The San Francisco call., 1896-09-13
"Change Your Suit"
ga DEVELOPMENT OF THE ASK FOR
TRUMPS'

ga DEVELOPMENT OF THE ASK FOR
TRUMPS."
The writings of Major-General A. W.
Drayson for some reason have been be-
yond the understanding of the average
American whist player, or they have
never been read; it certainly must be one
thing or the other. How the whist-pl
ers of this country can overlook or ignore
the writings of so great man as Drayson
is beyond our comprehension. Because a
man writes and publishes a book is no
reason we should place him on pedestal
and worship him as great whist light" p"
Far from 1t. The whist woods are full OF
such writer's now-like ourselves, for in
stance.
But when a man writes as .Drayson
has written, ans his ideas being adopted
without credit 10 the author, it is cer-
talnly not the proper spirit to entertain.
For example, in 1879 we received from the
press copy of "The Art of Practical
Whist" the first edition, and Drayson ad-
vocated the lead of the penultimate (the
last but one) from suits of five, and the
antepenultimate (the one before the last
but one) from suits of six, and four pages
of this book were devoted to demonstrate
ing the advantages of this lead. Six years
later "Cavendish" compiled book on the
subject adopts the play under another
name, and forgets to men ton Drayson's s
name. Again, in 1870, Drayson advances
the idea of making an irregular opening
lead to call for trumps through an honor
turned. 1t was twenty-three years before
it was adopted by any club in this coun-
try. In 1885 n. B. Trist introduced an in
novation in the game called the Sub
echo" proclaiming the holding of three
trumps exactly-after telling your partner
you have not four.
in the spring of 1886. explaining this play,
and has used it with advanced players
ever since, but it took eight years to get it
into whist book. Then Cavendish puts
it into an appendix in his twenty-first
edition.
General Drayson says, $50 slowly does
anything new become either generally
years before the American leads were
ever submitted to trial" Some thirteen
years ago General Drayson submitted to
the whist-players a novelty that does not
yet appear to be understood. 1t is the
headlines of this article:
Change your suit" ga development
of the ask for trumps."
We will ask all our readers to carefully
note what we say on the subject and give
this play your careful consideration.
Many years ago, when the system was
introduced of playing an unnecessarily
high card, when you wished your partner
10 lead you a trump this system was
termed asking for trumps" and "sig-
naling." L now venture to suggest that
these terms should be expunged, and that
in their place whist-players should call
this system an intimation that the person
so playing an unnecessarily high card
wishes that on his partner gaining the
lead the partner should ''change his suit
to trumps'
My reason for considering this change
of term desirable is a most important one,
and the change of term tends to prepare
the minds of whist-players for that which
/ now propose.
Suppose you desire that trumps should
be led, and 1t is your partner lead. Your
partner leads king of hearts, diamonds
being trumps; TO this king of hearts you
play the five of hearts; your partner then
leads ace OF hearts, to this you play the
two OF hearts; by such play you tell your
partner to 'change his suit to trumps."
Your partner after time will find it Just
as easy to say, you asked me to "change
the suit TO trumps" as he now finds it to
say "Y ou asked me for trumps," or "You
signaled."
1t having become a conventional term
to say "You asked me to change my suit
to trumps," l now come to a development
of this system which will enable those
players who adopt it to convey to their
partners Information which may, and will
on many occasions, be worth two or even
three tricks.
AS at present understood, suppose my
partner held no trumps, or the thirteenth
trump, or the losing trump when the win
ming trump was in the hand of an ad-
versary, and suppose he led the king of a
suit and followed it by the ace; to his
king play the four, to the ace / play the
two; he would, according to the present
understood conventional system, say, "My
partner is asking for trumps," when
have none, or if he held the thirteenth