The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
an 1oNs on SHORT SUFFERS AT BoS-
Sov ~FYERYBODY WAS "MODIFTED."

TOy-EVERPBODY WAS "MODIHIhD."
-nor.ssnse whist Wal Prevalent and
euccessful-Tho Attachment and Its
Observation-Disclosures of Some Hands.
In the annual tournaments OF the past few
..ora there has been a great deal Of interest
.sLon IN the system Of play used by the sue
o.sotul tennis, and the rivalry between longs
md shorts has been very keen. This year
thoro ia little or nothing Of the kind. because
,bo two systems are becoming 30 completely
kionded that neither can any longer be said to
bo strictly long or short, both more and more
closely approaching common sense, or the
honpy medium OF all systems. All the long
sui,ers acknowledged that they played with
variations" and all the so-called shorts were
ohseryed to open their long suit every time
,bcy thought they had a chance to make IL.
Can't. Bouve's team. which won the Hamilton
tronhy and the championship for 1893. and
CAM. wards team. which won the A. W. L. tro-
nhv. are widely separated in their views and
have adopted totally different systems OF play.
Bouy6's team do not bother themselves much
with conventions, and depend largely for their
success upon good steady whist and accurate
reading OF the cards. They use American
leads to show number in suits headed by high
card combinations. except in the case Of the
lack. which always denies the ace. They lead
the Jack from J 10 g and others, and the 10
from o. 10. or 10 o g and others The 8 is led
"a fourth best or as the top Of 81. The 8 Is
led as a fourth best or the ton ofS76.
Wards team. which was formerly known as
the Pyramid Club, played under the banner of
the Americans in the congress and won the
A. W. L. trophy. They play what is called the
modified game" which is q very common
sense affair so far as the openings go, no at
tempt being made to show number in the suit
or to signal for trumps, but very complicated
when it comes to the code OF signals to show
the holding in the adversaries' suits. The reg
ular part OF the game is called modified" be-
cause It is simply playing for long suits without
going into details about them. The code Of
signals in the adversaries' suits Is called an
attachment" probably because 1t has nothing
TO do with the game OF whist, and is a sort Of
sharp practice which is about on a par with
such lodges as the rotary discard.
According to a statement made by one who
plays this modified " game the ace is lead from
great length. or from ace and king in a weak
hand, or A Q j and others. The king shows ace
or queen without regard to length In suit, butif
1t is led from a short suit the jack or ten is
present also. The queen Is led from Q J 10 or
QJe and others. but is never used as a sup
porting card from a short suit. The jack Is led
from A ] 10 or X J 10 and others. and from
suits headed by 10. The jack Is neverled from
athree-card suit unless accompanied by the ten.
The 10 and 8 are supporting cards from short
suits. The g. 7. g.. 3 are conventional signals
to show a strong suit. which is not accom-
panied by both recntry cards and trump
strength. The 4. 3, 2 are conventional signals
TO show a strong suit accompanied by four
trumps and q resntry. All this is, Of course,
simply an elaborate code Of private signals,
which the adyersaries may or may not under
stand, but which it is taken for granted that
they know all about, because Il has been
printed somewhere at sometime or other.
THE ATTACHMENT"
As a general principle Of play. the modified
players avoid opening from four-card tenace
suits. but lead any flve-card suits which they
have reasonable hope OF making. They are
shy Of singietons. and never lead cards below
the 8 from weak suits that is, they say they
don't. but they say a great many things that
they don't do. The chief feature OF the modi-
fed game, however. is the attachment" which
would be a comparatively simple affair il it was
always PLAYED as published. Unfortunately. a
great many Of those who take up the attach
ment do not consider it safe to play II on those
who understand 1t. 50 they vt.lier drop it or
twist it, something after the fashion OF chang
ing the order Of the suits in the rotary discard.
az tS bubll1lSu, IL ~ IDl-
lows: 1t is. in the first place. a return to the
beginnings ofwhist. before the invention Of the
trump signal. when two-card suits, led by the
adversary. were played down to show no
more and a desire to ruff the third round. The
attachment" carries this idea into weak
three-card suits led by the adversary. playing
me Intermediate card first. then the top. and
uhally the lowest. Ii one of the three cards is
an honor, or the suit is one OF four cards. il is
RsissySat q lie 63G aSitnGbmgan With h the Lowest & card
so that tbs, play OF a higher and then a lower
card would show either no more or the possess
10 Soo Ri Gi a FRI tbFr or r Imeedn-in either case the ability
II this system were always played exactly as
punilshed 1t would simply be thrown into the
lions that have done so much to injure the
game and th9 morals of those who play it but.
T9a Dfs ifsdif :; it. tri Is a system which peculiarly
thoroughly exposed. It is well known that the
rotary can be changed to any order Of the suits,
changing it between deals or in Coins from
one table TO an9ther. The sarpe is true OF the
In which they are continually meeting new
%GEJeTsaples must come across some who
against those who are familiar with
Other one sTR he ZEE feIloRR pair ur %aay say to the
drop It for this round" Or ntihelSi mav a III net tb ns
f6s 81 shall / play it straight" as published. while
veT e.ne Tb reTeT nTs t i; or both may agree to re-
for I've card. only; b. for three cards: G. ior
may be instantly transposed. so The a NAV
nnd ao o or or G; o or G may be used to mean a or B.
which would be quite simple to those who had
TO- o seen trained In their use. but impossible
skinned at the card table. "' ~ o'ihH
the axe the case Of a player who understands
ISSt mat one Of his adyersaries has agreed tc
iaSH4t IL straight while the, other is to reverse
SeiE on winch the. player on his left shows thai
s n ~ oq H. OF the suit, while the one on his riRht
o oh y Ihat ne has an honor. This makes II
U0vIous that the leaders partner can over
tTbemp tne second hand and kill the honor al
we same Time. instead Of which, to the lead,
f hofdss surprise, it is the player on the left who
n nVnps 1ne honor and the one on the right thai
over trpmps the leaders, p%artnerl
mneaneI or not this was done at the Boston
pnno the[e Is no means Of knowing, al
monc ol the hands was recorded but that 4
Mas u EL IN some OF the games played in the
sunn5 EnSlana tournaments by teams that wer.
Supposeu 70 be using the attachment" is wei
hRnnoUwwn' 3ps OF the most prominent players Ii