The Schnapsen Log

August 19, 2015

On Lead

Martin Tompa

In the very next deal of the tournament you find yourself on lead in the following situation:

Concealed cards:
♠ —
♥ TKQJ
♣ AQ
♦ —

Your cards:
♠ —
♥ A
♣ K
♦ AKJ

Trump: ♣J
Stock: 1 face-down card
Game points: Katharina 6, You 7
Trick points: Katharina 25, You 48
On lead: You

This is a precarious position for you. Katharina probably has trump control and a long suit to run, including a potential marriage. If she were on lead, it’s a good bet that she would close the stock, pull your trump, knock out your ♥A, and win the deal by running her hearts. But Katharina is not on lead, you are. What is your plan? When you think you have a good one, you are welcome to read my analysis.

© 2015 Martin Tompa. All rights reserved.

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About the Author

Martin Tompa (tompa@psellos.com)

I am a Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, where I teach discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, design and analysis of algorithms, and other related courses. I have always loved playing games. Games are great tools for learning to think logically and are a wonderful component of happy family or social life.