BRIDGE NOTES.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20920, 29 July 1933, Page 4

BRIDGE NOTES.

LEADING FROM A SINGLETON. (BPBCIALLT VTRHTKH FOR THE PKESI.) [By WILLIAM SHACKLE.J As in everyday life circumstances alter cases, so at bridge one set of rulings will not cover every case. Yet generally it can be assumed that the lead of a singleton is taking an altogether greater risk than can be proportionately gained by success. It should be recognised as an elementary point that it is good to force declarer to play his trumps, especially where one holds four or five of the Lrump suit himself, or he has reason to suppose that partner holds such length. This, of course, can often be inferred from the bidding, or one's own or dummy's hand, or from all three collectively. Surprisingly few players, however, can bear to see their own side s high cards ruffed, and so they are prone to discontinue leading a good suit because declarer is patiently going to trump it. Again, one sometimes sees players change the suit even after the opponents have discarded instead of ruffing, generally a sure si"n that a prayer has not sufficient length in trumps to risk trumping in. The following hand is a classic example of how the fear of having his high cards trumped so influenced the player as .to his lead that Y-Z were given a little slam instead of eight The game was auction, and it was played at a well-known London Club bv quite regular club players. The player in A position, apparently succumbed to that false illusion of leading a singleton in the hope of making some of his small trumps by later ruffing that suit. Z dealt this hand: S, •* H, 10 8 2 D, Q J 9 7 3 C, KlO 3 2 S, 987 63 ; y i S ' 5 h H;AKQJ9, a Y " b . S' 7 ir- rt D, 10 , 7 i D, K604 C.B 4 ! 1 ! C QJ9 6 S, AKQJ 10 H, 6 4 D. AB2 C, A 7 5 Z. A. Y. B. 1 Spade 2 Hearts No bid No bid 2 Spades 3 Hearts No bid No bid 3 Spades No bid No bid No bid "A" reasoned that as his partner did not raise him, probably he was shortsuited in hearts. Therefore if "B" held ace of diamonds, they could do quite a lot of damage before "Z" got in. Naturally he should have led his-king of hearts and continued to the third round, but instead he opened with that singleton diamond. Result: "Y-Z" made little slam. Suppose hearts had been led for three rounds, "Z" ruffing the third round, then leading trumps. In that case "A" gets in with his last trump and makes his two heart tricks which are now established. If on the other hand "Z" plays only three rounds trumps and then puts "Y" in with the king of clubs, the position will eventually be the same. A singleton should be led only in extreme cases such as when one holds two suits of five cards headed by a ten-ace.