When an adversary finesses freely, he may be credited with some strength in trumps.
When a player changes his suit, the adversaries should note carefully the fall of the cards in the new suit. As already observed, the leader almost invariably opens the new suit with the best he has. Suppose a player to lead two winning cards in one suit, and then the Eight of another, which the Second Hand wins with the Ten; The four honours in the second suit must be between the Second and Fourth Hands.
Having won the first or second round of the adverse suit, and having no good suit of his own, the Second or Fourth Hand may be able to infer a good suit with his partner, by the play. For instance: A player opens Clubs, showing five, his partner wins second round, and opens the Diamond suit with the Jack, on which Second Hand plays Ace, his partner dropping the 9. Having now the lead, and no good suit, it is evident that the play should be continued on the assumption that partner is all Spades and trumps.
THE AMERICAN GAME. Since the revolt against the invariable opening from the longest suit, which was the style of game advocated by the old school of Pole and “Cavendish,” many systems have been tried out by the various clubs that meet at our national tournaments. E.C. Howell was the first to attempt to set the short-suit game in order, but his methods have long since been superseded by more elastic tactics.
The fundamental principle of the short-suit game, as first explained to the world by the New York Sun, is to use the original or opening lead to indicate the general character of the hand rather than any details of the individual suit. In the long-suit game the original leader is always assuming that his partner may have something or other, and playing on that supposition. The short-suit player indicates the system of play best adapted to his own hand, without the slightest regard to the possibilities of his partner. It is the duty of the partner to indicate his hand in turn, and to shape the policy of the play on the combined indications of the two.
This does not mean that the player shall always lead a short suit, but that he should combine the best features of both systems, without slavish adherence to either. This idea has been brought to perfection in practice by the famous American Whist Club of Boston, and under the able leadership of its captain, Harry H. Ward, it has demonstrated that he can take any kind of a team and beat any of the old style long-suit players, no matter how skilful they may be. The following is a brief outline of the American game, as given by Captain Ward in Whist for May, 1906:—
Five-trump Hands. With five trumps, and the suits split, 3, 3, 2, we always open a trump, unless we have a tenace over the turn-up card. From five trumps and a five-card plain suit, we open the suit if it is one that will require some help to establish; otherwise the trump. From five trumps with a four-card plain suit, we open the trump with hands of moderate strength; otherwise the plain suit.
Four-trump Hands. From four-trump hands we invariably open a suit of five cards or more, but prefer to avoid a four-card suit headed by a single honor. These are the suits in which the best chance for a single trick usually occurs when the suit is led by some one else. For example: Hearts trumps:—
| ♡ 8 7 6 3 | ♣ 9 8 | ♢ K 8 3 2 | ♠ K 4 2 |
The best opening from such a hand is the club nine.