One of the worst forms of bad play is to repeatedly change the suit, and
thus, by continuing to make your partner third player, to incur the risk of
sacrificing the best cards of each suit that are in his hand. Instead,
therefore, of leading a fresh suit in which you may be very weak, it is
frequently safer to return the adversaries' lead, especially if it is
evident that you can lead through the strong hand up to the weak.
In order to take full advantage of this lead, what is termed "underplay"
may be attempted. As an example of underplay, the following is given. A,
original leader, leads the two of spades, thus indicating {209} most
probably a four suit; A, it is evident by this lead, does not hold king,
queen of the suit. Y, the second player, plays the three of spades; B,
third player, plays the nine; and Z, fourth player, holding ace, ten, and
four of spades, wins the trick with the ten.
Z, having no court card in the three remaining suits, fears to lead any one
of these. Z knows that he possesses the ace of spades, but this fact is not
known to A. Z then underplays by leading back the four of spades. A, who
holds king, knave, eight, plays knave second hand; Y wins with queen, and
now knows that his partner holds the ace, for had A held the ace he would
have played it second in hand. Y, now having the lead, can show his strong
suit, and may fairly assume that his partner has no good suit, because, had
he been strong in any suit, he would have led a card of it, instead of at
once resorting to underplay.