The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-27
POINTS OH CARDS.
A Few Easy but Important Questions
About Whist Answered.


have been asked lie following ques-
tions in fourteen states Of the Union. The
answers are contained in every good whist
| text book, but a whist text book is Greek
to the average mortal, and anything more
than a glance over the interminable pages
Of explanations. tables and hands would
bring on the ST. Vitug dance or brain fever.
The reader must Imagine the questions to
have been asked by an enthusiast, who has
| played the game and likes it. but who i
I aot familiar with the rules.
Enthusiastic understand that | should
lead originally from my long suit, and that
when have five or more trumps it's best
TO lead them out. But can t get the signal
through my head.
Answer-If you want to signal to your
! partner for trumps all you have to do is TO
! play an unnecessarily high card. That's
| the whole thing in a nutshell. Suppose
! your right hand opponent leads clubs and
! you have the and 2 Now. if you play
! the second hand, why you are playing an
unnecessarily high card, are you not; Other
wise you would play the 2. OF course you
haven't completed the signal yet, but you
have done your part. On the next round
of clubs you play the ., and then your part
ner sees your call Suppose your left hand
opponent leads diamonds and you haven't
any. The trick belongs to your partner
second hand and you throw off clubs But
instead of throwing the lowest club first
throw the next highest to il. This is an
unnecessarily high card, and when on the
next round Of this suit you discard your
lowest club you complete the signal.
Enthusidst-Of course. Now you spoke
of discarding In a case like this do you
throw off from your weak or strong suit?
Answer-That depends Cavendish says
that on your opponents lead of trumps
discard from your long suit, and if you
or your partner are strong in trumps
discard from your weak suit. The point
is that if you and your partner are
strong in trumps you want to make all
you can out of your long suits, and you
can't afford to weaken them. But if your
opponents are strong in trumps, then you
play a defensive game, and as your weak
suits are their strong suits, you hold on to
them to keep the command as long as pos
sible.
Enthusiastic see. But suppose you are
weak in trumps, and you have no indica-
ton as to your opponents or your part
ners strength in them?
Answer-This could only happen in the
first round, unless the suits were changed,
for the second round of the same suit
would declare somebody's signal, if there
was any. But where you have no indica-
ton of what others hold, always discard
from your weak suit. OF course your op-
ponent's signal is practically for informa-
tory purposes, RS good Us if they led trumps,
and after it you would follow the rule aud
discard from your strong suit.
Enthusiast-Thats all right. But sup
pose your partner doesn't notice a signal
given by your opponents It's very con-
fning work to watch the cards as they
fall. Suppose my partner should fail to
see the signal, and that |, seeing it, should
discard from my long suit. My partner
would be deceived wouldn't he? Now
don't tell me my partner ought to see it.
/ know that already. but nobody is infaili-
bic.
Answer-You have almost answered
your own question. Simply be guided by
good common sense. Remember that .
whist was not made for rules but rules
made for whist. Watch your partners
play. In a case Ike this it is better to fol
low the rule the first time, and then at the
end of the hand call your partners atten-
GOn to his failure 10 see the signal If he
is good player you will have to remind .
him but once. Ton MASON