The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-07
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
THE WEED OF MORE STUDY SHOWN
By THE SUNS LETTERS.

ybe Common-scpse Game. and Persops Whe
Play IL Rooiisbiy -nushw hackers at the
.ame-Our Probicns-Nstes FROM the Clubs.
Ia the article published Jan. 3 II was pointed
out that while the game Of whist was undoubt-
edly undergoing great changes In this country,
many persons were making q sad mess OF 1t dur
IN, the process OF Transformation. OF tho truth
OF this assertion many proofs are reaching The
ery every week, sometimes in the shape OF
butchered hands. but moro frequently In the
form Of fanciful systems OF play.
II il unfortunate that so many persons should
rush into the so-called short-suit game without
ans proper understanding Of Its principles. Time
and experience will OF course show them tho
error of their ways, but too many OF them do not
realize that they are on the wrong path. and get
discouraged at the prospect, finally giving up
the game as q bad Job. There is nothing the
matter with the game: It Is with the players.
who persist In handling tools OF which they do
no. understand the proper use. Some persons
set III, short-suit idea into their heads to such an
,>tant that they cannot see q long-suit hand when
,uoy hold one. At the recent Irving.Knicker-
b, ker match there was a hand In which the
heart king WA turned and the leader held four
trumrs to the 10. i've spades to the A. X. q; the
A. 10. and a small club, and the singleton g OF
diamonds. Strange TO say. some Of tho best
players in the room led the singleton, apparently
forgetting that an established suit, four trumps.
and a card OF rc-cntry is a ~long-suit hand and de-
ntuts an immediate lead OF trumps. Those
that led singleton made eight tricks, those that
LEI the trump made eleven.
The common.sense game is still in its infancy,
and even its most ardent supporters admit that
they still have much to learn. A well,known
Whist publishing house has made several tempt
ins offers 10 "a noted short suit writer for a book
or the mmon sense game, but has been met
with the answer that he did not yet know enough
about II TO write u book. a reply which seems to
furnish both amusement and satisfaction to Mr..
Howell. who got his crop OF ideas before the
tuhlic early. Roardinan and Starnes have only
,rntured TO mix things a little, and offer
their short-suit ideas as a sort OF harmless
amusement. which may be safely INDUCED In
white playing the ~long.suit game. There are
some persons who think they have developed q
perfect system, or that such u system is within
easy reach. hut those who have gone deeper into
the subject know that they arc only on the Dor
Grrs OF a new country. and that It will take time
10 make u map OF II, or even to offer a guide
hook that will be OF any use a year from to-day.
TIE svs'ems Of n year ago are changed in
1. my III. or:Gnt details. Individual players
have .ivtn up one thing after another. and have
accepted theories AS sound which were regarded
IN the beginning as worthless. The various sys-
tens Of so-called short-suit play are better un.
d6S,ood. both for attack and defence. and some
otthem are greatly strengthened by experience.
The Howell game especially Is very much i'm
proved. and The SUN Is glad to sec that the
brilliant mathematician TO whom we owe so
mach Of our knowledge OF whist probabilities,
has tcen brought TO see more clearly the neces-
si.v Of eliminating nil private conventionalities
and arbitrary signals from any system OF play
which is to stand the test OF time.
When Mr.. Howell started to play short suits
his idea OF the game was practically the same as
that advocated by THE Sun, but he rather
spoiled II by the introduction Of such arbitrary
conventions as the : 7 o invitation to a ruff. the
small card call for trumps. and the interior
leads. In the last edition OF whist Openings"
?. III. he says: 81 have found that II Is best for
the player to keep this rufing tendency Of the 3
: o lead in the background. and TO think more Of
the pure gambit feature OF the opening" He
has also abandoned the lead OF intermediate
cards. having found them too arbitrary and con-
vrntional. These are both very decided i'm.
provements in the game. for these two
things have, probably more than anything
else. set good players against the Howell
game. A system that would allow a
player with ace. queen. to finesse a 10, led from
h. 10, and others. and so to lose a trick to the
,a,k. while holding A.. X. z. 10 OF the suit, was
AZ AIl'ulhlt1 tOIlltIIlUtu ny kODu pin CTS, anu
quite Justly. Mr.. Howell has also modified his
tramp call. especially through an honor turned,
never teein with a card which would induce his
partner TO lead through the honor unless the
card led would be the proper opening from his
Take IT all round, the Howell game OF
today, Is a great Improvement on the
wril worthy the attention OF all sense
players. II Sun has repeatedly pointed out
tge Old Howell Hystpm- and which led the mart
ncrs very much astray. These stumbling blocks
have all been got rid Of, and the Howell game OF
T. main features, As Mr., Howell says on p. 1875:
Oh game Is stil.l In its infancy, and We learn
al s%hort-suit players are thus gradually ap-
proach!ng tho same goal-common-sensc play.
h,.et on the mathematical expectation Of the
OIL a previous and sometimes private under.
si4pdins between, partners.
The great trouble with most persons who take
,ed oy its more common title, short suits
there are several objects. tie most Important OF
Ei .asih,sp% y .n Is 70 keep yopr partner from
other object Is to get rid OF a disadvantageous
lead by making tho adversaries an early present
ora trick which they would win In any case, and
probably at a very ihconven!ent time. Another
SriSct Is TO warn your partner not to be leading
G S"@Rs u I, '1 TO s .1fsnst iha. lis SSu hand hsvf s Sy passiSs
allowing him 10 fnesse the card you lead, IL tho
nnes7e will be Of any advantage 10 him. The
rutins object Is about, the last thing that the in.
teIiigent short suit player thinks OF; yet il Is.
unfortunately, about the first, thing the beginner
At,thc game gets into his head.
fthe ruling game Is to be the chief object, its
success depends more on good third hand play
thah on leading. several players known to The
Sun are making quite a success OF tho rufing
game by following the principle that the third
mana should never win the first round Of the
SUIT even with the ace. unless he can also win
tnS sesohI. The object Is %twofold: II the adj
sersar!ts have the suit, and. after winning tho
hrst round OF II begin to lead trumps. the Third
nahd can stop the suit after the trumps are ont,
Hihey succeed in getting them out. II they do
nov and the partner OF tho original leader can
win vim the second round q the suit, the third
t1.n the second. 1t is the exception when a
payer can run the second round OF a suit, even
when he has purposely led short; but the run
ohthe third round IL very common.
mere Is nothing new In this idea. Penn
orldse second hand not to put
a.e on knave, even when led by "A long-suit play
Inc object was TO allow the fourth hand TO
seve.Hp his game. He might trump the hrst
.nIhd' ne might complete a call on the second;
PIP! not calling show that NJ Wa willing to
tahoh force on the third round; or he might in
ul'htC MS suit by "A discard 1u he appond round