The herald., 1894-01-08
WHIST PLAYERS, ATTENTION,
Be Careful What Cards You
Throw Away.
\ Rules Which Apply to Scientific
Whist Playing.
The Discard the Most Important Feature
in the Game-A More Valuable
Source of Information
Than tn % Leads.

To the average whist player few points
appear less important than the discard;
to the genuine player, however, this
feature of the game is of the highest sig
ni6cance. In view of the fact that a
whist club has been recently organized
in this city, and also of tine increasing
interest taken in the game of science, the
following remarks made by Fisher Ames,
in the Brooklyn Eagle, may prove of in-
terest:
When you are acting upon the de-
feneive, it is questionable whether you
ought to tell your opponents Of the suit
in which you are strongest, ii such in
formation is likely to help them, and
not help your side. believe that this
part of the rule is subject to so many ex-
ceptons, that the fret discard when the
adversares have clear superiority IN
trumps should be recognized as depend
ent upon the conditions oil the
hand. Suppose, for instance, that
you hold two small trumps,
ace, queen and two small as your best
suit, queen and three email in another
suit, and three small cards OF the fourth
suit that the adversary on the LETT
leads trumps for three rounds, drawing
all but two, which must remain with
him; on the third round, suppose fol-
lowing the rule, you discard from your
ace, queen suit; you have notified him
not to lead that suit; he will assuredly
lead one of the other two suits, for one
Of them must be his partners etrong
suit, and in determining which of the
1.-TWO to lead his own cards OF the suit
may lead him to correct decision; at
any rate you have given him very inn
portant warning, which will be OF great
I assistance to him ID determining the
question. Your three small cards of the
I fourth suit are, we will suppose, abso-
lutely worthless; now, if you discard
one of them, instead of one from your
ace, queen suit, you cannot do yourself
or partner any harm, unless you per-
chance thereby mislead your partner. but
it seems to me that even that would be
lesser evil than giving to your adver-
sary such important information, as the
other discard would. Suppose it is
understood that the general rule is sub
ject to many exceptions and that the
strong trump hand cannot be cure OF the
n meaning OF your first discard any more
IN than your partner, unless his own cards
OF the suit were such as to explain it.
which is hardly likely, he is then obliged
/ to make his FIRST plain suit lead some
what in the dark.
He very probably would lead one OF
the other two suits, either Of which
1 would be much more to your advantage,
whether the third hand KS a high
card or not, for if he plays ace or King
In your queen and three small suit, you
y remain with the aecond beas card OF it
1 well guarded, and may still have your
ace. queen suit led up to. Suppose that
instead OF tie three small cards OF the
N fourth suit, you hold queen and the two
" low of it; in that case you should not
u discard from it, but from one of the
~ other suits.
N But here again is the same diff Guilty.
N II you discard from the ace, queen suit
iyou give adversaries very valuable in
formation, much more 80 than it can be
INK to your partner, who is at present in no
n >condition to make use of it, and may
Il not be until too late. The best discard
ERE, apart from the consideration OF
L Asy general rule, would, it seems
to, me, be from the queen and three
ow suit, for it is the least likely
to hurt your hand you still hold two
queens doubly guarded, and ace queen
in the other suit. Suppose you hold
ace, queen and one low in one suit, and
ace, rqueen and two low in each of the
other two plain suits, rather unlikely
u combination, perhaps, but any combina-
II lion may occur. Here it would be best
VI to discard from one of the four-card
u Iuits, and not deprive yourself of
Imsll card in the three-card suit to lead
II 10 your partner if it should prove that it
~ ls his suit.
But the discard would be based upon
iI bxpediency rather than the rule.
~ kr.11 L.. I
N .wo low in one suit, jack and four low
{A n another, and queen and two low in
|.f The third it might be little puzzling
r 10 decide at once which suit to dis
sard from; but still I think the
"a discard should be from the four
|N lack suit. not because it ia the best pro-
u ;ected euit, for it 10 no better protected
MI ihan the king and two low, but be-
n cause there wonld be less chance,
pn the whole, of taking q trick with
Il your jack, as by the third or fourth
4 round it would probably be trumped.
i In all cases, suppose the lead of a
M trump by your left-hand adversary and
hat no plain suit is led until your
\ Tumps are exhausted.
9of In such eases it is difficult to imagine
situation where it would prove advan-
M isgeous to discard from your best pro-
| n ;ected suit simply for the purpose of in
lorming your partner, and my judgment
& that when the left hand adversary
n takes three rounds OF trumps, and you
IN must discard on the third round, you
had better discard from that suit,
AL which on the whole leaves your hand in
M The best condition. In other words, in
&bhis particular situation the rule loses
VI lie obligatory force and ia superseded by
mother rule, which is the protection of
yDur hand