The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-14
A%RoUSDTHE WHIST TABLE.
a QCEsTION OF IMPFN TANOE As
TO ERRORS IN 81 IhING

ITEMS Tied Because OF an fror Dts-
covered After the NIntch-CoA ..non-sense
Fntiurcs-Analyses or Gnmss-NotcR.
The recent match between the Now Jersey
and the Atlantic associations for tho posses.
sion OF the auxiliary trophy has brought TO tho
surface n question which Is Of vital Importance
to all whist players: How long after tho conclu-
sion OF n game may errors In the score be cor
rooted
As stated In THE suN's report Of the match,
Atlantic was supposed to have won by nino
tricks. but SUBSEQUENT examination disclosed I'm
error In deal No. 12, when 1t was played at table
o, in section u. Tho hand appears to have been
naturally worth Q N and 8 and IL Il and w, and
TWAS supposed that the score had been wrongly
put own Instead Of this. 1t Is now claimed
that the arrows on the tray pointed in tho
wrong direction. 1t has always been the Gus
tom, when such an error 10 discovered during
the play or the hand or before tho conclusion Of
the match and tho announcement Of the result,
to give the players in error the average on tho
board. This will probably be done in tho pres
emit case and the match declared o tic. SO that
tho Atlantic Association will have to come to
Jersey City again on Nov. 81 II 1t wants the
trophy.
This decision has been made possible by the Al.
iantics generously refusing to press their claim
On technical grounds. which 10 undoubtedly
what New Jersey would have done had the cir
cumstanccs boon against Thorn instead OF In
their favor. for It is q matter Of history that
Capt. Otis has consistently refused ever to claim
n victory on q tcchnicality or through a forfeit.
Generosity, however, Is one thing and justice is
something else. The fact that the board or tho
ncore had been reversed was made apparent
only by the fact that the hand happened to be an
eleven-by.two affair. Had 1t been a six-by-seven
hand It might have passed unnoticed. and there
10 no evidence that some such hands may not
have been reversed at some OF the other tables.
which might have given Atlantic or New Jer-
sey the match by a trick or two.
The circumstances In this particular case were
peculiar. All the tables but two had finished,
and at least q dozen players wero looking on
when this particular board was played at table
3, yet no ono seemed to have noticed that tho
tray was reversed. Table 3 having finished,
they passed the board to table No. 1, and quito
. number Of those who had Just seen It played
at table 8 watched the everyday. yet none Of
them noticed that the Baltimore players held
the same cards ut both tablesi 1t is even stated
that one Of the four who had Just played the
board reversed watched the everyday, but did
not notice that the cards he had Just played
were held OF another point OF tho compass.
Although in this case tho error may be al
lowed to DO corrected, It seems to BIO the general
sentiment among Whist experts that such q
opens the way for endless disputes 10 the future.
When once q board is played. the score put
passed on to another table, It Is very dificuit to
substantiate any claim OF error. however CON
s Saas q he a. 1v' W. e mach %sS sSs sesscn F No~. j ths
sey and Baltimore. The statement has been
match match on sif the frss ' forty. sIH ' Sanas, S Sat th hat
" Va. ono : ss hang &A.l j . aSSss Ts5 d tsa svt re % n &:
Ginning SIRI g the The s snESs. T TIsS5s % ct ts0 b. actual "a!
Geuted Inv mORt n0rROna aR cOncluSfya ur00f
Nsvsrtheles9.. TIE sun Il Informed Tint 4 was
i sppesss That the New Jersey player had only
two cards left, the eight and d,.uee Of a suit, let
us say, and led the small one, losing the trick to
thst, after the last card was played, be turned
tse n sop p Pit tSs o9 T. sf e9e aesa p fi!sRRsd tie e a sSITse en-
Z, Ting ssi sR Rsst s.. 9 sa seS l's sesf y . assi STG asss rSrE e.
cards In tn, order IN which he, left them, and
S Mniten a m traSp d t sRResf tn ssf III sss sr ieSas was played
In This case. therefore, tho ofiSiai record was
and correct. This incident 10 one Of many that
hind n,spt th 10 rs etsurn q 70 corr Correct ct Supposed oppose y et FS.ss ana nd
THE SUN S is q the s opinion that when once tho
e iso sso IL Hpf % s0 ins ana an isss'f 4 T. E Y sSsuR Ss'e & 'i sss
end M Of the e mat mstch o.itah.a that the su, totals n.ov, 90
that Ia P Rhs players ta s WSose 'a scosss sn are 1 n error or1 shall
take the average on the hand. Il, seem
rsshS5 sss = for . q bt team + 70 n lS.s a. 4 itm opo ssS1s
cause q player puts down ths small end Of the
sSsr er wae must as + 6 se eansiiy tie t isn1 H,e & o Both e sids a.
i Is certainly better to. Jet Il stand than to open
the door for endless disputes and protests In
While upon this subject. 1T may DO we'll to OBJ,
Common irreauiarity., especially in strange
% SvIsS fSs. when when. the as players s snmS are not w famil liar
writer OF Of this RS' Article H5 w saS in eO Charge of Gapiic ate
E ssais on as sh ssH noEth P sna e e swG t Ss,ea and fS sul Rapsdf
the red stars on the board were not next the red
SssIi I ON t Mss sa strik sas Esr appSre lTom the The f eCgGsis
with the indicators on the trays Is that they do
pot correspond with any mark upon the table,
which exists only in the memory Of the players.
When players shift from table 70 table. sitting
frequently forgotten.
Quite a number of persons have asked IL the
.s.ssS 81 ID c0 9oP. In sense and soP,Pi;nSthing PIo o!:
ssits5s; Thsy ssT.siaiy ae. sPd f tSslF %ist sStfS
Suirea such close attention that II q player takes
a,iong.s tier can doze peacefully, for two Of
sIancins At his hand and 4 finding iiss that he holdis
some combination that can be played according
When a short.suiter is not feeling well. OF
when his faculties are not at their best, he Is
likely TO make not only a minus score but a very
low one indeed. When a irst-class common
sense team have an off day, they can drop more
tricks than any fourth.rate ~long.suit team In
the country. A experimenting player. who ii
honest enough to tell the truth about his game
has never been known to get all there was IN thu
The surprising, thing about It is. thai
in spite OF these losses he may still get the toI
score. or have n very respectable plus. Wher
Baker and Foster played together on Friday
afternoon at the seventh congress they dropped
eleven cold tricks. besides losing opportunities
TO pick up eight more, and retired with the re
marx that their score would be found prett,
near the bottom. Instead OF this IL proved to b.
the highest made at any of the twenty-tw table
engaged.
Here are two examples of what frequently
happens to short suffers: One Ia a lost emporium
lily to win five tricks, moro than any pair in thu
room; the other is a loss OF five cold tricks. Thu
drst hand was played at the New York Wits
Club, Nov. D.. Every one but the short suffer
got seven tricks out Of b cards. but Their