The sun., 1897-10-10
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
SUe0EsTIoNS AS TO COMPETING FOR
THE HAMILTON TROPHY.

uAnoicnppinH, Its Advantages ana nFnWbacka
STRAIGHT whist-New Jersey Victory In
the Contest for the Auxiliary Trophy
soiutlos Of the Problem OF sept. 40.
Miltonworks suggestion to provide for prolimi-
nary contests in each OF the associations, and
10 allow only tho winner in each section to com.
poto for the Hamilton trophy at the annual con.
Gress, seems to find favor with "A number OF
writer's who overlook tho fact that this Is the
Same old knockout system OF playing in sec
tions, with the preliminary games played be-
foro tho congress opens. As such, II is no i'm
provement on past methods, but an enlargement
of their faults The only real change is tho di-
vision into sections according to geographical
position. instead Of BY pulling the names out
of . hat. Both are matters OF accident, which
should have little to do with championships.
II the condition for competing for the cham
pionship 10 to be the previous winning OF an
association championship, THE Sun would
suggest that there should be parate and
distinct trophy for the deciding event at the
congress, because there would not bo true
championship contests, but simply intcras-
sociation contests. One OF the first princi-
pies Of championships is that they shall be
open to all comers, and that the winner shall
have to meet every one. II the entries are
restricted to one entry from each section. no
matter how that entry is selected, the final
winner is not a champion, but only the best
of the selected lot. This selection business
has been tried in other sports, notably ath.
letics, and has always proved failure. All
championship events are open to the world, the
only distinction being between amateurs and
professionals. If you insist that club must
defeat certain other clubs in its own section
before playing for a championship you
sumo tho position which has brought pugilism
into such disrepute, alleged champions de-
clning to fight until the challenger has knocked
out some one, who. perhaps. has no preten-
sons to being a champion.
suppose that in the trial games for tho
Western division, Minneapolis should be un-
able to go as ia St Louis on the exact day
appointed, had to put in lame duck to
make up its team. That would shut Mime
apolis out from any chance at tho congress
a month or two later, when all the team could
go. Suppose that in the Now Jersey trials the
Gun Club should defeat Park by a scratch, and
30 prevent the Parks from going to the eighth
congress, would any one recognize the Gun
Club the champion OF the New Jersey di-
visioni
There are too many results duo to luck In
duplicate matches to make any preliminary con-
tests satisfactory, and THE Sun is still of the
opinion that the compass plan, II carried out
through sufficient number Of sittings TO mako
q large number OF hands, is fair q test
any yet tried and comes nearer to the perfect
equalization Of tho chances in the game than
any system far suggested. There Is
luck in the selection OF adversaries. Each club
must meet them all. There is no luck in getting
the piano hands and escaping the freaks; each
team must play them all There is no luck in
winning two matches by ten tricks and then
losing three matches by one trick. which leaves
the club with seventeen tricks plus the
turns as defeated by one match. Every trick
counts, and to be champions q team will have to
get all there is in the game during long siege.
The only objection urged against the compass
plan Is that on tho last rounds the clubs whose
score is hopeless may be tempted to throw tricks
to their favorltes. Players who would throw
tricks would throw games, or anything else that
was necessary. II there were any evidence Of
such favoritism, the remedy would be TO with
hold the score until the end.
In the matter of club playing there seems TO
be a great difference Of opinion as to the best
methods OF determining who the strongest
players. There is old adage to the effect that
tho name OF early rising may lie in bed all
day" Certain players get a reputation for
strength. and ever afterward they arc looked
upon as cracks, although they may make very
Door scores. Others somehow get reput alton
for being only second class, and no matter how
steadily they play or what good s,ores they
make, they are never thought of, or, at least,
not selected when II comes to making up the
team. There were four men with remarkably
good scores in last winters tournaments. Hem
riques, Bachman, Gilhooly, and Baker, none of
whom appeared on any or the teams at the
congress, players with much inferior records
being selected in their stead. Is this because q
players club scores are no index OF his ability
or because second-rate players mako the best
teansi
Quite number OF plans have been tried in
various clubs, and the question OF selecting the
best comes up at the beSinning OF every season.
One system is that of compulsory pairing. each
contestant eing compelled to play with differ
ent partner different evenings. Boston is
very fond Of this, but in most places 1t has been
:ound that when the evening came for Mr.. Good
player 10 hitch up with Mr.. Duffer, the latter
was full OF hope and confidence in big score,
but The former was unavoldably absent, and
could not play that evening.
" nIIe wnIsI is amusement and not o toll,
II TOO much TO expect a man 10 enjoy game
winch the chief excitement is In seeing how
oaaIy partner can botch hand. Few neh
care To pay whist with adversary sitting Op-
PosIle them, and they are not 70 De blamed II
1S sIeS pTe,er not to play when that position Is
ohy cure for this habit OF skipping the bad part
pers Iuld be to have some system OF blind pair
H., ne committee IN charge being the only ones
VINO knew how the pairing would be arranh ed
ior certain evenings. Ar. Goodplayer would
theh have to go to the club TO ina out vino was
his partner Tor the evening. Compulsory pair.
ing 10 open to the objection common to ali pre-:
arranged schedules which is that the absence Of
one or Two players upsetS the Whole scneme. as
.tLe subsu Tue idea Is never satisfactory.
Hanl.Gapilng Is another recent experiment IN
49, "H y. equui4Llhs matters, anu 10 iauu ~ noie ,
eHolt 10 maze the second'rate players ieei that
they nave IA chance. Inc usual me.hoa OF con-
GuctIhs hdndicdps has proved lauure, because
.haHes no allowance for chaLge OF FORM dur
ing The season. The hanuIuups are deter
mined and published Ut the beginning OF the sea-
son, anu the players are supposed 70 be no oGt.
yer or no worse after five or ok months steady
practice. The result has been that the best
players hhd 10 play their best TO carry their
NtsHt7, "hLe the seCOnd-claSs ones improved
WIN Practice and got an undue ad vantage from
their Old handicap rating.
Mheh the handicap sybtem is adopted 1t should
oe % arranged that the committee in charge
eoud change the marKs or the contes tant5
hitcr every game. TINS is the practice In all
eInetic events. and provides u remedy for such
errors as giving u competitor more than his
iorIn entities him to. Instead OF putting hg-
uTos htter mans name TO indicate his handi-
cap It shouId be easy to give him class num-