lowest of the sequence should be played.

PLAYING TO THE SCORE. This is a most important element, and there is no surer indication of a careless or weak player than his inattention to the score.

One cannot be too early impressed with the importance of saving the game before trying to win it; although great risks may be taken to win a game that cannot be lost that hand.

Never risk a sure contract in the hope of making more; unless the two will win the game, and the odd trick will not win it. Never risk a trick that will save the game in the hope of winning more, and always set a contract while you can.

DISCARDING. This is one of the still unsettled questions of bridge tactics, some believing in discarding the weak suit always; others the strong suit always, and others one or the other according to the declaration. Against a trump declaration almost every one agrees that it is best to discard the best suit, so that if your partner gets in before you do, he may have something to guide him as to what your best chance is for any more tricks.

Against no-trumpers, the majority of players hug every possible trick in their long suit and discard their weak suits, on the ground that it is folly to throw away cards that might win tricks. While this is true, it is also true that in discarding their weak suit they too often enable the declarer to win tricks that they might have stopped. For this reason, many players discard the suit they are not afraid of; that is, their best protected suit, and keep what protection they have in the weak suits, even if it is nothing but three to a Jack or ten. Unfortunately, no one has yet been able to advance any argument sufficiently convincing for either system to demonstrate that it is better than the other. Some of the best teachers of the game advocate the discard from strength against no-trumps; others teach the weak discard.

ENCOURAGING DISCARDS. In order to distinguish between discards from weakness and those from strength, many players use what is called an encouraging card. This is anything higher than a six, if they have protection in the suit, or want it led. A player with an established suit, and A 8 2 of another suit, for instance, would discard the 8, to encourage his partner to lead that suit and put him in. In case there is no card higher than the six, the reverse discard is used. With A 4 2, the play would be the 4 and then the 2. Some use this reverse or encouraging card to induce the partner to continue the suit he is leading, but the practice is confusing.

THE DECLARER’S PLAY. The chief difference between the play of the Dummy and partner, and that of their adversaries, is that there is no occasion for the former to play on the probability of partner’s holding certain cards, because a glance will show whether he holds them or not. There is no hoping that he may have certain cards of re-entry, or strength in trumps, or that he will be able to stop an adverse suit, or anything of that sort, for the facts are exposed from the first. Instead of adapting his play to the slowly ascertained conditions of partner’s hand, the declarer should have it mapped out and determined upon before he plays a card. He may see two courses open to him; to draw the trumps and make a long suit, or to secure such discards as will give him a good cross-ruff. A rapid estimate of the probable results of each line of play, a glance at the score, and his mind should be made up. Several examples of this foresight will be found in the example hands.

Another point of difference is, that the declarer should play false cards whenever possible. He has not a partner who, if he plays the King, might jump to the conclusion that he can trump a suit, or has not the Queen. The more thoroughly the adversaries are confused, the greater the advantage to the declarer, especially in the end game.

With a Trump. When the winning declaration is a suit for trumps, the declarer’s first consideration upon getting into the lead must be whether or not to lead trumps. As a rule, the trumps should be led at once, so as to exhaust the adversaries; but there are exceptional cases, the principal ones being:—

Do not lead trumps from the strong trump hand if it would be to your advantage to put the other hand in the lead with a plain suit, so as to let the trump lead come from the weaker hand to the stronger, as when a finesse in trumps is desirable.

Do not lead trumps if you have no good plain suit, and can make more tricks by playing for a cross-ruff.

Do not lead trumps if the weaker hand can trump some of your losing cards first. It often happens that a losing trump can be used to win a trick before trumps are led.

At No-trump. The declarer’s first care in a no-trumper must be to select the suit that he will play for. Four simple rules cover this choice:—

1. Always lead from the weak hand to the strong if the suit is not already established.

2. Play for the suit in which you have the greatest number of cards between the two hands, because it will probably yield the greatest number of tricks.

3. If two suits are equal in number, play for the one in which you have the greatest number of cards massed in one hand. That is, if you have two suits of eight cards each, select the one that has six of those cards in one hand, in preference to the suit with four in each hand.

4. Everything else being equal, play for the suit which is shown in the Dummy, so as to conceal from the adversaries as long as possible the strength in your own hand.

A suit is said to be established when you can win every remaining trick in it, no matter who leads it. As it is very important that the hand which is longer in the suit should be able to lead it without interruption when it is established, good players make it a rule always to play the high cards from the shorter hand first, so as to get out of the way. With Q 10 and three others in one hand, K J and one other in the other hand, the play is the K and J from the short hand, keeping the Q 10 in the long hand.

If there is any choice, that suit should be selected which contains the longest sequence, or the sequence with the fewest breaks. It should be noticed that the sequence need not be in one hand; for it is almost as valuable if divided, and it is especially advantageous to have the higher cards concealed in the declarer’s hand. Its continuity is the chief point. For instance: Declarer and Dummy hold between them one suit of K J 9 7 5 4 3, and another of Q J 10 9 8 7 5. The latter should be selected, because two leads must establish it.

In establishing a long suit it is very important to note the fall of the missing cards in the sequences. In the first of the two combinations just given, the declarer should be as careful to watch for the fall of the 8 and 6 as for the A Q and 10.

Leading. It is quite unnecessary to follow any system of leads, further than to distinguish between the combinations from which high or low cards are led. But it is important to remember that although a high-card combination may be divided, it should be played as if in one hand. For instance: The declarer holds Q J x x x of a suit; Dummy having A x x. By leading Q or J, Dummy is enabled to finesse, as if he held A Q J. The declarer holds K J x x x; Dummy having Q x x. The play is to force the Ace, as if the combination of K Q J x x were in one hand.

Many opportunities arise for leading the Ace first from a short suit, in order to secure a ruff on the second or third round.

Second Hand Play. If any card is led by the adversaries which the fourth hand cannot win, the second hand should cover it if possible; for unless he does so, his weakness will be exposed, and the suit will be continued. This is especially true of cases in which the second hand holds single honours, such as Jack and others, or Queen and others. Even the King should be played second hand in such cases, unless it is so well guarded that the Ace must fall before the King can be forced out.

If the fourth hand can win the card led, it is seldom necessary to cover second hand. For instance: If the Jack of trumps is led, the dealer holding Q 9 7 4, and Dummy having A 6 3 2; there is no need to play the Queen. If the King is in third hand, such play would establish the Ten. If the King is with the leader, it or the Ten must make. If Dummy were second hand with the same cards, Jack being led, he should not play the Ace, for third hand must play the King to shut out the Queen.

With A Q 9, partner having K and others, it is best to play A on J led.

If the dealer has Ace and several others of a suit led, Dummy having only two small cards, a force may be certainly secured by passing the first round. If Dummy has the Ace, and passes second hand, the dealer failing to win the trick, the adversaries will of course see that the play is made in order to force the dealer on the third round.

If Dummy is weak in trumps, and has only one card of a suit in which the dealer has Ace and others, the Ace should be played, and Dummy forced, unless there is a better game.

It is a disadvantage to play in second hand from suits in which each has a guarded honour. If the dealer has Q x x, and Dummy has J x, they must make a trick in that suit if they play a small card second hand, and avoid leading the suit. The same is true of the adversaries; but they must play on the chance that the partner has the honour, whereas the dealer knows it.

Finessing. This is a very important part of the strategy of the game for the dealer. The adversaries of the dealer never finesse in bridge; but the dealer himself relies upon finessing for any extra tricks he may want.

A finesse is any attempt to win a trick with a card which is not the best you hold, nor in sequence with it. Suppose you have Ace and Queen in the hand which is longer in the suit and lead from the shorter hand a small card. If you play the Queen, that is a finesse, because you hope to take a trick with it, although the King is against you.

It is usually bad play to finesse when there are nine cards of the suit between the two hands, dealer’s and Dummy’s, because there is a good chance that the card you wish to finesse against may fall.

When it will be necessary to take two finesses in the same suit, the lead must come twice from the weaker hand. Suppose the dealer holds A Q J and others. If the first finesse of the Jack wins, he should put Dummy in again, so as to take a second finesse of the Queen. Suppose the dealer holds A J 10, and finesses the ten the first time. If it falls to the Queen, he should get Dummy in again, so as to take the second finesse with the Jack. The idea is to take advantage of the fact that the odds are against both King and Queen being in one hand. If they are both on the right, one of them will be played on the small card led from Dummy, and then the dealer can win it with the Ace and force out the other high card with his Jack, which will have become one of the second and third-best of the suit.

Re-entry Cards. After a suit has been cleared, or established, it will be necessary to get into the lead with it. For this purpose the dealer must be careful to preserve a re-entry card in the hand which is longer in the suit. Suppose that Dummy’s long suit is clubs, but that the Ace is against him, and that his only winning card outside is the Ace of diamonds. If diamonds are led, and the dealer has the Queen, he must let the lead come up to his hand so as to keep Dummy’s Ace of diamonds for a re-entry to bring the clubs into play after the Ace has been forced out and the suit established. Many of the prettiest plays in bridge are in the management of re-entry cards.

Underplay. When the dealer is afraid of a suit which is opened against him, and has only one winning card in it, such as the Ace, he should hold up that card until the third hand has no more of the suit to lead to his partner. The original leader will then have to get in himself, because his partner cannot help him; but if the dealer gave up the Ace on the first trick, it would not matter which partner got into the lead, they would return to the suit first opened.

Ducking. This is a method of play by which the dealer hopes to make his own suit even when the hand that is longer in it has no re-entry card. Suppose Dummy holds six clubs to the Ace King, and not another trick in his hand. The dealer has two small clubs only to lead. If the two winning clubs are led right out, it is impossible to catch the Q J 10, no matter how those cards lie, therefore the dealer leads a club, but makes no attempt to win the first round. No matter what is played by the adversaries he ducks the first round, keeping his Ace and King. Next time the dealer gets in, he leads another club, and now he is able to win the second and third rounds of the suit, and will probably catch all the adverse cards and establish it.

The dealer’s play always requires careful planning of the whole hand in advance.

THE NULLO. Although not yet in the official laws of the game, this bid seems to be a popular one with many players. It is a contract to lose tricks instead of winning them, and is primarily a defence against overwhelmingly strong no-trumpers. A bid of three nullos means that the declarer will force his opponents to win nine tricks, he winning four only, so that each trick under seven counts for the nullo player on his side.

SCORING. There is some difference of opinion as to the proper value for the nullo, but the general verdict seems to be to put it just below the no-trumper at 10 a trick, no honours. Two no-trumps will outbid two nullos. If the adversaries of a nullo revoke, the declarer can give them three of his tricks, or take 100 in honours as penalty. If he revokes, they take 100 penalty as usual.

SUGGESTIONS FOR BIDDING. The dealer should never bid a nullo originally, as it gives his partner no information as to the distribution of the suits. When any player has one long suit good for either no trumps or nullos, such as A K Q 6 4 2, he should “shout,” bidding a trick more than necessary. Singletons and missing suits are valuable parts of a nullo hand, as they afford opportunities for discards. It is always dangerous to bid a nullo without the deuce of the longest suit. If the dealer bids a spade, his partner may safely bid one nullo, because the contract is seldom or never obtained for less than two or three, but he should not persist in the nullo if his partner does not assist it. The greater the opposition from a no-trumper, the more probable that the nullo will succeed, but it is a dangerous declaration in any case. The player with aces and kings is sure to win tricks, regardless of his partner’s hand, but deuces and treys are not sure to lose, as the partner may have all high cards, although not the tops.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PLAY. The declarer should count up the tricks he must win, and as a rule win them early, bunching his high cards as much as possible. Suits with two small cards and two high ones must win one trick, but should escape with that. The great point is to lead losing cards from one hand and discard dangerous cards in other suits from the other hand whenever possible.

The opponents of a nullo should lead their shortest suits, so as to get discards later, keeping their eyes on the dummy and forcing it to win tricks whenever possible, but never allowing it to get a discard. The partner’s leads should be returned unless a singleton can be led at once. It is usual to lead the top of two cards, the intermediate of three or more, and to avoid leading suits that are safe, with small cards at the bottom.