The San Francisco call., 1896-05-10

eS. we DIOnOSt W IOHQuCG our WTllSI
articles to reach and assist the beginners
who will study little. We also intend to
remain in shallow water, and not to wade
out cover our heads" which seems to be
the fashion with those that go into print
possessed with a smattering knowledge
of the game 1t is the custom with many
whist writer's to tell all about the grand
coup" the "fourchette," the ''echo of the
CALL" the "sub-echo'' and other things
before they try to get their readers
out of their whist kits. Like many others
that play at the game, in our own opinion
we knew more about whist before we ever
read or knew there was such thing as a
book published on the game than we did
after ten years of hard study. For about
five years we have been pupil of Miss Kate
Wheelock, and if the little queen will per-
NIT US to be one of her loyal subjects five
years more we will continue to be one of
her pupils. Her judgment and knowledge
of the game is so great that no question in
whist ever comes up that we do not
submit the same to her royal highness
as well as other whist authorities and no
one is ever more willing than our queen TO
help along those who are trying to help
themselves. This much we have said IN an
swer to letters received, asking if our whist
column Will continue, as it has started in,
to help those who are willing to study
little.
"Whist" for April is just at hand.
Many things that are said in this num-
Der will be food for the "tad" players
The columns of Whist are open for writers
on the game from all schools, and Just
now before the June congress takes place,
Whist is undoubtedly encouraging this
class OF players to get them to show up in
full force at the congress, and prove by
their play that their different systems of
fads have or have not ground to stand OF.
In the game just at the present time
there are lot OF players who are beating
'tom-tom," or playing on one string,
called the short-suit game. Every whist
player of the first rank knows there are
times when hand demands the opening
Of short suit just as we'll as other hands
demand the opening of the long suit. 1t
is not possible for It to occur in the lifetime
of an individual that two deals in
whist were ever exactly alike, consequently
they are never played alike. Some three
years ago, in an article that appeared in
the Brooklyn Eagle on the subject of how
to open the game and how your partner
should treat your original lead, we made
the following statement:
When the original leader opens a plain suit.
with both elements OF strength declared, his
partner should put forth all his energies TO es-
tablish that suit immedia tely and bring it in
later, and not try TO establish one in his own
hand. In this case, when the partner obtains
the lead for the first time, If he has card that
will assist in the establishment OF his partners
suit he should lead it at once, always bearing
in mind that very long suit will seldom II
ever, go round more than twice: or, should he
have four trumps, better still commence at
once TO exhaust them, Ii no one has called
or started q call. 1t is often the best whist to
do So even from three particularly if you have
a re-entry card and can force the last trump
II Tr1t hi
ways % it.
Again, should the original leader open SUIT
not very strong, and his partner has better
one, he should inform him at once by his re-
turn lead, speaking by the card, and should
say, ,t'The suit am leading from is better one
than you opened, and therefore you must
abandon yours and assist me TO establish this
one in my hand"
The essence of all good whist play is to make
all the tricks possible in each hand. In our
opinion the long and strong suit system is the
best way of accomplishing it. But should
neither you or your partner hold such suit,
then l contend is the time to go in for a rufiing
or short-suit game. / claim that it is not good
whist for the original leader to open his best
suit and expect his partner when he gets the
lead to do the same, merely to show the strong
suit of each partner, as advocated by some ali.
one deal two plain suits were ever established
and brought in. This being fact what is the
use of following such line OF play.
In this same article the writer took issue
with Cavendish and urged the adoption of
the fourth best from ace and four small.
Since his letter was written the latter has
| become universally adopted in this coun-
try.
Commenting on the above letter John
FL. Briggs, whose fame as whist-player
and whist.writer is known wherever whist
is played, says:
Your advice upon the return of your part
ner's suit was a great surprise 10 me- IT has
been a wonder that whist-players have not dis
covered the truths which you tell your readers
on the subject. You ought TO have a great
deal of interes shown in your good work bu +
l suppose the "cranks" pass it by because it is
free and probably most OF them can beat the
books
AS a warning to short-suit PLAYERS we
submit the following from the pen of
Milton G. Work in the Evening Telegraph
of a recent date on short-suit leads without
vital reason:
We do not know a Philadelphia PLAYER of
any considerable whist caliber who believes in
short-s1lit doctrines, but there are many who
take an occasional "hyer." A short-suit hand
which occurred in the second four match be-
will doubtless prove warning against such
experiments in important matches. The
leader cards were four trumps, king,
and two others OF one side suit, a
small singleton and three-card suit headed
by a ten. The lead OF the ten cost five tricks,
lost in the end play by the other SIDE Yet
this is the ideal short-suit hand, viz: open
ing strengthening card and keeping tenace
to be led up to. The PLAYER who led the short
suit got his tenace not led up to but led
through and found the king solus to his left.
ANSWERS TO QUERIES.
We are asked ''When that Woodland
match is to take place.
James H. Doolittle of the st. Nicholas
Hotel, an ardent devotee of whist, ar
ranged a match game between the Wood
land Whist Club OF Woodland and tn
and for some unknown reason he backs,
out.
We are asked our opinion in regard to
the original lead of jack or queen from ace
king, queen, jack and others. 1t is mat