The sun., 1897-03-28
AROUNDTHE WHIST TABLE.
HAMILTON WINS TIE WHIST LEAGUE
TROPHT FROM ALBAyT.
The winnisE Cius mas wep the Trophy FiE-
tees Tines-It Weeds Only Hiye Wore VIC
tories 20 Become owner OF the Trvphy.

The wiunisE Cins mas wep the Trophy Eif-
tsen Tines-u Needs Only Hfys More We
tsrtes 20 Become owner OF the Trophy.
BY defeating Albany the Hamilton Whist
Club advances its score to fifteen wins toward
the twenty necessary for the permanent posses
sion Of the American Whist League trophy.
Albany Is In second place with eleven; st. Paul
third with Eve: American and Minneapolis
have four each; Baltimore, Capital, Continental,
Narragansett. and Park two each: while New
York and Philadelphia have one. The eight
successive wins by Albany beat the record for
this trophy. Hamilton being second with Six
Many expect that Hamilton will win the cup
outright before the present season ends. II they
do, they will certainly be entitled to it, for they
have at least three very hard matches to play,
against Baltimore. Park and American.
The score OF the Hamilton Albany match. 35
to Il, although not as high as some previously
made, was quite a surprise to most whist play.
ers, and was generally attributed to loss OF
nerve. Hamilton says this Is not the case and
attributes its success entirely to the system OF
play used by the team. Curiously enough they
consider the most effective part of this system is
q common-sense " idea which was laughed at u
year or two ago as sheer nonsense. One Of the
winning team, writing in the Philadelphia
Telegraph, says: The differences in system be-
that proved the greatest factor in the eighteen
trick victory for the Hamiltons was their top
of.nothing' opening.
There were several deals in which the third
hand held king and queen. while the ace was in
the second hand. Albany led tourth-best. and
the third hand. not being furnished with the
valuable Information that the leader was with
out a face card ut once returned the king and
necessarily sacrificed that valuable card on the
altar OF system. This was not ALL however;
there one deal in which the lead Of the
ten top-of.nothins' forced the second hand
with queen. nine. to play the queen: the third
hand had ace, jack, and the fourth
hand had king sous. Furthermore there
were number OF deals in which the informa-
tion that the leader had a face card proved
OF inestirable advantage to the Hamiltonians:
one, for instance. where the third hand held
ace. queen, jack, ten, and knowing the leader had
the king was enabled to return small card,
which the original fourth hand ,who was marked
by the fall OF the frst trick void OF the suit had
to pass.
On the other hand the Hamiltonians report
that, as has been their invariable experience in
the year in which they have been using the top
otnothins play, it did not cost their score sin
gle trick
From the foregoing it is evident that the
soundness OF leading supporting cards from suits
which are what correspondent OF THE SUS
calls tricky weak as distinguished from
those that are numerically weak. Those who
believe in showing number much rs possible
will ind many opportunities in this system. and
even those who do not believe in such strict con-
ventionalities will observe that rho top-of-
nothing enables the partner TO place the suit
with great accuracy.
II partner can be depended on never TO lead
small card OF plain spit unless he has an houor
better than the jack the third hand will be free
to echo in various WAYS. II he holds ace queen
for instance. and partner leads small card. il
IL certainty that the leader holds the king and
the ace and queen Immediately become Indi.er-
ent cards. 80 far trick taking il concerned
Win three cards only in third hand the play Of
the queen and return OF the ace shows but one
remaining. while the play of the ace and return i
ot the queen shows az least four originally A
hand was recent ~ sent TO The SCS by a corre
socndent in St Louis which shows that the in
thus mutually conveyed may be very
valuable at times. A-B are partners against |
Il dealt and turned the heart :. The !
underlined card wins the trick. and the card
under 10 is the next one led: