The science of modern whist may be divided into two parts: 1st. Tactics; or the purely conventional rules for leading, second and third hand play, returning partner’s suits, etc., all of which may be learnt from books, or gathered from more experienced players. 2nd. Strategy; or the advantageous use of the information given by the conventional plays. This is largely dependent on personal ability to judge the situation correctly, and to select the methods of play best adapted to it.
CONVENTIONAL PLAYS. These may be divided into two parts: those used by the partners who attack, either with their strong suits, or by leading out trumps; and those employed by their adversaries, who are defending themselves against such suits, or wishing to prevent their trumps being drawn. We shall first consider the conventionalities used in attack.
Leading. The player with the original lead should have a double object in view; to secure the best results for his own hand, and to indicate to his partner where he is in need of assistance.
The first matter for his consideration will be whether to begin with a trump or with a plain suit. There are two principal uses for trumps. The most attractive to the beginner is that of ruffing the adversaries’ winning cards; and the most important to the expert is leading trumps to prevent this. No matter how strong or well established a plain suit may be, it is of uncertain value as long as the adversaries have any trumps with which to stop it. A suit is established when you can probably take every trick in it. If a player with a good established suit is sufficiently strong to make it probable that he can, with his partner’s assistance, exhaust the adverse trumps, he should do so by leading trumps. If they are probably stronger than he, he must force them, by leading the established suit which they will be compelled to trump, weakening their hands and gradually reducing their trump strength until it is possible to exhaust what remains by leading. It being to the advantage of the player with a good suit to exhaust the trumps, it must be desirable to his adversaries to keep theirs, if possible, for the purpose of ruffing this good suit.
Trumps are also useful as cards of re-entry, when a player has an established suit, but has not the lead; their most important use, however, is in defending or stopping established suits.
Rules for Leading Trumps. With five or more trumps, the beginner should always begin by leading them, regardless of the rest of his hand. With three or less he should never lead them, unless he has very strong cards in all the plain suits. With four trumps exactly, he should lead them if he has an established suit and a card of re-entry in another suit. A card of re-entry in plain suits is one which is pretty sure to win a trick, such as an Ace, or a guarded King. The following are examples of hands from which trumps should be led originally by a beginner;—
Hearts are trumps in every case.
| ♡ J 8 6 4 2; | ♣ K 3 2; | ♢ 10 9 2; | ♠ 7 5. |
| ♡ Q 10 2; | ♣ A K 5; | ♢ K Q 10 9; | ♠ A Q 3. |
| ♡ K J 8 3; | ♣ A K Q 10 7 3; | ♢ 3; | ♠ A 7. |
The following are examples of hands from which trumps should not be led:—
| ♡ A K Q; | ♣ J 8 7 5 3; | ♢ Q 4; | ♠ K 4 2. |
| ♡ Q J 10 2; | ♣ 5 2; | ♢ A K Q 2; | ♠ 6 4 3. |
| ♡ A Q 5 4; | ♣ K Q J 6 3; | ♢ A 9 2; | ♠ K. |