Bridge; its Principles and Rules of Play Part 6

Holding a sequence of two or more cards the following combinations should be led through:

K x x K x Q x x

FORCING

Judicious forcing will do more than anything else to break up a strong trump hand.

Forcing means making a player trump--the object being to weaken his hand.

It is good play to force the strong trump hand.

When the strong trump hand holds no more cards of your long suit, do all damage possible with it. Unless trumps are out, the suit is of no other use to you.

It is bad play to force the weak trump hand. Unless you can make the strong hand trump it is better to stop leading the suit.

Do not lead a suit that will allow the weak hand to trump and the other hand to discard; the adversaries take the trick and get rid of a losing card.

It is too late to force when the dummy has an established suit and the dealer has the last trump or trumps. Make what you can before giving up the lead.

When the weak hand can ruff your suit, it is sometimes good play to lead trumps; but only when, in doing so, you are leading trumps through the strong hand, and when you have some protection in the other suits.

SHORT SUITS

There are two lines of play that may be followed to make tricks against the dealer. The first--to make your high cards--has been explained. The second is to make your small trumps by ruffing.

When you have no high card lead, or if you are anxious to be led up to, it is often good play to throw the lead and, at the same time, to try to make your small trumps. This can be done by leading a short suit.

A short suit is a suit of less than four cards; but the term is commonly used to denote a singleton or a two-card suit.

In order that your partner may understand that you are leading a short suit (and not the fourth best card of a long one) it is customary to lead the highest card. (If you are forced to open a suit with K J x, K x x or Q x x, the low card should be led.)

To detect a short suit apply the "Rule of Eleven." If there are (in your hand and the dummy) more higher cards than the rule allows, the lead cannot be the fourth-best card.

Under the following circ.u.mstances a short suit should not be led.

If you hold four trumps, including any one honour, don't lead a short suit. Your best play is to open your long suit and force the dealer to trump. In this way you weaken the dealer's hand and you may prevent his bringing in his long suit or you may even establish and make your own.

If the make has been pa.s.sed, don't lead a short black suit. It is natural to suppose that the dealer is strong in black suits--if in any--and you would be leading up to declared strength.

If you can take the first trick, do so and then judge of the advisability of the short-suit lead.

THE DISCARD

There is considerable discussion and a wide diversity of opinion among Bridge Players as to the best suit to throw away. You should, therefore, before playing, ask your partner which method he adopts. Some advantage may be claimed for each theory of discard; but the main object of them all is the same--to indicate to partner the suit you wish led and at the same time protect any honours you may hold in other suits.

The three different discards used by Bridge Players are:

Strength, both with a trump and at "no-trump."

Strength, with a trump and weakness at "no-trump."

Weakness, both with a trump and at "no-trump."

The discard of strength with a trump and weakness at "no-trump" is the one most commonly used. This discard of weakness at "no-trump," while it has the advantage of saving all the cards of the long suit, which you may make, has also several disadvantages.

To show your suit absolutely you need two discards.

In order not to deceive your partner it may be necessary to unguard honours, such as J x x x, 10 x x x, Q x x, or even K x.

By discarding weakness you show the dealer against which hand to finesse.

The writer, after the a.n.a.lysis of many thousand hands, believes that at "no-trump" the first discard from strength, _i.e._, the long suit or the suit you wish partner to lead, is the safest and best, both for protecting the hand and for showing the suit beyond possibility of mistake.

The main advantages of the strength discard are:

It takes but one discard positively to show the suit wanted.

You can protect the high cards in your weaker suits without deceiving your partner.

It does not show the dealer so clearly on which side to take a finesse.

By showing your suit earlier in the hand, you enable your partner to discard to better advantage.

There are but few "no-trump" hands in which it is possible to make all the small cards of one's suit against the dealer--unless it be the suit first opened. Occasionally the suit in which the dealer is weak in both hands will be made; but more often this suit is never brought in, because the adversaries do not know the cards they hold in the two hands.

For years whist authorities have agreed that with trump strength declared against you the first discard should be from strength. Why, then, when strength in all of the suits has been declared, should not the strength discard be the best defensive discard for the majority of bridge hands? In order not to lose an opportunity of making all of the long suit, players will continually unguard cards in the weak suits which, if properly protected, would win tricks; and when using the weak suit discard these cards _must_ be unguarded in order to show partner your suit.

There may be an occasional trick lost by discarding from strength at "no-trump," but there are so many tricks thrown away by unguarding honours in weak suits, and so many games and rubbers lost by guessing the wrong suit, that Bridge Players will find the strength discard will save more and lose less than any other discard. You do not expect to win on your adversaries' make; you hope to prevent their winning a large score.

If you have once led, you have shown your strength, and may then discard from any suit you wish.

Discard only once from your strength, and then as the situation and the hand warrant.

THE REVERSE DISCARD

In discarding, the play of a high and then a lower card reverses the original meaning of the discard. If you adopt the strength discard, and wish to throw away your weak suit at "no-trump," do so by discarding first a high and then a lower card. If you use the weak discard and wish to throw away your strong suit, discard first a high and then a lower card.

The reverse discard should be used only when it is clearly shown that two discards can be made.

HINTS ON DISCARDING

Watch the dealer's discards and protect the suit that he is saving.

After you have led or shown your suit, the discard of a high and then a lower card in another suit shows command of the second suit.