The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
THE NESTOR or AMERICAN WHIST
PLAYERS TOES THE SCRATCH.
He Acknowledges the FaiIncy or the Long
Suit TheOrY-On Loading Trnnpa-Ann.

Suit Theory-On Leading Trunps-Ann-
ly1ing - Gnme-A Perception Frohiern.
The long and the short suit discussion is ut an
end. There Is nothing left to discuss. The
champion of the so-rallod long.suiters. the
Nestor OF American whist players, toes tho
scratch in the Philudriphid TclcurdDh, Dec. lo,
and acknowledges the fallacy OF the principle
laid down by DR.. Pole that the original lead of
the longest suit Is dipdys thu best play; "strong-
est for attack, safest for defence, universally
practicable, and free from all objections."
DR., Poles system, ike ali our whist theories.
was based upon an idea and not upon facts. He
attempted to demonstrate, with all the power of
logic at his IN that to refuse TO lead
from a suit % four or more cards, unless they
were tho trumps, was a violation of tho fundn-
mental pripciple of the scientihc or philosoph-
ical game. A lead from u suit of two cards, no
matter what the circumstances or what the
other components Of the hand. was still worse,
md the lead of II singleton was so bad that to
be hated IL needed only to be seen.
Milton Work, in attempting to reconcile this
theory with the style of play now adopted by
the champion Hamilton team, says: THE long
suit player of to-day does not propose to handi-
cnp himself by sticking to the lonu-suit meth
ods OF years none by. He will mako usc of the
trlck-taking devices that have been added to
HIS system"
The lonp.suit methods OF years gone by are
exactly the Same as the lone-suit methods of
to-day. The lone-suit principle can neither be
added to nor taken from. DR.. Pole did not say
that the lonp.suit opening was sometimes the
best, or would probably DO the best for certain
hands, but that 1t was absolutely and unques-
tionably tho best for all possible hands. That
tricks might be made in certain hnnds by play
ing to establish, defend, and bring In the small
cards OF n long suit ia ono of tho elemen-
tnry principles of whist. and has been taught
by every writer on the game from Hoyle down.
DR.. Poles theory, that It was an advantage
to adopt the invariable opening Of the long suit,
is either true or 1t is false. His argument is not
based on facts, but on logic, with which age has
nothing to do. II his logic is false today, 1t
was false thirty years ago. II the %long-suit the.
,u,ao. 1. . sr...
oryi u i"'iaeS "om'n Always vas u 'a'incS'
There is no escape from that proposition. THE
u,ho,a 1t, a.or,a thn, ,ho asnit thoons
"hoie WHIST "oriu, 'n"' the i"ne-sui' Theory
IT q out tl in time. 'j IN a series a Of articles. te,,i n hnS
~, 90 .,...s,.oa ~. go ..o.t
ton. and n, it has consistently maintained rDiO d from 70
first to last that there are MANY hands from
n.hi,h .ha roaa ~ tho ,,,ros, .,it v,or,a ho had
which the leao OF the longest suit would DC oao
whist, DR.. Pole, "Cavendish," and all the mod
ern writ.rs on the game tn the contrary mot
u,i,,s.aaaI.a IN. -, ~ ~
withstandihE. lhe extent OF the departure
from the long-suit principle is q matter for in
dividual judgment. and its details can be settled
ohtS ny tinhe oha eApeTiehce.
There are no "trick-taking devices of the
nreaent dav, which bave not heon triad In ,in,os
80 .'
past. The only absolutely new thing In whist
long su;t That fa,,a,v axno.ed ,,o .,t ha,l N
1874 ,uao,uia. .s 80 "
cease to play whist by machinery. In stating the
system now adopted by the champions. Milton
l., p
or N long su,, Ia to hs onened nv tho Hamilton
team is left To the Judgment NJ the onener with
10 .nN . o'e"ol, W.
the Following INSTRUCTIONS: Always open the
long suit. unless 1t is plainly a disad vantageous
ono In lead from and Won hav. a shnr, srIt we'll
ono 10 ieaa rom ahu you nave d snort SUI. wei,
adapted LOT opening purposes. such as queen ana
one other: queen Jack. with or without others;
These are given as some OF the Undertaking
devices OF the present time that have been add
ed to the long-suit system. They are among the
oldest trick-taking devices in the game. and
are fat dcnials OF the lonK-sult theory. not
additions to 1t. The SUN would call them
common-sense leads. That Milton Work has
but recently come to see their value will be
apparent to any one who has read his whist
OF To-day on page so OF which he says that
opening a short suit. except for the purpose Of
showing four trumps, is unsound.
The mere fact that the team which holds the
double championship of the whist world recog-
nizes and recommends, such leads as two-card
suits as trick-taking devices renders any fur
ther discussion of long and short suit methods
quite unnecessary. II there is today a first
class player who still believes in tho invariable
lead OF the longest suit he should be stuffed and
put in a museum.
The fundamental proposition advanced by
THE Sun being agreed to, that there are hands
in which short-suit openings are better than
~long-suit leads, IT remains for the whist players
and writer's of this country to determine what
those hands are, and their limitations. Start
ing with u clear field and no favor. let us all get
together and study out a system of play which
shall be based on facts. and not on the fancies
OF a college professor. and let us call it the
American game.
On LEADING TRuMPs.
Several correspondents have expressed sur
prise at the boldness OF the Philadelphia player
on Mrs. Newbold's team in leading trumpsf from
four only. with an unestablished suit, and no
possible card of reentry except n singleton king.
Tho lead was certainly fortunate, but fortune
seems TO favor the brave in leading trumps.
One OF the greatest players of the old school
used to say that the man who led trumps the
oftenest would win the most games, but very
few players OF the modern school seem to believe
in that theory. Duplicate whist saps the
courage, and players are afraid to take a
chance. although it is notorious that most OF
the big swings" made in match play are due
to leading or not leading trumps. The dread Of
the everyday has led most of US to reverse the old