To return partner’s lead, or to play for your own long suit? At times
you will find this a most difficult question to decide. It can be
stated that ordinarily it is better play to return your partner’s
original lead, for rarely are two suits made against a “no-trump”
declaration. In fact, it is hard enough to bring in one suit.... It
will assist you to settle this difficulty if you notice carefully the
card led by your partner, and infer from it the length of his suit.
You can often tell how many cards of that suit are in the dealer’s
hand. If, for instance, your partner’s lead indicates four cards and
there are three cards of that suit in dummy and two cards in your own
hand, it is evident that the dealer must hold four, and the chances
are, if the lead is returned, he will eventually be left with the
master card. As it is, of course, your purpose to avoid making cards
good for the adversary, should you hold a good suit under these
circumstances and a sure re-entry card, abandon your partner’s lead
by all means and play for your own hand.
When dummy holds four cards in your partner’s suit, hesitate to
return the lead, if by so doing you may establish the suit for your
opponent; but when dummy is weak in the suit, lead at the first
opportunity, through the dealer’s hand. Sometimes, if your own long
suit is headed by ace and king, it is well to lead the king before
returning your partner’s lead. This should always be done if the
queen is on the table, to make sure that your suit will eventually be
led through dummy’s queen. If you hold ace queen or ace queen jack
over the king in dummy, you would naturally prefer that your partner
lead the suit; but with a hand containing a sure re-entry card in
another suit, particularly when you hold the commanding card of the
adversaries’ suit, do not wait for your partner to lead; establish
the suit yourself. If, with no re-entry card, you intend playing for
your own long suit, do not draw all the cards of your suit from your
partner’s hand. If your partner has a card of your suit as well as a
card of re-entry, your suit will make; otherwise it is useless.
With four cards or fewer of your partner’s suit, the highest card
should always be returned. This is done in order that the suit may
not be blocked, and also to show your partner what high cards are
held by the dealer. When it is evident that you and your partner
hold an entire suit with the same number of cards in each hand, it
is well to arrange the lead on the last round of the suit according
to whether you would prefer to lead up to weakness or to have your
partner lead through dummy’s strength.
With five cards of your partner’s suit, especially if his lead
indicates but four, it is very difficult to decide how the suit
should be returned. If a low card is returned, it may lead your
partner to believe that all the high cards are in the dealer’s hand,
and induce him to discontinue the suit. On the other hand, the return
of a high card may block the suit so that you will be left with a
card which may never make. No rule can be given for this situation.
It must be left to the judgment of the player.