Second Time Around

Second Time Around

One can find tables of standard opening leads in several books on defensive play, even in Bridge players’ diaries. It pays to know what one’s partner’s predilections are in this aspect of the game. Indeed, for the benefit of the opponents also, on some convention cards, one is obliged to indicate in detail what a partnership leads from a variety of specific holdings. But that is as far as it goes: the first lead is specified, but not the second lead, nor play, as the case may be. There is scope here for more precise partnership understanding.

Consider the holding K Q J and perhaps others. Most players would not think twice about leading the King, but supposing it held the trick, what then? If you automatically continue with the Queen, you may have missed an opportunity to convey additional useful information to your partner. When Whist was all the rage, the “American Leads” convention, devised by Nicholas Trist of New Orleans, recommended that one continued with the Queen with an original 4-card suit, with the Jack with 5 or more. Some Bridge players are more scientific, next leading the Queen with an even number originally, the Jack from an original odd holding. I expect most players do something akin.

What is not so common is having a clear understanding of what to play on the second round of a suit when you have led the fourth highest originally, particularly when not about to win that trick.

Has anyone here seen Kelly?

Many players simply play a smaller card to show that the suit was originally 5 or more in length. The information you should be trying to convey to partner is whether your suit is now set up, or whether declarer still has a stopper. Much better is to adopt the general strategy developed by Nathan S Kelly of Boston, Mass., world whist champion, of playing the highest card one can afford without it costing a trick.

Consider:

A 9 6 5 3

K Q 10 8 4

J 7 2

North leads the 5 and South’s J forces the Q say. Later South leads 7 won by the K and North plays the 9! This shows that North holds the Ace, and (conventionally particularly against NTs), 5+ cards in the suit. With:

10 9 6 5 3

A K Q 8 4

J 7 2

On the second round North would play the 10 to show that the Ace was not held.

Similarly:

K 8 6 5 4

A Q 10 9 3 2

J 7

The 5 lead goes to the J then Q. On subsequent lead from South, West plays the A and North the 8. This shows the K with North, for with 10 8 6 5 4, North would play the 10; and with K 10 8 5 4, the K would have appeared, showing the 10 also.

This scheme goes under the title of “Kelly’s solid suit signal”. It is a useful extra string to one’s bow, but requires particular attention to the mid-range non-honour cards to be sure of exactly how solid is one’s residual holding. More of Kelly’s bright ideas were published in “The Bridge Book Collector” of December 1952.