The dealer makes a small slam.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 10
Trick 1.—Z false cards the king of spades in order to deceive his adversaries.
Trick 2.—The lead of the club suit must come from Y, but if a low heart is led, it will take out Y’s only card of entry. With the purpose of making two cards of entry, Z leads the high cards from his own hand.
Trick 4.—As all the hearts have fallen, Z can safely overtake the jack, to lead the queen of clubs toward the ace. Should Z continue with another round of hearts, Y would have no way of obtaining the lead after the club suit was established. The low heart must be saved as a card of entry.
DOUBLE ENTRY
It is the first game, score love all. Z deals and makes it “no-trump.”
The dealer makes a small slam.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 11
Trick 1.—As the club suit is blocked, Y needs two entry cards, one to establish the suit and the other to obtain the lead and make it. Z, therefore, overtakes the jack of spades with the ace, to make it possible for Y to have two entry cards.
Trick 5.—Without reference to the position of the cards, A’s lead of the five of spades is bad. The game is lost unless B holds the diamond suit, and his best play is undoubtedly the ace and the jack of diamonds. As the cards are placed, however, this would give the dealer an additional trick.
MAKING AN ENTRY CARD
It is the rubber game, score twenty-four to nothing against the dealer. Z deals and makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins four odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 12
Trick 5.—Z finds that the seven of diamonds is a card of re-entry and plays to establish the club suit.
Trick 12.—Z can well afford to chance the making of a small slam.
A CARD OF RE-ENTRY
It is the first game, score love all. Z, the dealer, makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer makes a small slam.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 13
Trick 1.—Z cannot afford to hold up the ace of spades, as the entire diamond suit is against him. The game can neither be saved nor won unless the king of clubs is in B’s hand. Should this be the case, it may be necessary to lead twice from Y’s hand.
Z proceeds to make these entry cards by leading the high hearts from his own hand. The situation is one that is not only interesting but instructive.
DOUBLE ENTRY
It is the rubber game, score twenty-four to nothing against the dealer. Z deals and makes it “no-trump.”
The dealer wins four odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 14
Trick 1.—Z’s only hope to win the game is to establish and make the diamond suit in Y’s hand. To do this it may be necessary to have an entry card.
Trick 2.—B very properly refuses to part with the commanding diamond and waits until the last diamond has been played from the dealer’s hand.
Trick 5.—There is little excuse for the dealer’s play of the ace of clubs at this point. He cannot lose by playing a low card.
OVERTAKING TO MAKE AN ENTRY CARD
It is the first game, score love all. Z, the dealer, makes it “no-trump.”
The dealer wins three odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 15
Trick 1.—It is wrong to hold up an ace when one entire suit is against you. You must take the lead and make all that is possible in the other suits.
Trick 2.—The spade suit looks tempting, but the club suit is longer and the dealer cannot afford to run the risk of the adversaries’ obtaining the lead. Hasty and careless play to the first lead of clubs would ruin the hand. Y must begin to unblock.
Trick 8.—The game is saved and cannot be won unless the finesse in the spade suit is successful.
NOT HOLDING UP AN ACE.UNBLOCKING
It is the rubber game, score twenty-four to nothing against the dealer. Z, the dealer, makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer makes a small slam.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 16
Tricks 1 and 2.—Z refuses to part with the ace of hearts, and waits until B’s last heart has been played.
Trick 4.—B cannot afford to win the queen of clubs with the king. The dealer may have another club to lead. As the dummy holds no card of entry, B hopes to block this suit by waiting until the last club has been played from the dealer’s hand.
Trick 5.—The dealer can, without doubt, make an extra trick by playing the ace of clubs, but he imagines that the king of clubs is with A.
HOLDING UP A KING
It is the first game. Score 8-0 against the dealer. Z, the dealer, declares “no-trumps.” A leads for the first trick.
The dealer loses two odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 17
Trick 1.—To win the game Z must establish and make the club suit; as A holds both queen and jack of clubs, he must make one trick.
Trick 2.—A plays very badly in attempting to win this trick. This mistake, however, is often made. Should A refuse to win this trick it would be impossible for the clubs in Y’s hand to make.
Trick 9.—B’s only hope is to find his partner strong in spades.
OVERTAKING, LOSING A TRICK,IN ORDER TO MAKE A SUIT
It is the rubber game, score love all. Z, the dealer, makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins four odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 18
Trick 2.—Should Z finesse and lose, Y’s suit would be blocked and the adversary would undoubtedly take out Y’s only re-entry card. The suit must be cleared before this re-entry card is gone and many games and rubbers are lost by hasty play in positions of this kind.
NOT TAKING A FINESSE
The score is eighteen to nothing against the dealer. Z deals and makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins four odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 19
Trick 1.—Should Z refuse to win the first round of spades with the king, his hand may be led through and the king captured. He cannot gain by holding up this high card unless the original leader holds a six-card spade suit as well as the ace of hearts. In other words, he will lose if A has a four-or a five-card suit, and can only win if A holds a six-card suit and the ace of hearts. In the play of any hand, the usual, not the unusual distribution of the cards should be considered.
Trick 2.—Z must play the hand with a certain goal in view—eight tricks. If he leads the diamonds, he is compelled to guess, and a wrong guess would be disastrous. As the ace of hearts must win, Z hopes, by allowing the spades to make, to obtain information which will guide him to a successful finesse.
Tricks 4, 5, and 6.—Why does B protect both clubs and diamonds?
Trick 9.—A’s discard of the two of diamonds is informative and as B is protecting the diamond suit the dealer can safely infer the location of the queen.
FORCING DISCARDS TO LOCATE A FINESSE
It is the rubber game, score twelve to twenty-four against the dealer. Z passes the make. Y declares “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins two odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 20
Trick 2.—Z cannot afford to lead diamonds from Y’s hand, as this would take out the only entry card.
Trick 3.—B waits until Z’s last diamond has been played.
Trick 6.—Z endeavours to establish an entry card for Y by sacrificing a high card from his own hand. B again tries to block the dealer’s game.
Trick 7.—The ace of hearts is now marked with B, and the Finesse Obligatory must be taken. Unless the jack of hearts lies with A, Y can never make the diamond suit.
Trick 11.—It is very difficult for A to mark the two of clubs.
DESCHAPELLES COUP. FINESSE OBLIGATORY
It is the rubber game, score love all. Z, the dealer, makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins four odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 21
Trick 2.—Z infers that the adversaries will not continue with the spade suit as Y holds a tenace over A’s cards. Every suit is protected, but it would be dangerous to have clubs led through, for, should A obtain the lead, this entire suit might be brought in. In all probability the adversaries will make a trick in diamonds and Z prefers that the first be taken by B.
Trick 3.—B leads an irregular card in hearts so that A can mark his suit. Z cannot afford to have A lead and so takes this trick.
NOT ALLOWING ADVERSARY TO LEADTHROUGH A ONCE GUARDED KING
It is the rubber game, score eight to twenty against the dealer. Z deals and makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins two odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 22
Trick 1.—Z hopes to exhaust the hearts in B’s hand.
Trick 4.—To make two odd tricks is simple. To win the game A must not get the lead. With an established suit against you, you should not take a finesse, which would allow the adversary with the established suit to obtain the lead. To lead the queen of clubs from Y’s hands would be dangerous. The possibilities lie in the diamond suit. Z, therefore, leads a diamond and allows B to win the trick. The dealer must play the ace of clubs, for, should the diamonds fall, the game is assured.
NOT ALLOWING AN ESTABLISHEDSUIT TO MAKE
It is the rubber game, score twenty-four to nothing against the dealer. Z deals and makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins four odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 23
Trick 3.—With four spades in B’s hand, to make this suit Z must allow B to win the first trick.
Trick 10.—Z hopes to make the king of diamonds by leading from the weak hand.
“DUCKING”
It is the first game, score love all. Z, the dealer, makes it “no-trumps.”
The dealer wins five odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 24
Holding the ace, king, and jack of a suit, provided the queen is not in dummy, it is often advisable to wait until your partner can lead through the dealer’s hand. To lead through a king in dummy is sound play, especially when you hold a sequence. Z cannot gain by covering the honour led. He hopes that the ace will fall to the first or second lead.
Trick 5.—B indicates his suit before returning his partner’s original lead.
LEADING THROUGH DUMMY’S STRENGTH
It is the first game, score eight to nothing against the dealer. Z, the dealer, passes the make. Y declares hearts.
The dealer loses three odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 25
Trick 1.—Many players would be tempted to lead the supporting diamond rather than to open the four-card suit.
Trick 2.—Should B lead the ace of spades the ruff would be established in the weak hand. As B holds protection in all of the suits, his best play is to lead trumps through the strong hand.
Trick 3.—It would be bad play for A to return his partner’s lead of trumps. He holds the king of trumps protected and must wait until his partner can again lead through the dealer’s hand. It would be wrong to continue his original lead of spades, as the dealer could then stop the lead of trumps and give dummy the ruff. A infers from his partner’s lead of trumps that he holds strength in the other suits, and the ten of diamonds is undoubtedly his best play.
Trick 4.—B again leads through the strong trump hand, A makes his king and leads his losing trump to draw two for one. No matter how the dealer may play he cannot prevent his adversaries from making the remaining tricks in spades or in diamonds, it being impossible to obtain the lead in dummy.
PREVENTING THE WEAK HANDFROM RUFFING
It is the rubber game, score sixteen to eight in favour of the dealer. Z, the dealer, makes it hearts and A leads for the first trick.
The dealer loses three odd tricks.
ILLUSTRATIVE HAND NO. 26
Trick 1.—A is almost strong enough to lead the trump originally, but holding the ace and king of a suit his best play is to take a view of the dummy hand.
Trick 2.—The queen of spades falling in the dealer’s hand indicates that the weak hand will ruff. A leads trumps through the strong hand.
Trick 3.—B has no reason to wait for the trumps to be led through again, as he does not hold a tenace over dummy. He, therefore, leads the ace and then a low trump in order to exhaust trumps from the weak hand.
PREVENTING THE WEAK HANDFROM RUFFING
It is the first game, score love all. Z, the dealer, passes the make. Y declares hearts. A leads for the first trick.