The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-12
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
THE sHoRT-sUITERS NOV THE
IATER-CI1Y Y URN4 uENT.


" W. ~ " A"NVNA
A Game AnniyIed- tIub Notes.
The intcr.city tournament, which came to IN
end April 5. will probably mark All epoch In tho
history os whist, M 1t Is tho FIRST time that there
Inns boen any long aud severe test of the merits
OF the so.cnllcd shor'.suit game.
Tho captain Of the winning team has long
maintained that American leads and long suits
were not essential to success Mt the whist table.
but the opportunity to prove the truth Of his
theories in actual play did not como until he
was invited to take part in this tournament, tho
result Of Witch involved the championship OF
New York, New JcrsrN. and Brooklyn. lie Sc
lcctcd for the other members Of his team three
men who never played the short.suit game be-
fore. but wore sufficiently convinced Of the
soundness Of their captains views to risk their
chances OF success upon them. When they
made the top score for tricks and points IN the
first round, 4. T. Baker. Chairman of tho Tour
nament Committee, wrote to their captain that
IL they could maintain their position during tho
remaining seven rounds. IL would do more to
prove the truth Of the theories advocated by
the Sunday SUN than all the printers Ink In
the world. They did maintain 1t. and stayed In
first place until tho end: and as Hawkins, the
star OF the tournament. said when 1t was all
over: 1.-THE game advocated by THE SuN Is good
enough for mo, and | am ready to play 1t against
any team In the world"
~ nv = iouhuo sho
made the top score for tricks four times and for
games won three times. During the tourna-
ment they played two set matches, defeating
tho Continental Whist Club champions OF New
York. and the Union League Club, champions
of Brooklyn.
Several reasons are assigned for their success
every reason. in fact, but the right one. Some
said they were wonderful whist players and
could beat any team. no matter what system
thay nlu yn1 ntIara caib THAR syatnm ,yna fulI
OF traps for their adversRries, into most OF which
the said adversarics fell. one thing was admit
ted by all: that tho shOrt-suiterS made no
change in their tactics. no matter what
style OF play they were opposed to. while
the long-suiters had to change their game
very materially when playing against them.
defensive trump leads being very frequent.
This would seem in itself n strong arRu-
mcnt for the superiority Of the short-suit game:
for il the long-suit game had to be changed to
meet 1t. 1t must have been the weaker OF the two.
or It would not have been compelled to give
way. One thing is certain, IL the short-suiters
were to win fifty matches the long-suiters
would find some excuse for 1t other than the
SYSTEM; but if they were to lose one the result
would Immediately be c.Gimed as proof positive
that the short-suit game was a failure.
II 1t Is true, as claimed by Briggs, Bum. and
Work. that the short-sult system is a trick
losing game. the men who adopt it must be
phenomenal players so to handle a trick-losing
system as to defeat all the best teams IN New
York. New Jersey. and Brooklyn in n tour
namcnt lasting eight days. II they are such
wonderful players. 1t only proves the falsencss
Of the oft-repcated statement that all the best
players" use American leads. and play the long
suit game. 1t is very singular that men OF such
remarkable whist ability should be so blind to
all the pretended advantages OF modern
scientific whist. They usp no uumhpr-
showing leads. no pla!n-suit echoes. TO
unlocking tactics. no calls through honors
turned. no four signals: and on the advice of
their captain they even discarded that pillar of
modern whist. the lead of the fourth best. and
with it the eleven rule which was his invention.
AS Foster saws in the preface to his whist
Tactics": These pillars OF modern whist are
built Of clay. with their foundations in the
sand. The only outcome of their use has been
70 complicate the game. until the mental ener.
trifes that the intellect is not sufficiently
fresh and clear, to grasp The really important
THE TRUMP ATTACK.
The proper management OF trumps is the first
thing to demand attention in any system OF
play: In his lectures on whist one Of the first
things Foster insists upon is that three things
will make any man g tirst-class whist player:
Knowing when to lead trunps. when to change
suits, and what suit to leai when he does
change. OF these the most important has nj
ways been the selection OF the proper moment
Mathews, 1904. says: Unless you have a
strong suit yourself, or reason to suppose yonr
have six" Maxim 90
Admiral Burney, 1923, says: III, with five
are dealt to you, 1t will be better to lead from
the ln,ter" u; III With sig ,rnmps he pre-,
cards in each plain suit he advises the trump
lead, reGard leis Of The number or strength OF
Major A., 1875. says: You should not lead
trumps. even with six. unless you have. or sup.
pose your partner to hold. II strong suit
Cmlebs. 1851, says: with many players it is
"a an rHiS n pnrtn t@ , snlis. sFu' p ~ YIN hs a tSen h siH@.
four special motives for leading trumps: divid-
ing them into offensive and defensive The of;
strength, although accom- panied by no strong
suit; and, when you want TO establish defend j
n long suit. He particularly insists on the ne
cessity OF these offensive leads being immeii-
ately returned by the PARTNER The defensive
leads are: a lead through an honor turned, and
a lead to strengthen partner. In both these
cases he recommends the lend OF the highest
TRUMP; and says tru'nps, should never be re-
turned 5E the partner unless it suits his own
hand. With Ave trumps. he says i is the gem
eral rule to extract two rounds; with six trumps
this Is imperative; The ace should be first led II
i%Ird r .oan 1hs 10 Leader t1s sc sn"gld EEr ,SIs6. winniHn s o the
to suggest the lead Of a small card from X . x
X in trumps.
When We come to Pole. we find recommended
the uni. ersal lend of trumps from five or more.
Since tho introduction Of duplicate whist the
questioned, and few OF our best players follow
il. Hamilton, page 2iO. says: ut is a waste OF
ammunition 10 fire oil your trumps too early in
the hand. The only object IN disarminE Your
partner and ) our opponents should he to make
good your long. suits. II you have no master
cards to make, IL is better to keep your trumps
for the middle or end play, or until the master
cards have declared themselves in partners
hand"
Milton Work. IN his excellent handbook,
whist of To-day" saws: The advanced
player knows that leading trumpS from five is
often very extensive, lie thinks II there are
three nouors In the five trumps. counting the
ten as one, II would be n very -XceptiOnai hand
In which the TRUMP would not be the correct
opening. With II good tivc-CRrd suit and five
trumps, he thinks trumps should he led but
with five trumpS and n long weak suit, he goes
back to Admiral Burncv. and advises the lead
of the plain suit first. with five trumps, and u
fpur-card suit containing only one honor, he
thinks the short-su!t game would sometimes he
effective. lie rather %ConfuseS his argument by
saying that such a lead might prevent the adj
versaries from leading trumps, and induce them
10 force, II the leader does not want Ia lead
his trnmps, Il may vel, be asked what he pro-