KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



0nv WBln^t Column. 



WHEN NOT TO LEAD ACE. 



I HAVE shown why the accepted leads of the Ace from length 

 are sound. These leads are two only, viz., from Ace four 

 others, not including the King ; and from Ace, Queen, Knave, with 

 or without others. (But Continental players usually lead Ace from 

 Ace three others, and among Americans especially in the West one 

 too often notices the unsound lead of Ace from Ace, King, and 

 others, — though, I need scarcely say, one does not observe this 

 among American players of the game of Whist, properly so-called. 

 (Unfortunately players of this class are few, in America.) 



With regard to the lead of Ace from Ace three others, we may 

 admit that it is sound enough in itself. I prefer the lead of lowest 

 from such a suit even on general principles, but I cannot deny that 

 there is much to be said in favour of the Ace lead. It is usually a 

 safe lead, like tae French opening at Chess. The Ace is almost 

 certain to be made ; and by leading out another round immediately, 

 the suit is generally too well cleared for the weakness of the leader 

 to cause serious mischief. It may happen, of course, that one of 

 the enemy have length in the suit, and that giving up the command 

 means throwing several tricks into the opponents' hands. But 

 usually the lead of the Ace from Ace three others turns out well 

 enough. Still, the chance of making the Aco second round is so 

 good, and the result to the hand so much better if Ace is thus made 

 than if it is made first round, that for my own part, unless where 

 the game is in a critical state, so that no certain trick must be 

 risked, I consider the small card the best to be played on general 



What, however, would turn the scales if they were more nicely 

 balanced than they are, is the circumstance that by rejecting the 

 lead of Ace from Ace to four, we keep the meaning of the Ace lead 

 plainer. It is limited to two cases, instead of three, and the lan- 

 guage of the game is made so much the clearer. This would be an 

 insufficient reason if the lead of a small card from Ace to four were 

 bad in itself. For the object of play is to make tricks, not to talk 

 to one's partner through the cards. But as the lead of the small 

 card is at least as good as the lead of the Ace for trick-making 

 purposes, the circumstance that the lead also helps to make Whist 

 conversation clearer, constitutes an important advantage. Mr. 

 P. H. Lewis's remarks on this point are excellent (they are quoted 

 at p. 159 of my little work "How to Play Whist") :—" I am in 

 favour," he says, " of leading a small card from Ace to four ori- 

 ginally, and also in the course of the hand, unless in the latter case, 

 the play of the previous suits has shown an irregular division of 

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About the other case in which Ace is led wrongly, thero can 

 be no ipiestion. There is no division on this point between the 

 players in England, tlioso on the Continent, and those in America ; 

 yet there is no error about which bad players are so positive and 

 persistent, as about this lead, — viz. of Ace, from Ace, King, and 

 others. Of course every Whist player leads the King in such 

 cases ; and from Uoyle's time to the present there has never been 

 any division of opinion. Yet, those who lead the Ace are full of 

 arguments (or what they regard as such) in favour of their way of 

 leading. 



The learner's chief dillicultv on this point is to know how li 

 the Aco o'r King is led : to which, when Uwv 



whereas if you lead the .Vce, of course he passes the trick. This 

 particular objection, which I have heard now about a hundred 

 times, affords a good measure of the quality of bumble-puppy 

 players. It assumes, practically, that either you would lead a. 

 singleton King, or that having King and others (not including 

 Queen) you would lead the King for the sake of giving your 

 partner a ruff,— this, too, as an original lead. One lead or the 

 other it must be to justify their reasoning; for the lead of 

 King from King Queen which has been uniform" with Whist players 

 since Uoyle's time, these folks utterly reject. Now if I had a 

 partner whom I knew to be so bad a player that he would lead 

 King single, or King from King and others not in sequence with it, 

 for the sake of getting or giving a ruff (except where a single trick 

 would save or win the game), I might ruff his King without 

 remorse, knowing that nothing could spoil hi.i play, and that that 

 viijlif be what he wanted. But to ruff a King led by partner 

 (unless in a case presently to be considered) would be such 

 atrociously bad play, that no one but a bummble-puppist could 

 imagine so gross an offence against Whist principles. If I kneic 

 fourth player held the Ace (say through his having exposed the 

 card early in the game) I should play atrociously were I to ruff 

 my partner's King, — seeing that his only conceivable object in 

 leading it under ordinary conditions would be that he might draw 

 the Ace and obtain command of his suit. 



This particular objection only avails then to show how little the 

 bumble-puppist appreciates tlic principles of the game. He hag no 

 idea of the importance of obtaining or retaining the command of 

 suits, whether as a measure of offence or of defence. His only idea 

 is to capture a trick when he sees the chance, even though he may 

 ruin his partner's strategy and lose three or four tricks by so 



TiTe chief direct advantage of the King lead, from Ace, King, and 

 others, is that should you see fit from the fall of the cards to dis- 

 continue the suit, your partner knows almost certainly that you 

 have the Ace left, whereas if you lead the Ace and then stop he 

 would not know that you have the King. 



In one case only should you lead Ace from Ace, King, and 

 others : — If you have trumped one suit, and led King, your partner 

 might think you saw an opportunity of establishing a cross ruff or 

 of at least getting another ruff in the suit yon had trumped, and 

 therefore would be apt to trump your King, if he had none of the 

 suit. To avoid this, it is best in such a case to lead Ace first and 

 then King. 



Since 1810 the Municipality of Aberdeen has spent £1,033,000 on 

 harbour works. In 1811 the revenue amounted to £1,214 ; in 1835, 

 it was £13,035; in 18G0 it had risen to £27,413; and in 188-Ht 

 reached £5S,2:13. 



-\ 1 ill u w I HE of 570° will produce a dark blue colouron polished 



I r li: ,A.i ' i!,.' temper of cutlery. The temper for lancets ia 

 ■ I III 1,^ 1 III 1 ;i-i Fahr., axes at 5U0', swmds and watch-springs at 

 o.Ki , smull saws at 570', and large saws : ; ." ■ • . 



Spf.cific Gk.wity of Ameri.ax W : nv hundred 



and thirteen species of trees found in i :, • i \ : - ■. >-, there are 



little 



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inilar to the Bassia Parkii. 



