New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-05
WHIST.
BY RICHARD A. PROCTOR.
THE CORRECT CARD.

80, Of tho hooks For instance in book by
Captain Campbell Walker. bearing, by inc way
the title have given to tho present paper. ,ho
learner finds SO cases in which he is told to lend acc
and 18 cases in which lie is told to lead king besides
number of otbcr cases in which he Is to'u 70 'o'u
Queen kuave, ton, and 40 forth 10 the 10 roic'
thus given are to be added long list or excepio"S
recorded in 10 footnotes IL he commits all tneso
rules and exceptions to memory, ne still mas 'ia'
no has not acquired the power OF at once interpret
ing q lead. When ace is led, he seems to have 10
puzzle out the particular out OF the 80 ace ieas
to which the given lead may belong; and 80 Win
tho lead of king queen, knave etc.
Those who have tried Captain Walkers method
which Is also followed. though not quite so sys-
DRAMATICALLY by Cavendlsh and Others may be In
terested to learn tina. all the rules for Leading anu
for the Interpretation of leads may be easily pro-
sented IN u book page of moderate size. WHICH
propcrly presented the rules include only TWO cases
in which ace is led from strength and one In which
1t is led from weakness; only two cases In WHICH
king is led from strength, one from weakness; only
enc lead of queen from strength. and two queen
leads from weakness two leads of knave from
streuxth two from weakness three leads OF ten
from strength Tor length) one from weakness; two
leads of the nine from strength length, ono from
a short suit ali other leads being from the lowest.
There are few exceptions in trump leads. all COM
brned under q single general principle. When these
few leads have been learned. which can be done III
half an hour Tor in ten minutes by any one with
good memory, the student not only knows the cor
rect card to play from any suit but ut once under
stands the meaning of any card led either by his
partner OF by the opponents
In NV little treatise How to Play Whist"
have presented the various leads as played by all
who know the game. but without discussing the
reasons for these accepted rules Ii Is moro import
ant for the learner land my book was written Tor
the Iearner) to know what are the leads which Gus
tom enjoins, than to know why those leads have
been adopted Indeed most players of whist, even
among those who are really skilful, accept tho
rules for leading with very little inquiry into their
actual value knowing that they are tho results OF
careful inquiry and practical testing, and that even
If II could be shown that other rules would
be equally good, it would yet DO
fatal to success to adopt such rules,
and so to be playing at cross purposes with partner
But propose now. whilc restating these rules, to
inquire little into the reasons for their adoption,
and in particular to meet the objections which
those "detestabe partners" of Dcschapelles, the
players of their hands, are in the habit OF urg
ing against them.
WHEN THE ACE is To DE LED.-From long suit
~
headed by ace ace is only played in two cases, viz
from ace to five at least not including the king. and
from ace oueen knave with or without others. 1t is
easy to see why ace should be led, rs a rule from
ace with four more cards. The objects of the play
from long suit are first to make as many tricks as
possible in the suit, and secondly to establish the
suit. Now. if a small card is led from iive-card
suit there is considerable chance that the ace will
be ruffsd. The odds are, indeed, in favor of the
suit going round twice. If the reader Is very
anxious to know what the chances are, let him re-
joico in the following statement There are
300 1884, sos ,304 possible ways in which the cards
of suit may DO 80 arranged that one player mas
five. and there are only two kinds of arrangement
by which one player holding fve each of the others
may hold two at least. viz, by the remaining eight
cards living 8, 8, in the other hands OF 4, 2. 2.
Now the actual number of ways in which the for
merarrangemcnt can be obi aine1 is 0S, 53i O79,O7
while the other arran cement can be obtained in
g. 1872 1896 $40 ways; hence the arrangements by
which all the three other players will hold ut least
two cards of tho suit 1G5,710 4O5.712 IN all, or
considerably more than half the total number OF
arrangements possible. Moreover, of the remain
ing arrangements, by which the suit will run
shorter than two cards In of the other hands at
least nearly Oncthird put the short suit In part
ncr's hand, who would not ruff. The arrangements
by which tho other eight cards are distributed in
tho other hands, 80 that one hand has loss than
two, are First. 4, g. in the other hands. which
can happen in 80, Ill ,732.5G0 different ways;
secoudly, 8. 2, 1, which happen in
20,154, 607. 092 ways; thirdly. 4, A. o, which can
happen in 1895, 1858, 900 ways; fOurthly, o, g. o.,
which can happen in 1884 ,403 ways; and
lastly, @, q o. which can happen in ,13f,297, OLA
ways One-third Of these cases, which amount to
1109S0,744,S74 in all. are favorable. Tie re-
manning cases. of course viz. where the eight cards
arc distributed 9. l. 1, or q l, o, or 8, 0. o, in
Tho other hands are all unfavorabe. they amouat
everally to A. 478S2l GA to 6S9.Oi95O4, and to
l7,S76,42S. Adding these three sets to two-thirds
of tho preceding FIVE sets. wo get 80, 7201O,022
unfavorablc in all, less than one unfavor-
ablo case In three. Yet the chance which exists
that the ace will be rufed in nearly out of
three is toe great to DO unnecessarily risked. by
leadingrhe ace at once and then a snail card, the
nee Is almost certain to be made, and there is a
good chance of so far exhaustng the suit that
either the command will remain with the original
leader or O third round taken out by partner will
leave him with two long cards in the suit, which,
when tru1ps are extracted, will be as good as
trumps. or may DO effectively employed in forcing
The lead of ace from ace, queen knavc with or
without others. is obviously good; for after the
ace has made, one or other of the quecn-knave
sequence can be led forcing ont the king, and then
the suit remains in all probability established III
raytner holds the king guarded he would probably
net play IL on the queen, unless he saw that 1t was
absolutely essential he should give his partner the
chapcc Of leading the knave. whom he would take
the trick with the king and lead the little card
Usually however. he would refrain from taking
his partners trick; and thus II the leader had
originally five cards in the suit, his long suit would
be blocked. To avoid this it IS customary to lead
the knave from the queen nave sequence, after
ace has made when the suit was originally ace,
queen, knave and two others at least Then part
ner puts on the king, and tho long suit is prac-
ticaIly established. Of course, IT, beside the queen
and knaye the leader holds the ten. lie leads tina :
card instead of the knave, where no originally held
five, the queen, however. Il he only held the ace
though it may DO remarked that many players
doubt the wisdom of the convention by which
knavc, or lowest of queen-knave sequence, follows