The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-07
THE WHIST TABLE.
A CLOSE MATCH BET WEEN THE Al
BANT AND Tux COLUMBIA
ITHLETIC CLUBS.

nv tho Score of FL to 1S tho Formers
Team Beats nm Untrainod Team from
the Athletic Ciub-Tho Hest system.
Tho match between the Albany Club. holders
Of the challenge trophy. and the Columbia
Athletic Club. challengers, was looked forward
TO with more interest than any trophy match
aimee American beat Hamilton. on account OF
the di Inference In system employed by the two
teams. The Albany players are unquestionably
the stronger. especially in team work. which is
everything In match play. Up to the last tho
C, A.. G.. did not seem to know what players to
send, and consequently they had no thorough
drilling 10 q team. The fnsi re-ult was much
closer than expected, Albany winning by six
tricks. the sco,o being twonty-ono to fifteen.
Albany believes in the out-and-out long-suit
game, with American leads. The so-called
ALBANY Lead which Is the top of q three
card suit. to show no plain suit Of four cards,
and no reason to lead from tho four trumps. Is
very little used. II an honor IL turned and u
three-card suit is opened from tho top In this
manner. II is q coll to lead through the honor
turned. A great deal Is left to tho judgment OF
the player whether or not to show the four
trumps, or to call through tho honor. bu. tho
team as a whole believe the top Of a three-card
suit Is better than the old "Cavendish" lead OF
the small trump from four.
The Washington players, on tho other hand.
while following the long.suit theory as q gen.
sral principle, are not averse to Opening short
r1its with supporting cards. They do not be-
iievo in any o. the purely arbitrary conventions
90 common among modern players. DR.. Walls
Of the c. A.. C.. team, writing In the Washington
Port, says he does not consider private convcn-
alitles as legitimate strategy. and thinks whist
PLAYERS who profess to belong to the first class
should DO above such practices, and should have
sunicient confidence In their ability to play to
the drop OF the cards. adapting their play to
Che various situations that arise during the
play OF the hand. Tho G. A.C. team will not
70 so far as Harry Low. who thinks n Chinese
puzzle In false cards Is q good thing Tor the
adversaries to worry over. and that no suit Is
too weak to lead.
THE BEST SYSTEM.
sovcrs, r.-son. bav. vrI,tsn IN ,sr TIM s,-x
uhIoh, -, ,h. too sy.,.ms IN. on. .iy.n Ian
49, y. ,.., u,.., L., o. a.. .on.l,.,., >. =.
", w w
20 dsciS, in favor Of INV system wopis nscc..
-. a..L,,, NJ, ,,... a. -, .,.-.....
s,,ase a decision winch n the,1 Is not not. a, prssen,
whist players are not alike, and what would be
ahslp 10 one vouId nrov, nothing I'm, n ,,nmh.
ling block to others.
In the present embryotic state Of tho ommon.
sense game almost everything Is ieit TO the indi-
vidual judg OF the player. especially in the
npanin, 1.aha va has aa vat N N da,a upnp
opvn's 40 . "s neI !" az" upon
Wh'ch 10 iorthuIhte geherhi priucipIes oS which
90 Judge between two different openings In the
ssme hand Tho natural conseou.pce q. ,b,,
a. -.
wheh MS Judgment AT iau'I or mas been 100
hasty. the opening selected may prove very dis
..,rous ara va, bs learns No psef,, l...on from,
"
IL because lie cannot SEQ That any particular
principle applies to the hand or to the opening
lead. III, usuaI e.cu.e IA "tbe hand ,rort.d
~, -
Dhlly.' OF the Chrus lay unfortunately Inc
plodding iong-suit player has mono OF these
dinacult!es to contend with. Tho omen.
Ing Is selected by means OF q tape
measure and adding machine. and, no matter
now oaaiy II turns OUT ~ Is ~ accordance with
the recognized AUTHORITIES ana criticism Is dis
be hauled over The conf. hy hi. nsr,nsr -, INV
nv !,
Vim that hanS r". on,Ou,, g 49,. p ,Ir
nonsense, Tho hing Of ,nad.s va, mpcb hat
ter" Then there is an argument. at the end Of
which reIthcr /. a b,t The xIser h.cansa a min.
c,nie OF niay cannot h., .stabij.heI nv tba rssni,
OF a single hand n the pnrtner OF N long. snit
player finds fault With Inc opening lead. or
noinIs ont The disaster thai folio wed IL in n nar.
ticular hand. the Immediate and crushing reply
Sc: III you know more about il than Cavendish
The i]ons.suit game has on. great point In its
favor. IL ia n dennit, sysfem and kecns one
iron, .ur,,inr That i. abont ali anv svstsm ia
good Tor, even at the faro table The ionv.suit
Theory provides a scale OF measurement which
can liz readily annljed IN any hnnd in order m
End its exact positinn with y.gnrd IN strenytb
or weakness. and IN INV snit' in order to and
its .dAptnbility Tor leading nnrnoses Thi. 4.
what IL wanted in The com nor. ..n.s uams.
some definite system OF measurement by which
n hand may be ina osd and n. nossibilities com
puteds Until we nave sncn a svsten We mns,
Continue 10 a., =" N 10, ~ $3.50 s's,h ~. mnuusi
rcsuit' tLat on som. ev,nIngs w. viii ne in u1.at
form. and guess right every time. while AT other
,ines. no matter what we do will be wrorg and
III. Irics. ~. viii iose IN, I .m,g1,S ''"s'""u
This ia what win. and loses Inntche. be,ve.n
the Two different sysIens NJ nlay II both sidc.
are lonv.suit.,. ho,h y.Il 80 h hanb H. ~
same way and what worL, ba,Iy fr one viii
eoually do so for The other Wmt yyi,., one ill,
A. vuidra nv mn inyariahls mi. and never
uuess.s. yhi IL tne oth.r Ace. moi I'm, hnt gnes.
IN, resell viii n.uaiiv densnd on '.bn,hsr III,
sue.s.r 4, In form mr. nor 'Wh,ia ,t's cor,n,o ~
sense gam, Il unonsstIonabiy The NOR. intci-
lectuai o. the two and gives the vr.ater
.cnn. Tor rdiv,d"ai "i. ~ Wy s.e",u'
want of data and principles, by which their