The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-24

Whist Editor" CALL, City.l
Many beginners at whist seldom if ever
lay any importance on the subject of dis
carding. Few points OF whist-play are
more important, and, it might be added,
few are more neglected than the discard.
An original discard is like an original lead
in its significance; forced discard has a
meaning akin to that of forced lead. 1t
| is as important to distinguish forced
from an original discard as to avoid mis-
taking a lead from weakness for lead
from strength; and finally, to discard
properly at the close of hand, often re-
quires as much skill as the art of rightly
placing the lead at that stage of the game.
When you have to discard to the first
suit led, that suit being PLAIN, and no in
dication having been given of trum p
strength anywhere, your course is simple
If the plain suit is your partners, you dis
card from your shortest suit, unless in SO
doing you have to unguard king or
! queen, when, unless you are very strong
in trumps, it is better to discard from the
suit which needs least protection; though,
of course, you would unguard king or
queen unhesitatingly rather than injure a
long and strong suit of your own.
If the suit (plain) which you first fail in
is your adversary's you equally discard
| from your shortest suit, in general; but to
the exceptions just noted may be added,
! first, the case where you have to leave an
| ace single, and, second, the case of your
! shortest suit being singleton. For when
an adversarys suit has been exhausted
your weakest suit is likely to be your
partners best, ana it may be matter of
! 1QtQr 70 tyivp hi m q 10 n6
in 1t. But if your own suit is strong as
we'll as long, and you are fairly strong in
| trumps, you may more safely uncover an
ace or discard singleton, for the close of
the hand is more likely to be under your
control than under your partners. You
must weigh the chances, and take your
chance, just as you have to do when forced
to lead from weak suit without knowl-
edge how your partner stands in it.
When trump strength has been declared
either by the signal or by lead before. the
occasion comes for discard, or when you
have to discard to trumps, the general
rule Is, discard from your weakest suit if
trump strength lies or appears to lie with
| you and your partner from your longest
and best protected suit when trump
| strength lies or appears to lie with the
adversaries. But so long as there is a
chance of bringing in your long suit you
should not discard from it. While doubt
remains as to the position of trump
! strength avoid unguarding king or queen,
/ uDcovering an ace, or discarding single
! ton; but when it is certain that your part
ner has commanding strength in trumps
| you need be less careful on these points,
for there is little to fear but that your
| partner will get the lead when he wants it.
Albeit, cases sometimes arise where your
| long suit is worthless, and SO much mani
testify depends on your giving your partner
lead, or keeping guarded strong card
IN his suit that you must discard, even
| originally, from your long suit Common
sense must guide you in such cases. Re-
member, however, as a general rule for
| learners, that your original discard indi-
! Gates your shortest suit ii trump strength
Is not declared against you, your longest
! suit if it is. Subsequent discards have no
such significance. One of the most i'm
portant points In whist training is to learn
to notice the original discard of each play
er as carefully as you should notice his
lead. Until you do this you cannot prop
erly be said to play whist at all.
ANSWERS TO QUERIES.
The entire management OF the Brooklyn
| Whist Congress, which will be the great
est gathering OF whist-players the world
| has ever seen, is in the hands of the League
tournament committee, consisting of:
Robert II. Weems, Brooklyn, chairman |;
Milton G. Work, Philadelphia; John T.
Mitchell, Chicago; E. T. Baker, Brooklyn /;
| E. LIE Roy Smith, Albany, and P. J. Tor
mey San Francisco
| We are asked this question: "When is a
player justified in calling for trumps 2"
Our answer, in as few words as possible, is:
! Whenever you are strong enough in
| trumps and plain suits to say to your part
ner, Surrender your entire hand to mine !;
l will promise you something handsome
on our score" call then fearlessly. We
will state that whist-players OF the first
rank seldom call.
| What is the correct lead holding king,
queen and two small trumps, partner hav-
ing signale6?
Our table published May gives you the
| information, but to settle the dispute, the
| queen should be led, followed with king,
marks four trumps in the hand at least.
| In answer to the question, "Is it custom
| airy to declare one suit trumps for the
whole EVENING"" we will say, no.
The rule adopted by the American Whist
League and which governs the play of all
league clubs reads as follows:
The trump card must be recorded before the
play begins on slip provided for that pur-
| pose. When the deal has been played the slip
on which the trump has been recorded must
| be placed by the dealer on the top of his cards
but the trump card must not be again turned
! until the hands are taken up for the purpose
OF overplaying them, at which time il must be
turned and Left face upward on the table until
II Is the dealers turn 10 play to the first trick
The slip on which the trump card is recorded
must be turned face downward as soon as the
trump card is taken up by the dealer.
WHISTLES.
The opening contest at the Brooklyn
! Congress will be q match between the aux
Hilary associations Monday afternoon and
evening. June %. Brooklyn gives tro-
ply to the winner of this contest. which
will be hereafter subject to challenge.
The only associations that will be able to
compete in this matter will be the New
England, New JERSEY and Indiana.
The New York Whist Club. club re-
Gently organized in the city of New York
and just admitted to the American Whist
League, is going to send "short suit
team" to the Brooklyn congress to cap
Whist Club of Boston tried that same
thing last year at Minneapolis, and they
came pretty near staying in one whole
| day-out of the five.