Ruffing.

23. When second player do not ruff a doubtful card, unless strength in trumps has been shown by your partner or your adversaries, or at a dangerous state of the hand; as your partner has the advantage of being led up to, which you would deprive him of by ruffing, and at the same time disclose weakness to the adversaries.

24. When a suit is led of which your partner has none, if weak in trumps you should ruff, even though you know third player will overruff; but if the game is in jeopardy, and a single trick will save it, or if strong in trumps, leave the ruff to your partner.

25. When you are strong enough to wish trumps led, but not strong enough to take the force and lead them, you should consider whether you are justified by your strength in

missing a certain trick for the chance of bringing in your long suit when trumps are exhausted, or should ruff and modify your game by leading some other suit than trumps.

26. To prevent third hand from ruffing a losing card, it is not wise to ruff up unless you hold a high sequence, or your partner has called for trumps. Even when there is a double ruff it is better to throw losing cards, and patiently let the adversaries win some tricks, than to ruff up-say with the Aceand lose the game, as may easily happen. The score must be the guide.

27. If while trumps are in a thirteenth card be led and not ruffed, third player should consider whether his partner led for his best trump, or to force the fourth hand and leave him with the lead.

28. By refusing to overruff with the Ace, you may often make a little trump later on, and perhaps bring in a long suit.

29. To prevent an adversary from bringing in his partner's long suit, it is often best with a single trump to refrain from ruffing until he has led his last one of the suit.

Discarding.

30. Discard from your weak suit unless trumps are declared against you, when you should first discard from your strong suit thus informing your partner of it, and protecting your weak suit.

31. Beware of unguarding an honour, or leaving an Ace blank; and remember it is safer to discard from King and two others than from Queen and two others, and from Queen and two others than from King and one other, and from King and one other than from Queen and one other, if the higher cards be in.

32. Having no trump to ruff with, and a

long suit of which your partner has none, and which you cannot expect to bring in, it is better to discard from it than from your weak suit, in which even a Two may protect your partner from being next round finessed against, and a moderate card for him to lead to may save or win the game. A card of your partner's suit should be retained if you have any chance of being able to lead it.

Sequences.

33. The convention of the sequences is to play the lowest and lead the highest, so that your partner shall not cover unnecessarily. But if you do want your partner to cover, you should lead the lowest as the Ten with Knave, King, or the Knave with Queen, King, and more than one other, or the Knave after the Ace with Queen and more than one other. The King is led before the Ace, and followed by the Queen, to show where the master-card

is. Leading an Ace and then the King indicates you have no other of the suit, and wish to be forced.

34. By winning fourth hand with the highest of a sequence and leading the lowest, you may indicate you have the intermediate cards. Similarly, if you have complete command of a suit, you may indicate this by discarding the highest, as your partner will know you would not have done so unless you held all the next best.

Call for Trumps.

35. When, being very strong in trumps, you wish them led, play an unnecessarily high card, so that your partner, when you play a less one, may understand you are calling for trumps, and lead you his best, unless he holds at the time more than three; and even then, the Ace if he holds it, following with the lowest. From this it follows that you may be