Hand XXXV
Leading losing trump, to place the lead.
The Play
Remarks (Tricks 3 and 4).—Y leads fourth-best; Z echoes; but as the cards lie, it so happens that the position of the hearts would be independently marked after Trick 5.
Remark (Trick 10).—Well played by Y. He can count his partner’s hand, viz., the eight of trumps (see Remark, Trick 4, and the fall of the hearts, Tricks 3, 4, and 5), the last club, and a losing spade, as Z having put on the ace of spades (Trick 9), cannot have the king. Y therefore trumps with the nine, and (Trick 11) leads the seven of hearts to put the lead in Z’s hand. Z (Trick 12) leads the club, to which Y discards the ten of spades; and
YZ win five by cards.
The Hands
(Y’s hand is given above.)
| A’s Hand. | B’s Hand. | Z’s Hand. | |||
| Qn | ♠ | Kg, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 | ♠ | Ace, 6 | ♠ |
| Qn, 10 | ♥ | Ace | ♥ | Kg, 8, 5, 4 | ♥ |
| Qn, 10, 4, 2 | ♣ | 9, 5, 3 | ♣ | Ace, Kg, 8, 7, 6 | ♣ |
| A, Qn, Knv, 9, 8, 5 | ♦ | 10, 4, 3 | ♦ | 7, 6 | ♦ |
At Trick 4, B should have led a spade. A having shown at least five diamonds by leading ace, then knave (see p. 66), the diamond is sure to be trumped, and it may force the weak trump hand, or may allow one adversary to discard and the other to trump.