The original maker of the trump should be very strong to justify him in redoubling the adversary. If he had four probable tricks originally, he may count the adversary who doubles for five, and of the four doubtful tricks remaining, the odds are against partner having the three which would be necessary to win the odd trick.
Opening Leads. The first lead must necessarily be made in the dark, but the selection of the suit will often depend on the trump, and whether it was named by the dealer or by his partner.
If the dealer has made it red, and A has the A K of any plain suit, he should play the King, so as to retain the lead until Dummy’s hand is exposed.
If the dealer passes it to his partner, he is probably weak in red. If Y makes it hearts, A should lead a supporting diamond, unless he has strength in another suit. If Y has made it diamonds, A should lead a supporting heart. But in either case, if A has in his hand such cards as A K, even of a black suit, he should play the King, and wait to see the Dummy’s hand. If Y has made it black, A must be guided by his own cards, but should give a red suit the preference for his opening lead.
Details as to the correct card to lead and the play after the opening lead have been fully covered in connection with auction bridge, which see.
The discard is usually coupled with the system of opening against a doubled no-trumper. If your partner says he is “heart and strong” he means that if you double a no-trumper and he is eldest hand, he will lead you his best heart, and that he will discard his strong suit when playing against a no-trumper. If he says he is “heart and weak,” he will lead the top heart; but he will discard his weak suit. If he says he is “weak and weak,” he means that he will lead the shortest or weakest suit in his hand, if you double no-trumps, that being the almost universal custom in England.
All the situations which have been covered in the play of the second, third and fourth hands at auction can be studied with advantage by the bridge player, as the manner of securing the best results from certain distributions of the cards is the same in both games. The chief difference lies in the value of the tricks, because at bridge the opponents of the declaration can score toward game, and it is therefore frequently advisable to take a finesse or make a play that would be quite unjustifiable at auction, if there is any chance that such a play may win a game that would be otherwise impossible.
Close attention to the score is an important factor in bridge which does not operate in auction, because in that game any previous score toward game is seldom of any use, eighteen out of every twenty deals being game hands or nothing, and the dealer having no more advantage in the selection of the trump than any other player. In bridge, one always calculates that the dealer will go out if he is 18 or 20 up on the score, as almost any suit will do. This prompts the side that has the deal, or a chance to go game, to lose no opportunity to win at once, before the other side gets a chance at it.