i.vN. 10, leeii.j 



tS^l^KJW J-iHiUljrn. 



2oy 



(!3ur 22Jl!)i6t Column. 



By "Five of Clibs." 



W 



THE LEAD (Continned) 



LEADING AX ACE (PI-AIX SllTs). 



omitted to mention one case — quite exceptional — when an 

 Ace is led from Ace, King, and others. This is dealt with 

 111 I lie next section. 



LE.iDIXG A KING (PLAIN SUITs). 



'r m a long suit, or from a suit of three at least, King is only 

 under two cnnditions, viz : — 



(1) From Ace, King, and others. 



(2) From King, Queen, and others. 



o case of a forced lead from King and one other, the King is 

 vs led. 



:e we may answer a question often asked by young players 

 corrected for leading Aco from Ace, King, and others. What 

 r cnce can it make, they ask, seeing that both cards are of equal 

 jih ? To this they add sometimes that as it is a recognised 

 lO lead the highest of a sequence (following suit with tho 

 -t) there seems a disadvantage in making what appeai-s like an 

 .i.ji.icessary exception. 



tio far as making the strong cards of your suit is concerned, it is 

 a matter of indifference whether you load Ace or King. But if you 

 foUoiv the rule of leading King from King, Ace and others, you 

 enable your partner to understand you better. You make jour 

 Ace leads more intelligible. If you led Ace uniformly from Ace 

 King, an Ace lead might mean any one of three things ; (i.) Ace 

 four or more, (ii.) Ace, Queen, Knave, with or without others, and 

 (iii.) Ace, King, and others. Your partner would often be in doubt 

 which of the three you led from ; whereas he can scarcely ever be 

 in doubt which of the two ordinary cases is in question, even 

 though you should be unable to follow up yom" load. 



As for the lead of King from Ace, King, and others being an 

 exception to the useful general rule, "lead the highest from a 

 sequence," the point is of no importance ; for the exception is not 

 one that can ever canse any confusion. In fact, it is becoming a 

 recognised whist principle, that one of the great uses of general 

 rules is that they afford an opportunity for giving your partner 

 information, by departing from them in certain recognised cases. 

 Of this we saw an example last week, in tie lead second round 

 from Ace, Queen, Knave, with or mthout others. After winning 

 with the Ace, the Queen would be the proper lead, if we followed 

 the general rule of leading the highest of a sequence. Wlicn 

 the original snit is only of moderate length, (three or four) the 

 Queen is led ; but when the suit is of more than average length (five 

 or more) we depart from the rule, and lead Knave second 

 round. Thus, whether wo follow the general rule, or depart from 

 it, we give om- partner information, yet without in any way 

 affecting the strength of our suit. 



There is one case, and one only, in which from .\ce. King, and 

 others. Ace should be led ; — 



If, before getting the lead, we have trumped in one suit, and 

 should then lead King of another suit, our partner, if he had no 

 cards in the suit (a contingency always to be considered) might see 

 an opportunity of establishing a cross ruff or see-saw, by which, 

 perhaps, four or five tricks might bo made. He would, therefore, 

 trnmpyour King, considering that Ace might lie with fourth player, 

 and lead the suit which you had trumped. To avoid this, you lead 

 in such a case your Ace first, then your King. 



When a King has been led first round, your partner knows from 

 the way the cards fall wliether the lead was from Ace, King, and 

 others, or from King. Queen, and others. If you have led from 

 King, Queen, and he does not himself hold Ace, one of the oppo- 

 nents wiU cover your King with Ace. If it passes, he knows you 

 have Ace. But as a matter of fact, no one at the table remains in 

 doubt about the meaning of a King lead, unless the King is 

 trumped. For if the King makes. Ace follows at once if the lead 

 was fiom Ace. King ; and a small card if the lead was from King, 

 Queen (in which case, of cour.se — the first round having passed — 

 the Ace is with partner). 



Thus, just as when the Ace is led, in any case except that of a 

 forced lead, the second round at once shows which of those two suits 

 from which Ace should be led has actually been opened ; so is it 

 when a King is led — we can always tell from the second round at 

 latest what suit has been led from — Ace, Kin", and others, or King, 

 Queen, and others. 



There is one exception — very seldom advi.'sable in plain suits — 

 viz., when the King is led from Ace. King. Knave, mth or without 

 others. Then leader sometimes changes suit, that he may be led up 

 to and finesse with the Knave. 



LEADING ejUEKN (PLAIN SUlTs). 



The Queen is led from a long suit, or from a suit of three, at 

 least, only in the following cases ; — 



(1) Queen, Knave, ten, with or -without small ones. 



(2) Queen, Knave, and one small one. 



In the case of a forced lead from Queen and one other, the Queen 

 is always led. 



After Queen from snit (1), Knave is led, if there is only one card 

 or none below the ten ; ten if there are more. 



LEADING KNAVE (PLAIN SUITs). 



The Knave is led from a long suit, or from u suit of three, at 

 least, only in tlie following cases : — 



(1) Knave, ten, nine, with or without others. 



(2) Knave, ten, and one small one. 



In the case of a forced lead from Knave and one other, Knave is 

 always led. 



After Knave from suit (1), ten is led it there is only one card 

 or none below the nine ; nine if there are more. 



LEADING TEN (PLAIX SflTs). 



Ten is only led in the case of a forced lead from ten one other, 

 or from ten two others. 



LEADING A .SMALL CARD (PLAlN slITs). 



A small card is led from Ace, two or three small ones (except by 

 continental players, who lead Ace, as already mentioned, from Ace 

 three small ones) ; from King and others, not including Queen ; 

 from Queen, Knave, and small ones (two or more), from Queen or 

 Knave and small ones ; from ten and small ones (three at least) j 

 from a suit of four small ones, when the lowest is jilayed ; and from 

 a suit of fewer than four (a forced lead), when the highest is played. 

 N.B. — From a suit of five cards or more, not headed by the Ace, tho 

 lowest but one is played. This lead is called the Penultimate. 



Ouv Cl&rss Column. 



SOLUTIONS. 

 Problem Xo. 5, p. 171. 



TWO EXD GAMES. 



THE following end-game has been sent to us by Mr. A. J. Maas. 

 We leave it for awhile as an exercise to our readers. It 

 occurred in actual play : — 



Problem, Xo. 9. 



White to pb y 



