St. Paul daily globe., 1896-02-09
OUR WHIST COLUMN.

OUR WHIST COLUMN.
| Beginning with this mornings issue,
the S u d ay Clio b e will contain a
column of whist, discussion and whist
news whichawill,f we believe, be Of the
greatest interest and value to our read
ers. No game outside of the realm of
| athletics and outdoor sports can at
all compare, lin the attraction which it
offers and in its growth IN popular
favor, to the game Of whist. AT the
present time, indeed, whist has dis
tanced all competitors among card
| games. Since its elevation almost to
the dignity Of a science, by the devel-
opment of ancient excallences and the
Introduction of modern and scientific
modes of play it has won It's way into
universal favor.
The formation 2f the American Whist
| league was but an expression of the
enthusiasm that inspired hard students
OF the game. Within the last few
years, however, that interest has dif-
who formerly regarded whist either IS
pastime, like chess, too purely intel
| lectual to compete for the favor of the
multitude, or as a more diversion, like
cinch, which might do to pass an idle
hour, but was not worthy of patient
and intelligent study. Every city In
| the country now, and most towns and
villages, have their regular whist clubs,
where the game is played with more
or less skill, but is at any rate studied
with an ambition for mastery. Every
where other clubs are being formed by
the unfnitiated, who put themselves
under instructors and engage in
the study Of whist rules and tactics
In fact. the game Of whist bids fair
to practically Danish other card games,
because Of its rare combination of
| chance and skill. The introduction of
team duplicate play has reduced the
former element to the minimum, and
enabled the relative strength of players
to be measured with approximate ex-
actness. ro.sI
The universal and everlasting charm
Of whist, as of chess and Of billiards,
Is that there Is always room to learn.
Nobody ever reaches the perfection Of
excellence. Ninety-nine players out Of
every hundred can study and practice
1t for the better part Of a lifetime and
still find in every hand played varia-
tions, new combinations and unfamiliar
situations that cali for the incest exer-
else of Judgment, and that offer
chances Of gain, and loss, opportunities
for daring play and fine calculation,
which carry with them a rare salts
faction. For this reason, all that re-
lates to the game,oo its fundamental
principles and the, methods Of play that
have been adopted by experts, will be
of universal interest to our readers.
The G l o b e considers itself excep-
tionally fortunate in having been able
to secure for the conduct of this de-
partment the services Of Mr.. George
L. Bum, who Is recognized as one Of
the best whist players in the world.
we say this advisedly and without
exaggeration. The common opinion Of
whist experts Is that there is no better
whist played anywhere than in the
United States. And among American
players there is no one who ranks
above Mr.. Bum. We are safe, there
fore, in saying that the whist column
Of the G b e under the direction of
gentleman who certainly has no su-
perior in his scientific mastery of the
game or in his expertness at play, will
carry to our readers an education
such as they could not obtain
elsewhere. The opening article, con-
tanning an analysis of some of the
hands played at the recent contest at
st. Louis, exhibiting the differences Of
play by which points are won or lost,
and followed by some general whist
news and notes. will give a taste of
one Of the good things that are to
be counted on hereafter as part Of
the feast which we intend to spread
each week for the readers of the n
day Clio be.