The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-18
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
THE AMERICAN WHIsTLEAGUEC CON-
GRESS AT PUT-IN-BAT.

~ IN Nhe aonNeet-Ene tcortuH-HoNlsNl
OF tho Congress and Its ResuIts-The Wis.,
ners In the Various Events-The rrtses.
Tho seventh congress of the American whist
League. which took place at Putin.Bay, Lake
Erie. was probably tho most satisfactory over
held. Tho hotel accommodation wero excel
lent. and there were plenty Of large. well lighted
and airy rooms available for tho various
matches, and wide vernndas and comfortable
chairs for the post-mortems. Tho outside at
fractions OF yacht racing and bass fishing
seemed TO have little charm for tho whist
players, who stuck pretty closely to their work
In spite OF the intense heat, spending the morn
ings In discussion and the afternoons and oven
ings In play.
In several respects this congress differed mate
rally from its predecessors. There were moro
cvcnts on the programme, moro ladies among
the players, and there was n much greater
diversity in the systems OF play. Tho manage
mcnt was much better than at Manhattan Beach.
and all the events on the programme were car.
ried out exactly as scheduled. The scoring was
excellent. and the results OF even the most com.
plicatcd matches were announced n few minutes
after the last card hal teen PLAYED. There was
not u single error during tho whole tournament.
The prizes were hardly ft for such an i'm.
portant occasion, and rather suffered by COM
parison with those of last year. Everything
was n league button. whether 1t was for tho
championship of the world or the top score in n
progressive pnir contest. the only distinction
being in the ornaments on the rim. Some OF the
short-suitcrs carried of enough of these but
tons to supply themselves and thcir friends for
several years to come. At the last congress the
winners in the champion four and pair events
received solid gold sleeve links, designed by Tiff
fanny, bearing the players monogram. appro-
pirate emblcms, and the date. The A. WI.
winners got lizard-skin cigar cases mounted In
silver. and the fortunate ones in the progressive
events got solid gold watch charm compasses,
solid silver match boxes, and diamond scarf
pins, all designed by Tiffany.
The manner OF conducting the various contests
was a great improvement on previous years,
and left no room for complaint that every team
had not had u fair chance actually to defeat every
other. In the Hamilton trophy matches each
team played twelve boards against every other.
and the two teams winning the greatest number
of these matches played Off n final and deciding
match Of forty eight hands for the trophy. This
required each team to play two or three of these
short matches every day, and there was no such
labor attached to it as in former years.
In the A. w. L. challenge cup matches the
regular club game of compass whist was carried
out. one pair from each team sitting north and
south, the other east and west, the total num-
Der of tricks won in both directions being
eiCui'Su " III IA . . UNI. hlb was COu-
tinued for four evenings, playing fifteen trays
in zach round. there being fifteen teams en-.
tered. This manner of playing is quite new for
a congress. but seemed to meet with general ap-
prevail, because 1t was an exact reproduction of
the style Of game which every player finds at
his own club week after week. II is certainly
reasonable that when a man does all his
training at a certain style OF game, such as
compass whist, he should have some oppor.
tunity to test his strength in it against
members of other clubs, all of whom have been
trained under the same conditions. 1t is hardly
fair to ask n man who has never played any
thing but compass whist. one deal against each
opposing pair. and q strange adversary every
hand. to show his whist ability by playing a set
match OF forty-eieht deals against four men who
have spent years studying and practising that
style Of play. The result may not be as salts.
factory as n long match would be. but II Is an
excellent test OF a players ability in the com.
mon club game OF America. compass whist. and
it is worthy Of note that the teams who were
next the top last year occupied the same posi-
tion this year. although the conditions were so
different.
The Minneapolis championship for pairs was
played on the same principle as last year. except
for tho manner of scoring, which was q decided
improvement. as 1t made any foreknowledgo Of
the value Of q hand impossible. The pairs
moved according to an ingenious schedule pre-.
pared by +. {. Howell of Boston. so arranged
that avery noi- nIa-od , :, 900, 49, :.
80 pi"'.u al ei"a' "umoer o'
hands against every other pair. and all over
played the same hands, f and w or y and s.
There were sx sittings a,toen bords In ,..h
"S-' 30 =" , anu III oeeh'
making a total OF ninety boards. The score
was computed on the system originally sug-
gested by Foster. and used in his correspondence
tournament, taking tho top score n and s and
E and W as tho possibility OF the hand. and
charging each nnir falling hollow tho MAXIMUM
Sn",ei' "eh pair i"'i'"s oeio" 'hc MAXIMUM
with n loss OF so many tricks. After each round
was played these losses were all added together,
and Tho n.ir ~, had Lost ,ho Lot - -,
the top score. they having come tho nearest to
getting all there was ont OF the hands. Al the end
NJ m. sx s,t,irao ~ ,o.oI Leo. 20. 49, ~.
-" 'he 'o'"i io''es "efo "uueu ny
and divided by fifteen. the number OF teams en-.
gagged. This gave the average value of the
banda mn tbov ,vou,a horo hoor 4, nm o.ai,ar,
ae . tneS YOU'D ave oeeh u an ordinary
compass game. the players actual score being
then deducted from this average value. For In.
atan,a. III. ovo..no, o.s on H. On 80 -.