The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-29
FOR LOVERS OF WHIST.
General Superiority Of the Short
Suit Game.
Rival Methods Considered Aside From
Their Trick Winuing Capacities.

play az opposed 10 the oiu IN Worth iore
tricks, believe tkst 10 is superior game
In point of beauty and interest and intel
lectual exercise. Pit against each other
two teams equally matched In skill and
experience, but one playing the routine
game of "Caycndish' and Pole and the
other the game that Is variously denomi-
mated "short suit" common sense"
american" and Howell, " and the latter
team will probably win. OF this feel
confident. But am aware that they may
lose They may lose heavily. They may
lose an important match which they would
very much have liked to win. This / ac-
knowledge. Luck has not been altogether
eliminated from duplicate whist. 1t will
continue to decide matches now and then
in spite of the most careful, accurate, well
judged play. In the long run the better
system will win, but tt will not win all
the time.
Such being the case, am willing for
the moment To lay aside the question OF
supremacy between the new game and the
old In respect to their trick winning ca
pacities as directly compared the one with
the other Let us suppose that they are
merely equal In this rcspect-that as TO
which will win I'm a match or series OF
matches IL is toss up. Is there no Other
way of testing their relative or intrinsic
qualities? There is. Whist Is played foi
recreation. 1t is an intellectual amuse
ment. IL is game Of skill. That style
of game is the better, therefore, for the pur
pose for which 1t Is intended which affords
the more recreation and amusement and
the greater scope for the exercise of skill
Accepting this criterion, am compelled to
award the palm to the new game. And
in this verdict all players who have intelli'
gently and thoroughly tried both games
heartily concur.
AT the new game the play begins with
the very first oard-the original lead on
opening If you follow Poles instructions
all you have to do in opening hand is to
count the four suits and lead from the
longest. 1t Is something that the most I'M
intelligent human being can do after learn
ing a few formulas. AT the new game, on
the other hand, you have to reckon all the
elements Of strength and weakness In youi
hand, weigh them against one another and
determine, not infrequently 10y the exercise
of very fine judgment, what will probably
be the most advantageous manner OF open.
/ ing-the trump attack, the long suit (smalI
card or high card) game, or the gambis
| (strongor weak. None but the experienced,
derstands the principles of the game can
make his original leads with inyariable
correctness according TO the tenets of the
new game. Hence, so far as thc opening
| is concerned the new game affords the
| greatest possible opportunity for skill.
In the development of the play, after the
! opening, the matter of skill is no less i'm
portant. At the old game it is still large.
| ly the counting faculty, which even some
| of the lower animals are said to possess In
| some degree, which the whist player has
| to employ and cultivate. At the new game
| 10 is for broader indications than the mere
| pips on the cards that one must look. The
| adversares afford him less information
than they do at the routine game. They
| make him guess more. Some people think
| guessing is an ignoble amusement But
| Is it when il Is based on facts more on
| less well known and the deductions to
be drawn from them3 The guessing OF
| the new whist Is really the exercise OF
| Judgment concerning doubtful situations
of the cards. 1t Is doing what is probably
best when you cannot tell certainly what IL
best to do. In this sort of play the highest
| quality of skill is necessary TO success.
AT tho old game the players say to each
other, ''I'll tell you all about my hand
and you tell me all about yours, and wei
play the latter part Of the hand dummy.
At the new game tho opener says to the
adversary, "l'll lead as / think best, ant
you do what you can To circumvent me.
In the one case IL is counting match; II
the other, n fight from start to finish.
And tho surprises, the beautiful denoue
ments of the new game! They are reve
lation to the old style practitioner wht
takes up the new methods. He was &C
customed TO leading his best suit all th'
.imo. II he brought IL in, he did onl!
what me expected 10 do, and If he did no
bring IL i'm he was disappointed ant
blamed either the cards or his partner
Now, however, he has learned To Leaf
short or worthless suits, not expecting
great results, and when, being agrceabl,
surprised he does bring In his or partner
suit or falls into n cross ruff worth half
dozen tricks he experiences pleasur
quito unknown to the old cut and driet
routine.
| In the matter Of amusement, therefore
as well as skill, the new game is superior
And as for recreation, except for thos
peculiarly constituted minds for whicl
arithmetic and Euclid are recreative,
think there is no doubt whatever of tn
greater value of common sense" whist
1t is not so hard" game, In that 1t doc
not deal so extensively with little details
but rather with broader, more interesting
more human Indications
But for the longest suit, pip counting
nose to the grindstone theory, which make
the summum bonum the playing OF hand
so as to tell everybody what you have ant
in turn to learn what everybody else has
and then to play double dummy so far a
your previous whist conversation" will
let you--but for this wooden style of whis
j believe that very many players who nov
abhor duplicate would take it up and fin'
quite as much variety, brilliancy, piquanc.
in il as they now find In the straight
game-1ve or seven points up, with liz
tie something o. the corner. "
f. c. HOWELL
| Boston Press Club Boston.