The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-06
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
PREPARING a NEW CODE or LAWS TO
GOVERN DUPLICATE WHIST.

rbs Committee sui NJ WorR-Ahoir Oouo
Ldopted Professionally for Testing
rsui,s in Its workinE-some women's
Iyb,st COD Analyses of some Gnmes.
The last conRress OF tho American Whist
,...u. In Boston adopted n new code OF laws.
famed especially for duplicate whist. Thomas
,rh.I,n Of Baltimore. in moving to accent the
W. code. proposed that the committed which
Ss,v nm the code should be continued and
shouId make a further report TO the ninth
.onores. OF any changes that they should find
.Sy;sahle. This was construed TO mean that
NJ cnde was not finally adopted, but was to be
,.kon on trial during the present winter, ind
a., The experience OF the various clubs and
s,,vors should be given 10 the committee with
,iev TO assisting them in making their re-
.or, NJ proposed changes In the code
IA the laws governing duplicate whist are Of
Al, oreotest interest to whist players, II Is very
,~mportant that all the clubs belonging to the
,.,rue should enforce the new code with the
.r.,test strictness In their games. In order to
Sl.cover It's defects. II any, and to suggest
,.nedIes. THE BUN has received quite q
rumbsr OF letters calling attention TO certain
Questionable features In the new code and
Icing instances Of difficulties which have
arisen In enforcing 1t.
7, has been found thai by leaving tho revoke
,,n.lty for duplicate the same as In straight"
rhist. two tricks for each revoke made. great
,niustlce ls sometimes done to those playing
n COMPASS games. especially IL the score is
.omputed on the Howell or the match system.
ldeal came up at the New York Whist Club
v.c.ntly in which q player holding the ace Of
,,pmps did not follow suit for three rounds.
The hand was a piano for eight tricks to the
r.vokinK side. Through some haste or mis-
understanding the adversaries. In exacting the
prnaltJ. took two tricks only instead OF six.
Had they taken the six TO which they were en-
titled the score at that table would have been
II to 2 instead OF 5 toS. As there were sevon
t,bles. playing the lowell averaging system.
this deal would have shown a total loss OF g
tricks n and s. and six times Q, or a total Of 80
tricks lost, Z and w. Upon averaging ; the
dsal II would have been found that there was
A loss OF thirty-sevenths to be added to the
score Of every pair who sat N and 8 and got
eight tricks on a piano handl This is equal to
<2.7 tricks as against the loss OF 8 tricks
By all those who sat Z and W and got 8 tricks
ON the same piano hand. This gives us
a difference OIL 81 tricks. to be charged
10 eycrT pair who sat Z and W and whose
edversaries did not revoke. This dif-
ference Of nearly two tricks. It will be OBJ
BeTNeu, II q VI - uSh IVA thOoo "hN
happen to sit N and S OF that particular deal
escape 1t and all those who happen to sit E and
" cannot avoid II.
That such a system OF scoring hands which
are to be averaged is unfair goes without say
ing. and the rule for revoke penalties in dupli-
cate games when more than two tables are en-
Gagged should certainly be that previously suR-
rested in The Sun. to give the pair who are en-
titled to revoke penalties the top score on that
hand. but no more. To take from two to ten
tricks from the adversaries as q revoke PEN
atty may be all very well in straight whist. or
In q match between two teams OF four. when
the matter concerns no one but those actually
playing the hand at the time the revoke Is
made, but to allow a penalty enforced by one
pair against another to affect the scores Of
twelve other pairs. six Of whom gain by It and
six Of whom lose by 1t, according to their good
or bad luck in sitting N and s or E and W on
Q particular deal. is contrary to the whole
spirit Of the equality which is supposed to be
secured by the duplicate game.
Many persons. In reading over Law VI.
which treats of the trump card. have hastily
tome to the conclusion that there ia no penalty
for leaving the trump slip exposed after the
second trick is turned and Quilted. The
penalty Is given under the head OF Cards
liable to be called" in Law TX. but there
should certainly be some mention Of or refer
ence to 1t In Law VI. ,
1t seems as II there should be some law COW
By some person other than the dealer. Sew
eral cases are on record In. which a tray has
been passed to the next table with the wrong
table Is not responsible for this error. he may
be at a great disadvantage IL the exposed card
gives valuable information to the ad yersaries.
is OF more value to his partner. In n recent
game at the Knick erbocker the two OF trumps
was recorded on the trump slip, but the tray
turned. Had that card not been exposed. the
original leader would have led trumps from
Queen a; :; ~ wan ana ra an9 pS ! 10 but tb upon Sas seeing seeing THAT that the he
led a plain suit in order to get a trump led
through, the queen. and 80 happened to gain
the law should be so amended as to infict a
penalty, on the player who held the dealers
sHrds at the last table at which the hand was
turned the wrong trump. The present law
Law VII. section 2. states that II a player is
CARDS; and the missing card or cards are
10y aoo In the tray" he shall receive the low
lY not found in the tray. or cannot be found at
al; or els the ~allusion to the tray should be
At S% the w e,f9seF'se Gcne = sea- In w SRfla sss 5GGnf IL
the card could not be found, either In the tray
Or on the floor. At a large Invitation game at
me Women's Whist Club in Brooklyn one OF
t!he players dropped a card on the floor and
the tray was passed to the next table and
played through before the error was discov-
cred, The referee decided that the players
thouid take the average. because the card was
not found In. the tray" Had he decided that
the player with less than her right number OF
Sards should take the lowest score on the
hand. the frat prize in a very important SON.
VeSI would have gone to ct. Louis.
.Ihere should also be some provision for the
discovery 81 imperfect packs after q deal has
peen played at more than one table. In q
zane al. the Knickerbocker there were two
slahls OF diamonds In one pack, and IL was
pot discovered until the deal had been played
~ lour tables and would perhaps have passed
Innotced altogether. had not a well-known
s9VIt-sulter taken o notion TO lead from a suit
y. Jour cards, ten high. establishing the seven,
~ re thought. He was surprised to find the
The second round.
Law W. section 10. Is very indefinite. It
pro'tpes that II the wrong trump is recorded
n me trump slip. and the deal has been
mH2eu AZ one or more tables with a wrong
muap. the recorded trump must be taken as
CORRECT and the player making the error
thpnIust receive the lowest score on that deal.
me question that will Immediately occur to
s my experienced whist player Is how Ia this err
ttUr 70 be detected2 II the trump is not
ts,ned up. and no record Of the trumps Is
tt rT on the score, sheets. who 10 TO know what
% Y was turned at the other tables?
a. "hat appears to many rs q serious defect in