The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-18

| and natural ability, they have risen much
above it, and have acquired, in domestic
circles, the reputation of being superior
players. They are very observant, recollect
and calculate well, draw shrewd inferenoes as
to how the cards lie, and generally are adopts
in all the accidental features of good play.
Their management of trumps is diametricaily
opposed to that of the fourth class, as they
have a great penchant for leading them, a
course almost always advantageous for them
with ipferier adversaries.
But ekilful as these players are, they CON-
init, as Deschapeles says, lone long and
continual fault which they do not see, they
are 'forts joueurs qui sont de detestables
partenaires" They do not play upon sys-
tenn; they will not conform to the conven-
tional language of the game; and hence they
lose the great advantage of the combination
of their own with their partners hands.
They, indeed, usually object to systems alto
gether, arguing that the play should be die
tated by their own judgment. player of
this class will often lead from short suits, or
will lead trumps when weak, or abstain from
leading them when strong, or will even refuse
to return his partners lead in them; or, in
fact, will adopt any other mode of playing
for his own hand alone, ''the worst fault"
says Mr.. Clay, (which 1 know in a whist
player"
We lately saw fatal instance of the evil of
this style of play. A good player of this class
opened by leading the king of spades, which
he followed by the lqueen. His partner,
systematic player, who had originally the ace
and two small ones, with four trumps, gave
him credit for the knave, and probably one
or two others; he therefore put the ace on
the queen, to get it out of his partners way,
then succeeded in drawing all the trumps,
and returned the third little spade. The
original player had no more, and the adver-
saries brought in several cards of the suit and
won the game.
If players of this class knew how easily
they might step into the rank of frst-class
adopts by simply adopting the orthodox sys-
tenn, they might be induced to devote few
hours to it's acquisition; but the great obsta-
Gle to their improvement is the pride they
take in their own skill, which they object to
make subservient to a set of rules, and, per-
hsps, in some instances, to the will of part
Der inferior to themselves.
The second class are those who play &C.
cording to correct system, but who, from
want either of practice or of talent, do not
shine in individual skill. This is generally
the case with the young who are properly
taught, and their number is happily increas-
ing every day. Two such players would un-
questionably win over two much superior ad-
versaries of the third class; and they make
such admirable partners that fine player,
working with one of them, would of himself
realize almost the full advantage of the COM
bination of the hands. This class are emil
nently hopeful; they aresalready entitled to
the name of good, sound players, and if they
have only moderate abilities, they must con-
tinually improve.
The first or highest class are those who, to
the soundness and system of the second class,
add the personal skill of the third. They
then become fine players, and, although there
may be among them many grades of excel
lence, they may as class be said to have
arrived at the summit of the scale.