The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-19
THE WHIST TABLE.
PROGRESS OF n SUNS ANA ISIS
or 10000 HANDS.

Macy Returns Received Already OPENING
Leads and the Sidai, and Fad Game Cons.
pared-Resulta Obtained rroun pinercnt Open.
inRu In Playing the Same snnd-Probierna
Those who have volunteered to deal and re-
cord hands for THE Sun are now sending In
their returns In large numbers. but there 10 still
room for quite q number of further volunteers,
for 10000 hands is a largo order.
The FIRST person to offer his services, In
fact the ono who insisted upon the practi.
cability Of the whole plan, was d. NJ. johnson Of
Tacoma, and ho has been the most liberal and
industrious contributor 30 far. He has already
sent in 400 hands. and is still dealing. The first
nifty deals actually received at THE Sun office
were sent in by G. S. Joslin Of North Attleboro,
Mass, and he Is now on his third batch Of fifty.
The sun Is very glad to find that many persons
who at irst undertook only afty deals have vol
unteered TO do another fifty, or even 100. These
make up for thoPo who send for blanks early,
but make no returns.
As fast as the deals come in they are bound
and numbered. 80 that their source can be
traced. and then the analysis 10 carried along by
CLASSIC ying them. TIE Ret together so large q
number as 10000 hands is no small task. but
TEE Sun hopes to reach tho goal before long.
and the sooner 1t gets tho full complement Of
hands tho sooner 1t will DO able to give tho
results OF the first analysis, and point out the
course of future experiment
GER OPENING LEADS.
Some people seem to think that modern
writer's on whist are paying too much attention
to opening leads. ana not enough to the middle
and end game. They say that the beauty OF
whist comes alter the sixth trick. and. that its
place the last four or ave cards in each hand.
and to play them like double dummy. There
may be some enjoyment In this for The fellow
who knows that neither he nor his partner can
take another trick. Part OF the pleasure will
will soon be time for another deal: another part
Of 1t may be In watching the lahored efforts OF
the adyersariss, who are studying out intricate
is to lay their cards Oh tho table and claim the
die and end game are pretty we'll understood.
because they are based ON certain observations
on the known or inferred positions of the cards.
After the hrst few tricks there are quito q num-
o oer Of Guide ,s.d posts Ss e to sh direct the q player Az but in The the
first card led Is the only ono In the hand that is
played without any knowledge OF anything but
the trump. and it's Importance cannot be over
estimated. because 1t usually decides the course
OF the whole game.
The ster,oIyped ~long-suit opening will per-
haps afford Information OF the presence Of a
certain high-card combination in the suit, the
f TSis &c o. hys tpp UNI and things Of ~, that e,i kind d.
some adversaries. who would be quite thrown
or by the lead OF a singleton. The various stu:
49, SIS - heaN tb"b 10 bthy "a
over at several tables are usually due entirely
to differences in the opening. Some of the most
brilliant coups in whist would never have been
played but for the situations that were brought
about by the opening lead. Had that been diff.
ferent the coup could not ha, e been made. Tho
French say 1t Is the trst step that costs. ar in
whist it 10 generally the first lead that brings on
all the trouble either for the leader or for his ad.
versaries.
The difference in the play and in the resulting
scores that can be traced TO q difference in the
opening Of certain hands was never more strong
" exemplihed than at the seventh congress.
There were hands at Put-in-Bay that were cal
culated TO make some OF the oid-style long.suit-
ers weep, so great were the disasters that over
took their favorite system of opening. and so
surprising were the game made against them by
short.suit, Howell. top-of-nothink. and common
sense players. some OF the largest swings made
were due TO singleton leads. and several varia-
tions OF dive tricks were recorded TO the credit OF
openings from doubletons and short trumps.
Here is a particularly interesting hand, which
shows what ditf may be brought anout
simply by variations in the opening. II was No.
l. in the first progressive match for fours at the
seventh congress. and the scores varied from 1
to y tricks Tor both A-B and ". according
to the systems they played. Here is the leaders
hand. the heart 10 turned.