The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-31

that im a long series o. games the naost
/ EkliifBi pair or team would CONE ont IN
the lead. bsst T. Is rarely practicable 70
arrange ssFea q series Certainly J. can
rot he done IN the contest for prizes a.
league Or ether tournament matches.
Way should pair or team Of players
Sn a match against Others about or quite
her equals ain ~ 4 number 81
tricks on one day. and be beaten BY the
same opponents BY as many o. more
tricks on auorner day. TIE answer o.
tha sJrfsce ~ fhas the winners n eaca
Gaze played the better game. This s. not
siways true. a. all whist players knor7-
For Fhere - sHffAcient luck 10 the game
a. duplicate whist &c throw & one way
or the other. sEppoztng ezch side TO play
careful and accurate game. But apart
from the question 81 luck. there can be
10 doubt % the <aCt that players vary
greatly 81 the style and quality % their
play a. different times. and this as The
point whteh / an now considering. All
players o. experience knoW the feeling
that comes over them. whence y would
be impossible TO guess. that they are
ftaylrg weh. and 20 advantage, or the
reverse. As the billiard player mas got
his Etroks or has not 50 is the whist
player N good form. or not. from aDeo-
luteiy incompF enensfbTe causes. For. lay
mental Illness or weakness. which do and
must affect the quzEty OF play. and as
sura4ng that the player - we'll and alert.
Il nevertheless Frequently happens taa<
things 20 grof1g. he and his partner do
nos hit II of yell t0Eer her. while as ad-
versailles are playing Ike a uni1 OF in
teiiigsace. This. as / say. Is 20 me one
OF the many curious things which mark
or attend the game % whist.
Isth nr
r. a regular corporation. established un-
der the laws Of Massachusetts providing
for the establishment Of associations for
charitable, educational and other Pur-
poses and in our charter our purpose
Is stated 10 be the study OF and educa-
tion n the science OF whist.
In the general sense OF the term,
whist is. OF course, a science. and there
81 plenty Of opportunity for study before
all It's principles are acquired. But there
Is a Limit 10 the amount that can be
learned about Il. and the more one stu
dies. the more vast seems the amount
that one can never learn about IL. Be
yond certain primary rules there Is much
uncertainty. Suppos!ng that there is sub
stantial argument as 20 the rules for de-
terTninlng the particular card 10 be led
from the various combinations. and also
a. 10 the general principles governing
the selection OF the suit 10 be led; stAl
beyond and after these points there
must be a great deal left 70 the players
judgment. Here the possibility of var!a-
ton Ia Views is very great. For in
stance. many players believe In the short
suit game and adopting and playing 10y
that system may and frequently do win.
Reasoning from that success. they may
conclude that that style OF play must al
ways be the best q am not going 20 dis
cuSs the merits or dement's Of any par
ticuiar style Of game. In my judgment
the best whist player Is the one who
knows how and when TO make use OF
any and all systems) But he results IN
these cases not only may. but very prob
ably do. depend 70 a great extent on the
temperament OF the players al the time,
the fact that one pair hard got their
stroke or struck their gait. and the
other had not. In my opinion there are
so many and such complex clements and
influences entering into the play. that
Il is impossible TO assign success 20 one
system or another II seems 20 me that
study and research here meet wsth
closed door or IA rler. l should say. with
vague shadows merely. which are impal-
pablo and infinite. one may understand
many. perhaps the most. Of his partners
idi0syncracies. But this same partner has
varying moods. and what may prove
guide and help when he Is feeling right
and playing his game may al another
time prove deluslon and a snare. His
idiosyncracies are hound 10 vary accord
ing TO his feelings at different times.
THE old Greek oracle's advice vas know
myself and the experience Of mankind
ever since is that II Is impossible 10 fol
low t.. No one can know himself, and
certainly cannot hope 20 know another
better than himself This Is so IN whist
as we'll as tn every thing else. \ differ
cnce ln style OF play may be very slight;
may not in any way depart from law or
principle. and yet may not he the play
er's real game. and loss may result even
though he may not be conscious OF any
difference OF style. have seen this not
irfrequeutly. The good whist player has
much can 20 use his guessing Or tmagina-
tive faculty. and the very Compartments
which are gifted with that faculty are
the most subject. / believe. 20 slight dis
turbing Influences. unperceived they may
be which yet affect the result.
The personal equation Is a very i'm
y,ortant. but az rhe same time very un-
certain factor in the result. These tenn
ornamental changes and Influences. while
they DO not dctract from a players real
sktu. VET do undoubtedly cause him -
play bctter. or more successfully. a.
some times than AZ others. 1t would
seem. therefore. as Il 81 were practically
fr7rossihle 10 devise a hard and fast Sys-
ter, - test Absolutely ;he comparative
sknl Of whist PLAYERS. I believe. also.
that such a test wouif nc a very unde-
si~ahie thing. = lt were at;aioable. ] do
nor fhtnk We should enjoy having each
r,lave~ tS-kefea WITH bis exact rank and
star4srr n We eou}3 ar-omrtish II. For
these reasons I. for one. cannot regret
fhet th., hopes - srieh IS test which Some
cherished when duplicate whist first aP-
reared have not Neen fulaicfi"
rhe rr-sut natrh between the Wash
tns-.oss ClsA wAlss T@ayrrs and those from
Ts-,r,a brings forth thc folicvsng from
rho r.art~atiau called Whisf- The Wash
f-,-.,u s,lp',. 81 Seattle. requested tAai Va
h, So on ta~u IN publishing fhe re-
..,-f 81 -hetr match wtfh che Tacoma
U1fs. ,iuh. and 80 ~ are careful 20
D,er~, these remarks AZ sonao distance
s-.ln +h, score. - that none ~ oar read
,-s wsu ~~nasef taNzn. The Seattle play
e-s a. ra, re1uze tbat fhev have mai"
,Na verv best stare possible ard fhat
fnev have ths hest Kind 81 an c3r0rtnn-
tl- nrN - show Improvement ln pay
"a make sr~tsesF3a Tc-9t3."
Cosmopolitan W hist club.
The asrrtsef arf hsil given THURSDAY
evening ~ Prrrch.s haB ev the '0s-
y,,a..aNfar Wntst CtHh WAS an orraston