Bridge; its Principles and Rules of Play Part 13

The eight of clubs is a clever play. If the king were led, A would know positively that Z held the ace.

TRICK 3.--The leader has but little information to guide him in his next play. He does not dare to lead the hearts, as it may establish that suit against him; the lead of the queen of clubs is tempting; but judging from the development of the hand the ace of spades is probably his best play.

ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 8

_Throwing the Lead and Refusing to take First Trick in Long Suit._

The score is 22 to 0 against the dealer, Z, who makes it no-trump. A leads for the first trick.

[S] K 7 [C] K 8 [D] Q 10 7 3 [H] Q 10 5 4 3 +---------+ [S] A J 6 4 3 Y [S] 10 8 2 [C] Q 10 [C] J 4 2 [D] 8 6 4 2 A B [D] 9 5 [H] 8 7 [H] A K J 9 2 Z +---------+ [S] Q 9 5 [C] A 9 7 6 5 3 [D] A K J [H] 6

+-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ TRICK A Y B Z -------+---------------+---------------+---------------+--------------- 1 4[S] K[S] 2[S] 5[S] 2 [C]10 [C]8 [C]2 [C]3 3 A[S] 7[S] 8[S] 9[S] 4 3[S] [H]3 10[S] Q[S] 5 [C]Q [C]K [C]4 [C]5 6 2[D] 3[D] 5[D] A[D] 7 6[S] [H]4 [C]J [C]A 8 J[S] [H]5 [H]2 [C]9 9 4[D] [H]10 [H]9 [C]7 10 6[D] [H]Q [H]J [C]6 11 8[D] 7[D] 9[D] K[D] 12 [H]7 Q[D] [H]K J[D] 13 [H]8 f>10[D] [H]A [H]6 +-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+

The dealer wins eleven tricks.

NOTES ON ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 9

TRICK 1.--The correct second in hand play of this combination is the queen, hoping to win two tricks in the suit. Z, in order to win three by-cards and the rubber, must take a finesse in spades; and so not only refuses to play the queen second in hand, but will not take the trick fourth in hand. His object is to wait until B's last heart has been played.

TRICK 2.--If B starts the diamond suit, the dealer cannot make more than the odd trick; but the situation looks as if A holds both ace and king of hearts.

TRICK 3.--A, having a possible re-entry card, must establish his suit.

TRICK 4.--Z leads the club suit in order to force discards, and arranges the lead so that his tenace in spades may be led up to.

TRICK 9.--Z cannot afford to let A get the lead.

ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 9

_Refusing to Win Either the First or the Second Round of the Adversaries' Suit._

It is the rubber game. Score 24 to 0 against the dealer. Z, the dealer, makes it no-trump, and A leads for the first trick.

[S] A Q 8 7 3 [C] K J 8 5 [D] J 9 [H] Q 5 +---------+ [S] 6 4 Y [S] K 9 5 [C] 7 3 [C] 9 6 4 [D] K 10 5 A B [D] Q 8 6 4 2 [H] A J 9 7 4 3 [H] 10 8 Z +---------+ [S] J 10 2 [C] A Q 10 2 [D] A 7 3 [H] K 6 2

+-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ TRICK A Y B Z -------+---------------+---------------+---------------+--------------- 1 [H]7 [H]5 [H]10 [H]2 2 [H]A [H]Q [H]8 [H]6 3 [H]3 [C]5 2[D] [H]K 4 [C]3 [C]K [C]4 [C]2 5 [C]7 [C]J [C]6 [C]10 6 4[S] [C]8 [C]9 [C]Q 7 5[D] 9[D] 5[S] [C]A 8 6[S] 3[S] K[S] J[S] 9 10[D] J[D] 4[D] A[D] 10 [H]4 7[S] 9[S] 10[S] 11 [H]9 A[S] 6[D] 2[S] 12 [H]J Q[S] 8[D] 3[D] 13 K[D] 8[S] Q[D] 7[D] +-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+

The dealer wins ten tricks.

NOTES ON ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 10

TRICK 1.--As A may have both king and queen of diamonds, Z pa.s.ses the first trick, hoping to win with his ten.

TRICK 2.--Many players would lead the club suit because of dummy's weakness; but in the original play of this hand B led the queen of hearts.

TRICK 3.--Z starts the spade suit and finds the queen is guarded in A's hand.

TRICK 4.--In order to prevent the queen of spades from winning, Z must get the lead in his own hand. If he takes the finesse in clubs and it loses, the adversaries must make the entire heart suit. The finesse can win only _one_ trick, and it might lose five or six tricks.

TRICK 5--To catch the queen of spades is now easy.

TRICK 7--- A clever play to get the lead and to play through the king of diamonds.

ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 10

_Leading Through._

The score is love-all. The dealer, Z, pa.s.ses the make. Y declares no-trump. A leads for the first trick.

[S] A K J 10 5 2 [C] 2 [D] A J 9 4 3 [H] A +---------+ [S] Q 8 3 Y [S] NONE [C] K 8 4 [C] J 10 9 7 6 5 [D] K 8 6 2 A B [D] Q [H] K 5 4 [H] Q J 10 9 8 7 Z +---------+ [S] 9 7 6 4 [C] A Q 3 [D] 10 7 5 [H] 6 3 2

+-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ TRICK A Y B Z +-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ 1 2[D] 3[D] Q[D] 5[D] 2 [H]4 [H]A [H]Q [H]2 3 3[S] K[S] [C]5 4[S] 4 [C]4 [C]2 [C]9 [C]A 5 8[S] 10[S] [C]6 6[S] 6 Q[S] A[S] [H]7 7[S] 7 [H]K 2[S] [C]7 9[S] 8 6[D] 4[D] [H]8 10[D] 9 8[D] 9[D] [C]10 7[D] 10 K[D] A[D] [H]9 [H]3 11 [C]8 J[D] [C]J [H]6 12 [H]5 J[S] [H]10 [C]3 13 [C]K 5[S] [H]J [C]Q +-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+

The dealer makes a little slam.

NOTES ON ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 11

TRICK 1.--A leads from his long suit, and Z wins the trick with the singleton ace.

TRICK 2.--The dealer, having eight clubs and eight spades in the two hands, has now a choice of suits. The king of spades _must_ make against him while he has a finesse in the club suit. If he leads the clubs first he is compelled to guess in which hand to take the finesse; he therefore leads the spade, hoping by establishing that suit to force discards and find out where the two queens are.

TRICK 3.--B might make it more difficult for A by not playing the king of spades.

TRICKS 5, 6, 7, AND 8.--A's two discards of clubs show that the queen is not in his hand, while B's heart discard indicates that he does not hold the queen of hearts. The queen of hearts is also marked in A's hand by the fact that he is discarding his winning diamonds and protecting hearts.

ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 11

_Choice of Suits.--Watching the Adversaries' Discards._

The score is love-all. The dealer, Z, makes it no-trump, and A leads for the first trick.

[S] A 9 7 5 [C] K J 3 2 [D] K 8 [H] K 10 7 +---------+ [S] J 3 Y [S] K 6 4 [C] 6 5 [C] Q 9 7 [D] Q 9 7 6 5 4 A B [D] J 10 3 2 [H] Q 9 3 [H] 6 5 4 Z +---------+ [S] Q 10 8 2 [C] A 10 8 4 [D] A [H] A J 8 2

+-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ TRICK A Y B Z +-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+ 1 6[D] 8[D] 10[D] A[D] 2 3[S] A[S] 4[S] 2[S] 3 J[S] 5[S] K[S] 8[S] 4 4[D] K[D] J[D] [C]4 5 [C]5 7[S] 6[S] Q[S] 6 [C]6 9[S] [H]4 10[S] 7 5[D] [C]K [C]7 [C]8 8 7[D] [C]2 [C]9 [C]10 9 9[D] [C]3 [C]Q [C]A 10 [H]3 [H]10 [H]5 [H]2 11 Q[D] [C]J 2[D] [H]8 12 [H]9 [H]K [H]6 [H]J 13 [H]Q [H]7 3[D] [H]A +-------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+

The dealer makes a little slam.

NOTES ON ILl.u.s.tRATIVE HAND NO. 12

TRICKS 1 AND 2.--A leads high, hoping in three leads to drop all the diamonds.

TRICK 3.--B discards a spade, plainly indicating the suit he wishes A to lead.