Show S William McKenney Improving proving Your Bridge In a previous article I explained explained ex ex- that in opening blind from a the lowest card cardIs Is the correct le lead d if it the holdIng holding holding hold hold- ing Is topped by ace king or queen without a second honor in sequence With any less strength at the top the top card is usually led ledIn ledin ledin in order to disclose at once that the holding is short and has no high card in support of a return lead by partner The blind lead of a 10 usually indicates an interior sequence such as K 9 or Q 9 Holding Lead 51 1092 10 52 1032 10 53 10 54 9 8 2 9 55 9 3 2 9 56 9 2 9 57 4 58 3 32 2 3 23 S To preserve this reading we lead the deuce not the 10 from 9 3 against no trump Some players for the same reason prefer the lead of the deuce from holding No 52 But this is pressing a principle to extreme After all aU we lead the 10 from 9 8 9 2 and 2 10 none of which has a higher honor It would seem better in lead lead- I ing from any short holding to try to indicate at once that i it itis is short rather than to try to save one situation in which the lead 10 is necessarily ous I am frequently asked if it is correct to lead the middle card from certain three-card three hold ings What usually happens is that my correspondent Mr A has seen such a lead made by Mr B and upon being questioned questioned questioned ques ques- Mr B insists that the middle card is is- the only correct lead Mr A then writes to me I have to reply to that at the lead may b be correct for Mr B B. but probably is not for Mr A. A The reason for this answer is that in certain p parts of the country the players use tue a convention convention convention con con- called the three card echo This involves a different system of leads from short holdings holdings hold hold- ings ing and a different system of responses If you are using this system in all its phases then it is COrrect correct cor con for you to lead a middle card but it it is foolish to single out one point of the system practice that and expect to be understood by the vast majority of players who use the system of leads I have outlined in these articles I do not want to argue the merits pf of the three card echo as against the more more universal universal uni universal uni- uni versal system but I do say that the player has to follow one system or the other in its en en- |