Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-13
HOW TO PLAY SHORT SUITS.
Questions Being Discussed by the
Whist Players.

Whist Players.
A correspondent asks us how to play the
short-suit game, says the Philadelphia
Evening Telegraph. We answer that
there are at present almost as many
short suit games advocated as there
are players advocating them. Almost
every one has his special IDEAS Mr.
Howell of Boston has suggested q very
ingenious system by which each card led
has specific meaning and a great amount.
of information. It is very fine when it fits,
but when the card you want to lead won't
give the right information, or when you
want to give certain information, and no
card in your hand will convey 1t, the How
ell system is apt to prove dismal failure.
AS far as we are advised, it will have few
supporters at the Brooklyn congress. The
best short-suit system we know is thus de-
scribed by New York correspondent, who
firmly believes in it:
PLAY for the long suit If there is any rea-
sonable hope for it; not otherwise. Dc not
lead from ten-ace suits of less than five
cards. Never lead queen with more than
two cards in the suit. Use no number show
ing leads in plain suits. The lead of an ace
shows running to cover. The lead of
king means ace with it, and playing for
tricks while you may; or it means both
queen and jack or both queen and ten.
Never lead a king from king-Cueen and
two three; avoid leading If from king queen
and one other, If you can. All cards above
the seven and below the king support
ing cards; all below the eight are from
long suits, well supported by cards of re-
entry and trumps, jacks, tens, mines and
Fights may be Intermediates
LAS rule, cover everything second hand,
so that no play that covers adverse
card second HAND Is call for trumps.
This is the game the Manhattan team
common sense whist
The above system unauestionably has
some common sense in it, and some fea-
lures that do not appear to us Astounding
with that commodity.
The rule to cover everything second
hand" which would, of course, apply to
the long-suit game as well, has two obvious
advantages. 1t prevents the second hand
from signaling for trumps in its usual way,
and makes it impossible for the partner to
read the length Of the suit in hand. The
first advantage could easily be eliminated
by making it trump signal when second
hand player under such circumstances re-
fused to cover small card led when hold
ing a covering card. 1t can also be argued
with force that the suit being the adver-
saries, deception in 1t may not be unadvsa-
BILE. On this latter point we are more than
doubtful. we suggest that our experts give
it with the trump signal amendment suS-
gested above, practical test.
Strengthening Cards.
Mr.. ]. E. Otis thus writes on the above
topic in the Newark News:
There Is great stress made by many
whist players, particularly of late, upon the
value of supporting or strengthening cards
They are beautiful cards to lead sometimes.
especially when they happen to be your
partners suit, but then you know one cam
not always guess correctly, and IL thew
happen to be strengtheners for your oppo-
nents' suits. you do not feel quite as wen
satisfied over the result: In fact, you are
inclined to feel depressed and sad, unless
they are things Of beauty, but when sue
cessful, the joy forever fever somehow
seems to get hold Of some people and some
pervade the strengtheners' mind, and the
patient raves against everything else Then
again the disease is infectious, which is
not at all strange when 1t is considered that