, 1890-10-22
POINTS ON CARDS
A Few Easy bat Important Question
About whist Answered..

A Few Easy bat Important oEsstIons
About whist Answered.
/ have been asked the following CUES
piJns 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 n glance over the interminable pages
OF explanations. tables and hands would
bring on the St. Vitus dance or brain fever.
The reader must imagine the questions to
have been asked by an enthusiast, who has
played the game and likes IL. but who Is
not 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.
Answered. you want to signal to your
partner for trumps all you nave 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 3 and 2. Now, II you play
the 3 second hand. why you are playing an
unnecessarily high card, are you mott Other
wise you would play the q OF course you
haven't completed the signal yet. but you
have done your part. On the next round
OF clubs you play the 2, 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 of clubs. But
instead Of throwing the lowest club first
throw the next highest TO II. This Is an
unnecessarily high card. and when on the
next round OF this suit you discard your
lowest club you complete the signal.
Enthuslast-Of course. Now you spoke
OF di7cnrding. In a case ike this do you
throw OF from your weak or strong suit'
80 -1lUN .x- n..-lGI- -.
that on your opponents lead of trumps
discard from your long suit, and II you
or your partner are strong in trumps
discard from your weak suit. The point
Is That II you and your partner are
strong In trumps you want to make ali
you can out Of your long suits, and you
can't afford 20 weaken them. But II your
opponents are strong In trumps, then you
play n defensive game, and as your weak
suits are their strong suits, you hold on to
them to keep the command ms long as pos
sible.
enthusiast see. But suppose you are
weak In trumps, and yon nave no indica-
tion as to your opponents or FOUR part
ner's strength in themi
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, IL there
was any. But where you have no incica-
tlon OF what others hold, always discard
from your weak suit. or course your OPP
ponent's signal is practically for informa.
tory purposes, as good rs IL they led trumps,
and after It you would follow the rule and
discard from your strong suit.
Enthusiast-That's all right, But sup.
pose your partner doesn't notice n signal
given by your opponents It's very con-
ininR work to watch the cards as they
fall. Suppose my partner should fail to
see the signal, and that l. seeing 1t, should
discard from my long suit My partner
would be deceived, wouldn't hel Now
don't tell me my partner ought TO sec 1t.
| know that already. but nobody is infnlli-
BILE.
Answer-You have almost swer
your own question. Simply be guided by
god. common sense. Remember that
whist was not mAdn for rules, but rules
made for whist. Watch your partners
play, In a case like this It is better to fol-
low the rule the first time. and then at the
end Of the hand call your partners atten-
ton to his failure to sec the signal. II he
is IA good player you will have to remind
him but once. Tom MASON.