Psellos
Life So Short, the Craft So Long to Learn

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

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.

Read about Winning Schnapsen, the very first and definitive book on the winning strategy for this fascinating game.

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