A Few Maxims.
If you have to commence the game against a misère, it is wise to lead from your shortest and weakest suit, and to lead a medium card if you have one—such as six or seven—and certainly not to commence by leading a deuce, unless, indeed, it is a single card, and even then it is not always advisable.
Against other declarations it is well to commence with your longest suit.
When you and your partner sit side by side, you should never finesse in a lead coming from him if he be sitting on your right, and if your partner and then an adversary have to play after you, you should win the trick with the highest of a sequence; i.e. holding king, queen, put on the
king, otherwise your partner will think the king is against you.
It is much better that your lead should be up to your partner than through him; although, should you be proposing and accepting, the latter contingency should not prevent your leading trumps.
It is a general principle in propositions and acceptances that trumps should be used to draw trumps in order to establish plain suits.
Never force your partner to trump if you are weak in trumps yourself. If, however, a cross ruff looks probable, go on with it, and do not change to the more orthodox game.
Except under extreme circumstances do not lead trumps against a solo call. But if the caller refuses to lead trumps, an adversary should, if possible, put the lead with the player on the caller's right, to give him an opportunity of leading trumps through him.
As a general rule, your discards should be from your weakest and shortest suits. You should not, however, leave a king unguarded, and it is dangerous to leave a queen only singly guarded. With a long plain suit headed by ace, king, queen, it is sometimes advisable to inform your partner of the fact by first discarding the ace. In other cases, your first discard should be from your weakest suit. Subsequent renounces convey no information, as they may be from strength.