It goes without saying that leading a suit the weak adverse hand can trump, and upon which the strong hand can discard, is carrying out a custom most commendable at Christmas, but which at the card-table does not arouse the enthusiasm of the partner.

A player should be most careful not to indicate by some mannerism that his hand is trickless. By pulling a card before it is his turn to play, by apparent lack of interest, or by allowing himself to be wrapped in gloom, he may give the Declarer as much information as if he spread his hand on the table.

THE SIGNAL

One of the best and most serviceable methods of giving information is by using "the signal," which is made by the play of an unnecessarily high card. For example, the Ace and King of a suit are led. The play of the 6 before the 5 const.i.tutes a signal, as the 6 is an unnecessarily high card.

The meaning of this signal is that the maker desires the suit, in which it is made, continued. Playing in ordinary order, lower before higher, shows that the continuation of that suit is not requested. It is the old Trump signal of the game of Whist, which, inasmuch as a demand for a Trump lead is not needed in Auction, has been borrowed and transformed into a request to continue the suit. This signal was first used to mean, "I can ruff the third round," but the absurdity of limiting it to any such meaning soon became apparent, and, as it is now played, it means, "Partner, continue this suit. I have some reason for asking you so to do." The failure to give this signal may mean, "Shift the suit," but does not of necessity do so. It merely says, "Partner, I have no reason for asking you to lead this suit a third time."

This signal is a most important part of Auction tactics. It can be given on either the partner's or the Declarer's lead, should always be used when a continuation of the suit is desired, and should be watched for by the partner with the most painstaking care. The first trick sometimes furnishes this information. For example, the play of the deuce, or of any card which the partner can read as being of necessity the lowest, tells him that either the card is a singleton or that the player is not beginning a signal.

When a player is anxious to place his partner in the lead, the signal may be of the greatest possible value. Suppose, for example, he has two suits from which to choose. In one of these suits he is without strength, but his partner may have the Ace. In the other, he has the Ace himself, and his partner may have the King. If he guess the wrong suit, the Declarer will get in and take the rest of the tricks. By leading his Ace and watching the size of the card his partner plays, he can generally tell what to do. If the lowest card be played, he should shift the suit. In such a situation, if the partner wish the suit continued, and has more than two small cards, he should play the highest so as to emphasize the signal.

THE DISCARD

The discard which in Whist has been the subject of so many controversies, and which, even in Bridge, has created some discussion, does not a.s.sume nearly so great importance in Auction. The strength of the various suits having been clearly indicated by the bid, there is not as great opportunity to furnish new information by the discard.

It must not, however, be a.s.sumed, merely because the Auction discard is comparatively unimportant, that it is not worthy of consideration. True it is that there is no need to worry over any such complicated systems as strength or rotary discards. They are apt to confuse and produce misunderstandings far more damaging than any possible benefit which results when they work perfectly. The strength discard may compel the playing of a card which, if its suit be established, will win a trick, and the rotary is not always reliable, as the discarder may be void of the "next suit," or unable to discard from it because it is composed of high cards only or of necessary guards for single honors. The "odd-and-even" discard, that is, 3, 5, 7, 9, showing strength, 2, 4, 6, 8, weakness, is very satisfactory when the hands are made to order, but a certain proportion of hands fail to contain an odd card when the discarder desires to announce strength, or an even one when he has extreme weakness. The awkwardness, when using this system, of such a holding as 3, 5, 7, is self-apparent.

All these plans or fads had their innings in Whist, where important information had to be conveyed by the discard, but in Auction, they are about as necessary as pitching a curve to a blind batsman.

The plain, simple, old-fashioned discard from weakness is all that is used or required, provided it be understood that a signal in the discard means a reversal of its ordinary inference. A signal by discard (that is, for example, discarding first a 5, followed by a 2) is generally a showing of strength in that suit, and a most p.r.o.nounced suggestion, if not an imperative command, that it be led at the first opportunity. The only case in which it is not an evidence of strength is when it shows a desire to ruff. The signal in the discard is most serviceable when the Declarer is playing a long suit, and the partner is in doubt which of the two remaining suits to keep guarded. In this case it may not be a command to lead, but merely a wireless message saying, "I have this suit stopped; you take care of the other."

A signal in a discard to show strength is only necessary when it is not advisable to discard once from each of the other suits, which by inference gives the same information, yet does not shorten the strong suit.

Strength information can often be transmitted by the weakness discard, just as quickly and more simply than by the now generally abandoned strength discard. For example, the discard of the lowest card shows weakness and negatives all possibility of a strength signal, but if the first discard be as high as a 7 or 8, and the partner can read, from the general composition of his hand and the Dummy, that the discarder must hold a lower card in that suit, he gets the information at once.

Regardless of showing his partner strength or weakness, the player has ample opportunity to give evidence of skill in discarding. Too much information should never be given to the Declarer when he is in the lead and controls the situation. There are many hands in which it becomes obvious that all the adversaries of the Declarer can hope to accomplish is the saving of a slam, or the taking of one more trick.

The question is not what to tell the partner to lead when he gets in, but how to win a single trick. In such a case, a bluff discard, _i.e._, showing strength where it does not exist, is sometimes effective, although a keen Declarer is not apt to be easily deceived by any ruse so transparent. One thing to remember under such circ.u.mstances, however, is not to help the Declarer by showing weakness, so that he will know which way to finesse. In No-trumps or with the Trumps exhausted, never discard a singleton, or too many cards of a weak suit.

When a suit has been declared, it is unnecessary, by informatory discarding, to repeat the announcement of strength. This principle, just as is the case with other systems of play, is predicated upon the ability of the partner to remember the bids. If, however, he be unable to do so, information by discard will obviously be sowing seed on barren ground, and should be withheld, as the Declarer is the only one who will reap any benefit.

BLOCKING THE DUMMY

When the Declarer is playing a No-trump and the Dummy holds a long suit without reentry, an adversary of the Declarer may have the opportunity, when he has a card stopping that suit, of blocking it and preventing the long cards from making, by holding the winning card until the Declarer has played what is necessarily his last card of the suit.

AVOID OPENING NEW SUITS

The adversaries of the Declarer should avoid opening new suits unless the situation shows it to be necessary. They should remember that when the honors of a suit are evenly divided, opening it is practically sure to cost a trick, and that the starting of any suit, which is not headed by Ace and King, or a three-card sequence, is almost invariably disadvantageous. The lead by the partner has been made with some object, and should, therefore, be returned, except when the holding of the Dummy or some other development renders such action plainly inadvisable.

Shifting suits is about as advantageous as swapping horses while crossing a stream, and the advice to return the partner's suit rather than risk a new one applies with equal force whether a No-trump or suit declaration is being played, but does not refer to the situation in which the partner evidently desires that the suit he has declared be led through strength up to him.

HOW TO RETURN PARTNER'S LEAD

When the original Third Hand returns a suit opened by his partner, he should lead the winning card, if he hold it. If without the best card, when the lead is against a No-trump declaration, it is far more important that a high card should be led through strength, and also that the holder of the length should be accurately advised as to his partner's high cards, than that he should be told the exact number of small ones. Therefore, when playing a No-trumper, the highest card should be returned from either three or two remaining. With four remaining (five originally), the holding may be longer than that of the original leader, and, therefore, the lowest should be led. If the partner be a keen counter of small cards, the next to the lowest is doubtless more informatory and just as advantageous as the lowest. When the original Third Hand returns a suit opened by his partner against a suit declaration, there is some difference of opinion among good players as to whether he should follow the Whist rule, which is the most informatory as to number, and lead the lowest of three remaining, the higher of two; or whether it is unwise to complicate matters by distinguishing between this case and the return when a No-trump is being played. The question is not very important as long as partners understand which convention is being used.

None of these rules applies in the case, readily distinguishable, in which the adverse strength in the suit is in the Dummy, and it is necessary to hold a high card over that hand; the play must then be made to fit the situation, and not according to any hard-and-fast principle.

THE FINESSE

The cards of the Dummy being exposed make it easy for the player sitting back of him to determine when to finesse. As the object of a finesse is to catch a high card on the right, it is folly to finesse against nothing--for example, the leader opens with Knave against a No-trump; the Third Hand has King and others; when the Dummy has the Queen, it is obvious the King should not be played unless the Queen cover the Knave, but when the Dummy holds only worthless cards, the Third Hand should play the King, as, should he finesse against nothing, he would allow the Queen to win. The leader has opened either from Ace, Knave, Ten, or a suit headed by a Knave-Ten combination. In the former case the play of the King insures every trick; in the latter, it helps clear the suit. It, therefore, is an example of the rule not to finesse when the Dummy has nothing.

An apparent exception to this rule occurs when the lead is made in answer to a declaration, or as an evident effort to find the partner's strength. For example, the original Third Hand, with six Hearts headed by King, Ten, and two reentries, has called Hearts. The Declarer is playing a No-trumper, and the opening is the Knave of Hearts. The Dummy is without strength. In that case, the Declarer is marked with both the Ace and Queen of Hearts. The Third Hand should, therefore, play small.

The play of the King cannot be of any benefit, and should the Declarer have the Nine, will be most expensive. This really is not a finesse against nothing, but, the position of the winning cards being marked, is merely a conservation of strength.

The same general principle applies in many similar cases; when, however, a small card is led, the Third Hand should not finesse, unless the Dummy contain some high card.

Playing No-trump, the following finesses are advisable over the Dummy:--

WHEN DUMMY HAS FINESSE King Ace, Queen Ace, Knave Ace, Ten

King, Knave Ace, Ten Ace, Nine

King, Ten Ace, Nine

Queen Ace, Knave Ace, Ten King, Knave King, Ten

Knave Ace, Ten King, Ten Queen, Ten

Do not, however, except with a fourchette, finesse against Queen or Knave singly guarded, when it is evident that the Declarer and Dummy hold only four cards of the suit, and the Ace or King is marked with the leader.

When playing No-trump, as a rule do not finesse if so doing will block the partner's suit.

X

SCORING AND SCORE-SHEETS

The score is a very important incident of the game of Auction, and to keep it properly requires considerable care and skill.

The figures frequently run into high numbers on both sides, and when the rubber continues during three hotly contested games, they become quite voluminous.

The score-sheet should be left on the table, and the writing on it should be of such size that it can be seen at a glance. This saves time and trouble, as it relieves the players from the necessity of asking the state of the score.

In some clubs two scores are kept, so that, in the only too probable contingency of a mistake being made, it may invariably be detected.

This, however, is unnecessary, and at times confusing. The extra sheet is also apt to prove annoying, because of the s.p.a.ce it occupies upon the table. One score is quite sufficient, if it be competently kept, and each entry, as well as the additions, verified.

There are two totally different types of Auction score-sheets. The one which is used in perhaps ninety per cent. of the private games, and, strange as it may seem, in many clubs, has absolutely no excuse for its existence, except that it was the first to be introduced and has the reputation of being universally used in foreign countries. It requires scoring above and below the line, which is a most c.u.mbersome and dilatory proposition. Keeping tally by this method involves, at the end of a rubber, long mathematical problems, which, as the scorer is then in a hurry, frequently result in serious, and at times undiscovered, mistakes.