The San Francisco call., 1897-05-16
Turning a Trump in Duplicate
Whist.

WHIST.
In many OF the leading whist clubs OF the
country the question of declaring one suit
trumps during the entire play OF a match or
contest on the compass" or duplicate" plan
has be come a leading one. Many OF our most
enthusiastic players, tyros and experts alike,
favor the idea of N ot turning trump. Fisher
Anies Of Boston, one of the best known e4-
perts and writers on the game now living, in
a letter 10 the executive committee, which
was read at the midwinter meeting at Nash
vile, advocates its adoption in the league
While we were guest OF n B. Trist in New
Orleans short time ago asked his opinion
on this subject and he stated for duplicate
whist it was good idea. Theodore Shwarz,
ex-president of the American Whist League
and for three years president of the great
Chicago Whist Club, has advocated this
change for a long time. Now John II. Briggs
of Minneapolis known throughout the whist
world as one of the greatest players living ana
one whose judgment carries great weight, in
a recent article TO the Minneapolis Times on
the subject, says:
For long time all duplicate play in the North
west was conducted without the ''trump card"
clubs generally being designated as the trump
suit 1t was only recently that change was made
to the turned trump. The first reason which sug-
gested the advisabisity of a change was the I'M
portance Of practice under the methods which
would be followed in the congress matches. Ii
must be very evident that this good reason.
for if he turned trump neces iitated any changes
in the line OF play it was very important that they
should be known. Again, as long as clubs was
not be trumps, /: well to get out of the habit
Of thinking that was he trump. This may appear
very weak, but the following will show that the
70 rec of habit is very strong 1t a very i'm
port ant match and the PLAYER had been in the
habit of playing clubs for trump. A small card
which would hardly attract Lhe attention
turned. The trump escaped his notice and be
played the entire deal thinking that clubs were
trump3 To our knowledge the same thing has
happened many times.
The second reason for the change was a request
order'' from officer of the league suggesting
that it would be well to live up to the "laws of
whist" 1t must be very evident that this also
was good reason for making the change.
1t is now and has been for long time the
opinion Of many whisers in this locality that the
turned trump adds little If anything to the game
of duplicate whist. They are not exactly opposed
to the turned trump, but they prefer to play with
out IT, They never have, so far as L know, ad-
vauced Mr.. Ames reasons of the perfect equality
of condt ions" and 'the true theory OF duplicate
whist" The reasons which they give are
these: The turned trump DDS practically nothing
to the game. II is only once in great while that
the line of play is affected by It to require
any particular ingenuity in adapting ones self to
the changed conditions.
seldom to be broken, that the play should be the
same it would have been had not trump been
turned Occasionally the trump card VIII enable
the player to make single card echo Once in
while 1t will induce him to leai trumps which he
would not have done but for the turned-up card.
More often it will make him desist from a trump
lead either because he desires to catch the turned
card or because IL on account of Its size scares
him. II appear strange, but 1t is a fact, that
an honor turned is object of fear TO the average
whfst-piayer 1t is for this reason productive of
much poor whist. Many good whist players when
rong in irumps avoid a lead mp to the honor and
make a play called "a call through honor" to
secure a trump lead from partner.
II ia not our purpose to discuss this plav, bu
will state that it is conviction that more tricks
are lost than gained by this play. Keeping
track of the trump card, even by the latest i'm
nroved meth DDS. and the mistakes which arise
therefrom are troubles hardly worth discussing
To sum up, the turned trump adds little or nothing
IN the game while on the other hand 1t leads the
majority of players into weak lines OF play which
they overcome with the greatest difficulty. 1t
calls for the extra trouble Of record cards which
AGAINST the trump card may not be very strong,
the argument in its favor is no stronger, if any
thing not so strong.
The Calls Whist Donts Cured Him.
ALAMEDA, May 10. 1897.
Whist Editor Call Many oil my friends, as
well as myself. feel we are indebted to THE
CALL for the good work your whist articles are
doing on this side of the bay. / also want to
tender YOU my sincere thanks for the unend-
ing good YOU have done me, personally, and
our little whist circle My husband loves to
play whist, and he, like all men, knows the
game thor oughly from A to in his own opin-
ion. For year or SO before we were married
we used to play together night after night
as his partner. We did fairly well, making
average scores; of course, made all the mis-
takes, and always knew 1T when 1t was too
late, but how patient and considerate he was