St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-08

OUR WHIST CORNER

49,
The New York Suns whist column
for the past two issues has contained
statistics to burn-and that's all they
are good for. Were it not for the
knowledge that the editor has been
doing nothing since the column was
started except trying to prove the ad
VantageS of the short-suit game, we
would not know what he was driving
at but under the circumstances We
guess he is endeavoring to bolster up
his arguments in favor of the short
suit lead, The statistics consist of ta-
bles showing all the different long suits
held in the Hamilton trophy finals in
1898, 1894 and 1896, which were opened
by the different players. The allega-
lions are that very few tricks were
taken in these suits by the players who
led from them or their partners The
thing sought to be proved is, we sup
pose. that if these suits had not been
opened more tricks would have been
taken in them, and consequently, ac-
cordlng to the profound logic of the
editor, the suits should never have
been opened at ALL but a short suit
should have been led in each case,
Whereupon, of course the adversaries
Will proceed to lead their short suits,
Which will be the long suits of the orig
mai leaders, and the original leaders
Will then proceed to take tricks in those
long suits. In other words, the argu-
ment is this: 1 can take more tricks
IN my suit If the adversary is kind
enough to lead it for me- so I'll Just
give him few tricks in his long suit,
and in return perhaps he will give me
few in mine. I'll be fair about il:
I'll give first and trust to his generosity
IN returning the gift OF course, the
mere statement Of this argument is an
absurdity; in the first place, it con-
ta1ns an admission that the short-suit
lead Is going to give the adversaries
tricks in their long suits that they
could not get if compelled to lead them
themselves-a practical confession that
the short-suit game is a decided ad-
vantage to the opponents. In the next
place, 1t entirely overlooks the fact that
the adversary, with the great advan-
tage of having his suit established by
ms opponents lead, before he returns
the favor, is very apt to exhaust
trumpS and make a few cards of that
established suit, giving his partner
ulscards OF the losing cards in the long
suit of the original leader. After he
does that he may be ungenerous enough
10 lead his partners declared suit be-
lore paying the debt he owes to the
adversary. After his partner has
taken few tricks himself he NAV
Ieel charltably enough disposed and
ptopaply IS deVoutly thankful for the
Tricks presented, but there are onlv
thirteen cards in a hand at whist and
the deal is over.
THE absurd" Low LEAD.
Foster has taken occasion several +ir,o. 90
iate 10 refer to the absurd lead of forrtI
pest from ace and four or five others VVh;In
n.Iioh are wen aware that this argument
Will VIII caSrv rs truly Fosterian in style,
nI.,,o carry no weight with whist
players who are capabIe of ;nd
pendent thought, or who realize Fosters nosi-
ZION enl IN the whist world, yet it is undeniabIv
weieht ti"s ms views even now carry certain
&elsht among those who know Foster ONLY as
tne author OF an admirable primer on whist
ana the formulator of the eleven ruIe Tbe
ie'a that roster calls absurd" had its origin
oils; we 90 not mean that individual whist
payers had not experimental with it at times
out the flrst systematic use of the low Load
was maze mere; its first introduction into the
"iilst o! tne country was at Chicago in 1893
Where the Minneapolis team won the chamn
lonshlp. We naturally, therefore, take a faith
erly interest in the lead and mildly resent ar
taCks tnat are not backed up with argument
VI PROOF. Whlle we do not think for mo-
ment that the lead needs any defense against
the Foster attack, it may not be uninterestine
II we give here the results of close ANALYSIS
or the 144 deals played by st. Paul against
three recent matches for the A. w L. trophy
This analysis has been made with a view to
determining whether results were in favor of
the low lead or against it. In the 144 deals
there were held forty -four suits containing
either ace and four others or ace and FIVE
others. Thirty-three Of the suits were opened
by StPaul or its opponents, or by both; eleven
were not opened, the original lead in the suit
coming from the adversaries partner; of
course, all combinations containing ace and
king, or ace, queen and jack, are excluded.
Thirty-three of the forty-four were five-card
suits, eleven siX-card suits OF the fve-card
suits, st. Paul led from twenty-one, and in
each case led low. Her opponents opened
twenty seven Of the suits, leading low in thir-
teen cases and ace in fourteen. OF the eleven
siX-card suits, St. Paul opened eight, leading
ace in four instances and low in four in
stances. Her opponents opened each of the
same eight suits with the ace, but led low
from one suit of six which was not opened
by st. Paul, the lead coming from the St.
Paul players partner. The low lead from the
fVe-card suits gained nine tricks on eight
deals over the lead of the ace, and lost two on
two deals; in fourteen cases the low lead re-
suited the same as that of ace; the low lead
from the six-card suits gained, or would have
gained had it been made, nine tricks on six
deals, and did not lose single trick, nor
would it have lost a single trick if it had been
made in every case; in three instances the
lead of low card or the lead of ace would
have made no difference. On one deal, st.
Paul gained three tricks by the low lead
from ace and five others, and on another deal
two tricks. The score up to date, there
fore stands Is to 2 in favor of the low lead.
No gain made that was not directly duo to
the low lead has been counted in the above
ANALYSIS, nor has there been the slightest de-
parture from fairness in figuring out the
gains and losses. The records of the play
are open to the inspection of all who doubt
the correctness of these conclusions.
ST. PAUL VS.. CHICAGO.
The following deals were played in the st.
Paul-Chcago match, and present many inter-
esting points of play:
DEAL 1S.
The Hands
North - Spades, K, 10, g.. 7, 4; hearts,
9, T. q clubs, 10, 4, 2; diamonds, J. 10.
East-Spades, G. 8, 2; hearts, A, K, @; clubs,
X, @, 5, 3; diamonds, 8, Z 6. South-Spades,
O. S; hearts, ], 10; clubs, ], g. Z, 6; dia-
monds, A. Q, 5, 4, 2. West-Spades, A, j, .;
hearts, s, G, s. A, 81 clubs, A. 8; diamonds,
K, 8, g. Ten clubs turned. Leader, East.
The Play
Table / Table 2
Chicago North and ST. Paul, North and
South. South.
n E. S. w. n E. S. w.
&c &c &c SAC Oh *Kh 1Oh 3h
1Oc soc SC SC IN *Qh Jh 4h
4c axe JIG Sd &c &c &c SAC
Oh *Ah 10h Al 10c soc Sc Sc
III #Kh Jh 3hl 4c *Kc &c Sd
Oh Oh SIC 5h Oh *Ah SIS 5h
10d Sd 4d %Kd As 6s Qs *As
As Is sd Ssh rs rs SIC Sh
Is IS I'd sch *1Od Cd 4d Sd
A-t 4