The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-17
AROUND TIL WHIST TABLE
SOME ARG UNI EETs IN DEFEHCE OF
CONVENTIONAL SIGNALS.

vste siwnnIs-Anothcr System or short
Suit finys-Probiems and Ciab News.
The contradictory nature Of the arguments
put forward In defence of conventional signals
10 at present attracting q good deal OF attention,
and Is freely commented upon by the rapidly
Increasing number OF players who feel them
selves at liberty to think for themselves. There
was o time. not very long ago, when the whist
players OF America were like Capt. Marryatt's
midshirman and dared not think. "Caven-
dish" did all their thinking for them, and they
were content to bow before his authority with
the immortal words Of Kcpplcr in their hearts:
ave think thy thoughts after thee"
After "Cavcndlsh" had apologizcd several
times for thinking wrongly, and had amended
his thoughts TO agree with tho facts of play. in
stead Of with the theories Of Pole. whist players
began to think u little for themselves. but long
want Of practice seems to have impaired their
faculties q little. and many OF them still think
sideways. like a crab.
There IRE two standard arguments in COM
mon use with regard to conventional plays. The
fret Is that the Information they give is OF great
assistance to partner. The second is that they
give too much information to the adversaries.
When n writer Is bolstering up q private con-
ventlon OF his own he uses the frst: when he 10
exposing the weakness Of q convention invented
by some other person he uses the second. They
both at, and are equally conclusive. They may
also DO used in combination. ike two forces
acting ut right angles, and the result Is the crab
like movement already referred to.
Take the case Of the souabble over the proper
lead from X J 10 and others. In their efforts
to make n silk purse out Of q sow's ear. the i'd
vocates OF American leads are kept busy patch
Ing up tho bud spots in the system by suggesting
changes In one part. which nccessitato further
changes In another; SO that the leads which
were hailed years ago as complete and har-
monious" are to-day as unfinished and dis
cordant as ever. The lead Of the queen from
four widely different combinations OF cards
was very confusing: but instead OF going
back to the system OF leads In which no
confusion existed. the deluded followers
Of the numbcr-showing system insisted
on patching up their idol somehow or other. II
was finally suggested to lead the ten from Q ]
10 and the small card from X J 10, and tho
argument In favor OF the change was that the
lead Of the queen or the ten would then give all
the Information possible. and give II exactly;
whereas the old lead OF tho ten from X 10
gave too much international the ad yersariesl
Can anything be more crablikef The lead OF
the ten from X J 10 is rejected because the in
formation it gives is too accurate. and the lead
Of the ten from Y J 10 Ia suggested because the
Information IL gives is more accurate than the
other lead.
In whist OF To-ray." mage az. we fnd. 'It
will be admitted by all that tho Information
given by the lead OF the ten from X I 10 /, far
mo,. ..,,.h,. = ,h
wi ,a'uao'o w 'he oppoheht .hah 10 the part
ner. Should this lead be abandoned. there can
be no possibl, obiec,ion TO tho load n, tho ton
g., ~ 20 81 - .."
from d w. anu INC strongest objection ever
urged against the system Of American leads Is
ther.by removea" Aaa .tat.m,nt n, n.r.onai
opinion, unsupported by facts. the foregoing Is
q curiosity, indicating as 10 does the direction
Of N atronu current of hind nreiudice in favor
-, non,s,,.on.i .,.n.,., h.,
oi conventional sighh's' nut Ms an argument IN
favor OF or against either lead II Is worthless.
Another extraordinary contradiction ia IN be
-, l..
iounu IN inc arguments ior ana against the So
called optional trump-showing leads In plain
suits ON maya 10 NJ whi., ~ To-n ay- ,h,s.
- 10
trump-sho"ih ieaus are recommended TO what
would he probably 90 per cent OF the readers Of
the book. At fret. these lead, were reeom-
$500 ~ go 80. ~, s~a.sa -.
mehueu 10 every one; nut experience proved
that what was true OF all informatory conven-