The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-23
.AROUNDTHE WHISTTABLE.
TIE PROPER METHOD OF SCORING
At THE COMING CONGRESS-.

90 -
objections to Systems or scorinE Used ut Pre-
vioi. whist atherinGp-Errors Net Traced
An Illustration OF Modern LouH suitism
Problems ana Cinb Notes ana News.
In the excellent programme provided for the
visitors to the Seventh Whist Congress there
will DO something for every one every day. and
II all the events are brought of successfully It
will DO a very busy week for the officials.
There Is one thing Of which no mention In
made, but which is a matter of no small im-
p~ortance. and that Is the method Of scoring that
will DO employed. When large numbers of
players are engaged, and tho contests arc close
and exciting, errors will creep into tho scores,
and although they are usually detected tho mo-
mcnt tho total results arc compared and bal
anced, 1t sometimes takes time to ind them.
These errors arc chiefly OF two kinds. Errors
In putting down the number Of tricks. either by
Transporting the number won by each side or by
both sides putting down the same number, and
errors in adding up tho totals after all the hands
have been played. Apart from these, there are
errors in handling tho trays and cards, such as
turning up the wrong trump, playing with tho
Indicators pointing In the wrong direction, and
matters OF that kind. These are due to tho caro-
lessncss OF the players themselves, and cannot
be traced up in large matches, unless the error
has been repeated at a number Of tables.
But all errors in scoring should be tracoable,
and the scores must balance, or the result OF
any contest will be unsatisfactory. When errors
have 10 DO traced the system Of scoring that adj
mits OF their being found in the shortest space
Of time Is of course the best.
1t must be confessed that the system Of scor-
ing used at Manhattan Beach and at the Wo-
mems Congress in Philadelphia was very unsat-
isfactory. In theory 1t was perfection; in prac-
tice it was a delusion and o snare. Each table
was provided with q number Of printed slips, on
one side OF which the numbers from i to Is were
printed in black, while on the other side the
same series of numbers were printed in red. but
in reverse order, / being on the back of l3, 2 on
the back Of IL, and so on.
The north player at each table had charge Of
these slips, and he tore of on the black side the
number Of tricks tho N and S pair won on the
hand, presenting the remainder Of the slip to the
E and w pair. On turning this end Of tho slip
over it would, of course, show in red tho number
Of tricks won by the L and w players. Each
side then placed its part Of tho slip in an en-
velope, which was used as a receptacle for all
the slips until the end of the match. after which
the envelopes were handed to the official scorer.
The system is supposed to obviate such errors
hand, instead Of one having eight and the other
five; and as the total number OF tricks won
I E" %Sps sSaSlI The im nS@SsF in Theo sRfsiS}Rls';t S sfsG IS
true, and the system should be perfection. but
these who have had experience nt = sh With 1t hope it
In the first place. printers are not infallible,
and sometimes tho numbers on the reverse side
Rress, a lady who had had previous painful ex.
pcriences with these slips went from table to
OF every slip before accepting it, as some of the
pads were incorrectly printed.
guarantees in sne ss' against pss'e err rer.l IN Che ~ Sy's and e X
s liter ;s ;ns Of "a q T 59nsIz the }. R SssyS to in t charge Il s Gt tR @
pair eight tricks instead Of live as he is to put
down the wrong number on a score card. The
:] nU soins S Seh sh1s i KS reta saSs i IL sn ,est ca %ss sn %
that the number found in the envelopes will DO
the number nassnt SFs sna SI.a ss M IN Il, no sn Iess; eG an Il In a
correct number Of tricks, It is his own fault, and
The scorers ssa r. have no ,f right to- to set eth him m straight az 1t
for S'@ eiehs s3eEses more ns' .Saa' they had voSsh:
e" THE the pair from fFoleao. Mr.: Brown and MSs:
s !ssa s OUT: sS sS ! RFHdlS u sp1. g q " sh s'I lss WA e. ~! The
seore balanced and the result announced when
tlisssi S'i How s,H was e the bala no st forced sdd' to oI make itsf It
sgTee both before and aileri Although the To.
plimentary seat in the finals. they very properly
declined to have anything further to do with
Itmight be supposed that II all the slips were
N the envelopes, it would be q matter OF only a
few minutes. with proper assistants, to add them
fact, the results Of the contests scored with these
slips have never been announced until after in:
tsrminahle delays, and even when ANNOUNCED
sorfectnsss: At the Mems CONGRESS It was two
balance had boon forced. fhc trick score in
for weeks after the congress was all over. There
was quite a lot of talk about curious changes in
Inc scores. One well-known player from New
Jersey was reported as having received credit
for seven tricks moro then he had made, and a
Claimed that they had won a certain match.
although the official additions Of the score, slips
did NOT %o show oT o IL when sod they W Wes Ms aTnSgnGed Rs0cb
scores with these score slips, and that It was
was determined which players should have
the tricks taken from them and to whom they
til d hammer At ph isss pSisH seem ws sSid ienfe@ The &c
two STe'o Scores %1 ' that " Wera ad EdSfdSo ap and f9 Checked q
Contest sg t sGtA oh partners of which In t Rss w pnBiIssedp pair a.
two. tricks. less. and the other as three
tricks less than the actual number handed in in
r%equosted not to add up their seo ies,e and te
trust everything to the he official tea scorer; but St. som 2.
Tore" and were not SO ~trustful as they nigh,
have been.
be. and that the scores must t0c come out right, 70,
the official scorer himself announced on the foo
or the congress In Philadelphia, twcnty.foul
hours after the match was over, that q mistak,
Of three tricks could not be found. and he neve
explained how he balanced the account.
In any contest the interest centres round tn,
result, and not only, the players engaged, bu
their friends all over the country as well. want t
know the result at the earliest possible moment
How would you like to go to q baseball mattel
and be Informed that the result would be pub
lished in the Official organ two or three day
~afterwardf What would you think II you hat
kept n private score yourself, and found after
ward that two runs had been locked from you
club TO force a balancc1
In the interest OF fair play the scores SHOULD
DO SO kept that any player can satisfy hinsel
that the result Is correct. and that he has beer
fairly treated. Confidence In. tho scoring offi
Gals Is not enough: the proof should he availabl,
II any question Is raised.
There are two excellent systems Of scoring a
present In use, either OF which should be avail
able at a CONGRESS-. One OF these Is used by tn,
American Whist Club in Boston. and was in
many good things in the way OF schedules. Tn