The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
AROUND H WHIST TABLE.
THE WINNING SYSTEM SCI AT THE
WHIST CONGRESS.


-
ne value OF Considerations Team work-Ths
LonE Suit Dame. with vnrinttons.n was
the Ravorito-aome or tho DANES Analysed.
Last weeks article was devoted exclusively TO
The practical results Of the seventh congress, to
the DESCRIPTIONS OF the various contests and TO
the names OF tho champions. II is now time to
turn our attention to tho theoretical side OF the
meeting. Immediately after tho finish Of a great
race public attention is concentrated on the In
dividual winner or the club which he representa-.
but after the first excitement has subsidized
people begin to inquire about other things. lit
were q bicycle race. thoy want to know what
wheel tho winner rode, and perhaps what gear
he chose.
After n great contest like that at Put-in.Bay,
where there are no second.class players, and
where the bright particular stars Of fifty clubs
assemble 10 tost ono another's strength, tho
question naturally arises, What proved to DO tho
winning systemi In tho opinion of THE Sun,
the system that proved the winner in almost
svery contest was tho same old system that has
carried SO many to victory in all kinds OF strug.
giles: mutual understanding. mutual confidence,
mutual assistance: two brains with but q single
Thought. two hands that play as one.
No congress has furnished n hotter example Of
the Importance OF conscientious team work and
practice; OF tho value OF good captains, and tho
results Of good discipline. Neff. Hart, Lc Roy
Smith. Bouve, Briggs. Mitchell, Taylor, and
Hudson commanded some of tho best disciplined
teams that ever entered a national tournament,
q fact that was evident from the entire absence
Of any scowling during the play or "yawping"
after It was over. The petty details of the va
rious systems thoy played sink into insIgnih.
cameo when compared to the great ruling princi-
pie Of harmonious team work.
As TO the actual systems employed. the REQ
ords OF the seventh congress will be to the diff
feront schools OF whist philosophy what tn Q
Bible Ia to tho various champions Of religious
controversy; every ono can find a passage that
will prove him right and all others wrong.
There was an entire absence Of the acrimony
which was excited by the disputes between the
longs and tho shorts at the last congress. II
you asked any Of tho leading teams what system
they played the answer usually was: "The
lonR-suit game-with variations;" the last two
words, accompanied by q smile Of varying inten-
sity, sometimes helped out by a wink.
Even the teams that claim to DO "straight"
lone-suiters have grown so accustomed to the
use of certain oonventionalities and have como
to regard 90 many hands as requiring excep-
tional treatment that they are totally uncon.
scious of how far they have really departed
from the strict principles Of long-suit whist. A
very liberal and tolerant spirit prevailed at the
seventh congress. The lead Of o singleton or q
two-card suit, even such as queen and one other,
or . supporting card from the top Of a long weak
suit, oocasioned no surprise or comment. In
the opinion OF those competent to Judge Of such
matters impartially. there was not q team ct
the congress that played the strict long-suit
game, unless It was Albany or the American
Whist Club Of Boston. Even Bouve forgets
that his short.trump leads are O violation of the
fundamental principles laid down by Pole and
Cavendish. Almost all the strong teams opened
the top Of weak long suits in the original lead,
and occasionally selected supporting cards.
especially on the second trick. Both these
plays are directly opposed to long-suit
principles. but are excusable on the common
sense plea that the situation or the popularity
Of the hand demands them. II we may trust tho
whist editor Of the Toledo Blade, who belonged
to the team that won the A. W. L. trophy, the
Toledo players and the Matthias brothers. win
ners Of the pair championship. lead the top Of
nothing from long suits, and play supporting
cards when they think the hand or the situation
demands it"
A correspondent of THE SUN. who was o close
observer of events at Put-in-Bay, states the
case in q nutshell when he says: "Those of us
who looked for q great triumph. Of one system
lowing 70 some extent the teachings Of THE sun.
AM ~ " hoW iulpOSolUl6 10 compare INC Byetem9
6ymeans of matches between prominent teams"
ITO some extent covers the ground. Tho
stsss sins IL + TN 9slS Sl tast & q ai' e. s;n ana H.. III s s!ss e
S Sais ss sns ' saisR Rsr isfs r ss"% VIII Rils Ssa shS l indi:
cate pretty closely the extent OF the departure
from tho true path; a path which Is now abso-
iigtely untroddon except by the veriest tyros at
A a specimen Of long suitism with varia-
lions" take, the following case: The President Of
g. e G snai.er slSS' o a&Stnss P 81 sssr 1lPsslf s on GssGsS
gunrded the game in public and maliened It's
send team which was largely made up Of noted
S Ssas Thsy were the s%tfo99Gsst player IN The
pointed q Whist ~ committss ' With I in 1tlnsi; one s 70
Or nothing; Sooner than do this ono Of tho
Q time getting a substitute for him. The re-.
maindsr Of the team promised 70 play long suits.
,. Tssy h slsyfiS asf { WI 't%hiI R5'stSss s Ss%s; ri pr e:f
{nasch, but after, he quit them and, they had a
little freer rein they won six straight. Some Of
t aaa'5 SS dyer aries expressed mpc% ss the opinion that they
eommon.sense whist all through, as they were
no better than many others at long suits. but
% DS%ld Pa" q { thss r team o %oalG nos sdm Htm his. a anS
one Of them informed TIE U representative
tho best under tho circumstances
As an example of the strict long-sult game"
that they played, take the f%ollowing, hand from
aSlph!a. It was played In tho matches for the
Hamilton trophy. and tho ~"strict long.sniters'
were Alb, while Y,Z were Smith and Clayton
.. tho underlined card wins the trick, and tho
card under 1t is the next one led. Tho play was
Etyon to II Sun by the long-suiter who held
A's cards. and It 10 reproduced here not only as
en example OF what is now called "long6uit
MnlHE, DNb as q very nfetty Rama. ma 0f tha
n9htest at the congress. and q credit to tho skill
n,or. A