June 1, 1889.] 



♦ KNOVS^LEDGE ♦ 



175 



Note. — Tricks. — B has shown four honours in diamonds, and 

 therefi.re Z has no more diamonds. Y completes his call for trumps. 

 TricJi i. — B has no more clubs ; for A has shown five originally, 

 and therefore has three remaining ; and B cannot hold the other 

 one (viz. the 4) or he would have returned it, instead of the 2. 

 Therefore Z has the 4, and B will be able to make a trump on the 

 third round of the suit. 



Note. — Trick 5. — Z having turned up the 2, Y naturally infers 

 that the 5 is his best, and therefore finesses. 



Trick 7. 

 Z 



; 



Tricks— A B, 6; Y Z, 1. 

 Tricks 8 to 13 are won by YZ, who score 

 Thb Odd Teick and Two by Honoues, and AB save the 

 Game. 



A's Hand. 

 S.-7. 

 D.— 7, 6, 4. 

 C— Kn, 9, ', 



6, 5. 

 H.— A, y, 8, 7. 



B's Hand. 

 S.— Kg, 10. 

 D.— A, Kg, 



Kn, 5, 3. 

 C— A, 2. 

 H.— 10, 6, 5 



Y's Hand. 

 S.— A,Q, 6,4,3. 

 D.— 10, 9. 

 C.-Q, 10, 8. 

 H.-Q, 4,3. 



Z's Hand. 

 S.— Kn, 9, 8, 5, 



2. 

 D.— 8, 2. 

 C— Kg, 4, 3. 

 H.— Kg, Kn, 2. 



Remarks — Many players who adopt the lead of the penultimate 

 from plain suits of five cards prefer to open with the lowest of five 

 trumps. But, whether they are right or wrong in this, it can 

 scarcely, we think, be maintained that the foregoing hand furnishes 

 any substantial argument in support of the one cour.se or in oppo- 

 sition to the other. Y, no doubt, was led to think that his partner 

 had only the 2 of trumps remaining, and therefore finessed his 

 queen ; whereas, if he could have divined the actual state of 

 affairs, he would have played his ace, and by continuing with a 

 second round of trumps would have secured the game. But, if 

 Z had led the 2, as Mr. Hughes proposes, would Y have been justi- 

 fied in playing his ace, on the chance that the lead was from four, 

 notwithstanding the oppo.sing strength in diamonds and his want 

 of information as to hearts ? After trick 4, it is clear to Y that Z 

 has eight cards which are either hearts or trumps ; and it may be 

 urged tiiat the chance of his holding seven hearts and one trump is 

 less than the chance of his holding six hearts and two trumps. 

 But in cither case it would, in our opinion, be highly imprudent for 

 Y to give up the command of trumps. Even as it is, with five 

 trumps to the knave in Z's hand, it would not be difBcult to find 

 cases in which Y would miss the game by not finessing the queen ; 

 and, without, positive information as to Z's strength, it would be 

 quite contrary to principle not to finesse, seeing that the lead is in 

 response to a call. It is worth noticing that some players with Z's 



hand would have also called for trumps ; and, if Z had done so, Y 

 would have been in no doubt as to the meanirg of his lead at 

 trick .5. 



Elementauy Explanation of the Play. 



Tricli 1. — A opens his longest suit, and leads the lowest but one 

 from five ; Y commences to call for trumps by playing the 10 as 

 second player, althousih he holds the 8 ; B of course plays his ace ; 

 and Z, as he is not disposed to call for trump-', plays his smallest 

 club. 



Tricks 2 tS' 3. — B's is the correct lead from a suit headed by all 

 four honours. Y calls for trumps by playing the 10 of diamonds 

 before the 9. Z and A play their lowest cards to each trick : and, 

 as B's lead shows that he holds ace and queen, it is clear that Y 

 and Z have no more diamonds — I.e., that all the remaining diamonds 

 are with A and B. 



Trick 4. — IE B c mid now force Y, who has shown great strength 

 in trumps, by continuing the diamond suit, it would be good play to 

 do so; but, as Y and Z are both known to be void of diamonds, he 

 would enable the weaker hand to trump and the stronger hand to 

 discard some losing card. He therefore rightly prefers to return 

 his partner's lead. Z of course puts on the kmg ; and A, by playing 

 the 5 after having led the 6, shows that he held five clubs originally. 



Y and Z, each of whom has one club remaining, are able to infer 

 that B has no more, for he could only have one other, and, if he had 

 had that, he would have returned it instead of the 2, in accordance 

 with the rule to return the highest of two remaining of partner's 

 suit. 



Trick .5. — Z having obtained the lead, seizes the opportunity to 

 get out the trumps, and, having five of them, leads the penultimate. 



Y very properly finesses against the king, which is as likelj' to be 

 with A as with B. 



Trick G. — For the same reason as before, B avoids continuing the 

 diamonds, and opens hearts in the hope that his partner may get in 

 and give him a chance of rufling clubs. He leads the 10 as being 

 the best of a three-cird suit. As Z holds king and knave himself, 

 he knows the lead is not from king, knave, 10, and he is perhaps 

 justified in assuming it to be (as it is) from weakness. It would,' 

 however, have been better play to put on the knave, under the 

 circumstances, in case B should have led from ace, queen, 10. 



Trick 7. — A knows from his partner's lead at Trick 4 that he has 

 either queen and 4 of clubs or no more. In the latter case Y and 

 Z must each have one of the suit; for, if Z had held the queen, he 

 would have played it instead of the king at Trick 4 ; and, if Y had 

 held the 4, he would have " called " with 8 and 4 instead of with 

 10 and 8. A therefore takes the best chance of saving the game 

 by continuing the clubs. 



The remaining tricks obviously fall to Y and Z, as the student 

 will see at once on dealing out the hands given above. 



Cfeessf Column* 



[Our Chess column has been placed in the hands of Mr. R. F. 

 Fenton during the absence of Mr. Gunsberg, who has gone to play 

 at the International Chess Tournament in New Y'ork. Mr. Gunsberg 

 will probably return early in June. — Editor.] 



PROBLEM BY C. A. L. BULL. 

 Black. 



White t.i |ilay and mate in tliree moves. 

 White, 7 pieces ; Black, 5 pieces. 



