Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-04
AMONG THE WHISPERS

AMONG THE WHISPERS
Last Wednesday night marked a new era
in whist at the c. A. c. Safford's system
for pairs was used and the new director,
Charles w. SCHNEIDER, distinguished himself
by making a plus Of %. With the prize
winner, Louie korn, at Jersey City for a
partner. they carried everything before
them. Bob Larner, though more at home
at one of the. Gridiron Club meetings, made
a very creditable score, as well several
members of the new whist committee, who
are determined to have the c. A. C.'s We'd
nesday nights conducive to good whist
as the untiring efforts of the committee
can make them. There is latent talent in
the club, several players who have not
played whist for years showing in great
form.
erature accessible appertaining to the play
of the Baltimores and Walbrook. with
whom they have a large contract on hand
for tomorrow night. Baltimore Is in thor
ough practice and will bring over strong
delegation. They will PUT UP a game hard
to beat. The prestige of the c. b. c. en-
title them to serious consideration from
any twenty players In the country. They
have entered an eight for the Atlantic aux
iliary trophy, and are in constant practice
preparatory for the eighth congress, to be
held at Boston, where they will send two
teams for the Hamilton trophy. Captain
Prince has been untiring in his efforts to
stimulate an interest in whist and has sue
ceeded in presenting a formidable array
against Baltimore and Walbrcok-Low and
Borden. Barrick and Carr. Bingham and
Wooten. DR.. Lewis and Britton, Cole and
Stephens, Harlan, McComb, Williamson
ard many others, who will give good &C
count of themselves. They will miss the
strong play of Fogg and Quackenbush, who
are unavoidably absent. The score will be
given in full in Mondays Star.
The Trump Signal
If Lord George Bentnick could have fore
seen the base usages to which the Blue
Peter has been brought he would have
hesitated some time before playing an un-
necessarily high card. Tho abuse of the
trump signal has no doubt contributed
more lost tricks to those using 1t than tho
expert whist player has gained from its
use. The tendency to signal on all occa-
sions with trump strength. has caused
many prominent players to abandon it's
use altogether. This is equally an error in
another direction. There are times when
if every card played by partner indicates
a weak hand you should ambush your
trumps. IL you also have no strong suits to
play for The rule in many clubs not to
not to signal unless having three of your
partners suit, for fear you cannot put him
in the lead again after trumps are exhaust
ed, shows how this "king' of trick winners
Is .hedged about" with drawbacks.
A hand holding five or six trumps, to the
ten. or often the jack, without re-entry
in another suit has no right to ask his
partner to give up his high cards in trumps;
unless there is a corresponding benefit to be
derived from the other suits, the sacrifice
Of one and often two tricks in trumps is
bad whist Your partner must lead to your
call. regardless, as you have ordered the
play and taken the responsibility. Some
clubs qualify this mandate, the one excep-
ton being If you have a singleton in an
other suit, you can refrain from leading
trumps. or returning them il your partner
where the good card sense of partners will
save many tricks and the machine player
will founder, with little hope of his part
ner being able to extricate him.
How often has an apparently invIncIbie
trump hand gone up to disaster without
any plausible reason for advertising the
trump strength.
Trump Showing Leads.
The trump showing leads are all right
when you have combined strength, but
against players of equal strength it Is a
two-edged sword. The Walbrooks' trump
showing system of the lowest but one can
be thwarted by making it appear that it is
next to the lowest, by holding up the trey
IL the four is lead, and by holding up the
deuce IL the trey is led, making it appear
that the leader has announced trump
strength. when. in fact, he has opened low,
showing weakness.
Supporting Card Leads.
Mrs. jerks lays great stress on the sup
porting card lead In preference to leading
from the ace-queen combination. Too
much Importance has been given this. as
wei as the minor ten-ace, both in plain
suits and trumps. The trend of the pIay
at present Is always to play king with one
guard second hand, in trumps, and on an
original opening in plain suits also Low
Wooten and Barrick claim that 1t is the
supporting card Oack or ten) led by mart
ner that makes the ace-queen so valuable
gets the king in pocket, from which there
Is no escape If it should be on the right
iou ask what percentage of times will It's
favorable position be met? Once in three
times. Then. how does it Offset the ,mes
II Is held against you? You are counting q
trump lead, and, having no suit, you can
wen aHord to await Developments as your
partner Is the fourth player on the second
round. II you have found an established
suit against you. you take the cards of
that suit from the enemy's partner, and he
must nave re-entries In other suits in order
to bring In his established suit 1t often
mas the same effect as holding up ace of an
adversary's suit. hey are made to draw
wrong fnferences, and consequently play
badly They rush to trumps which is
OFTEN followed by a stampede. when they
ind that they have been led into an am
buscade. The success of the short suit
leads Is to great extent due to the d.
cult position in which the adversary ia
placed. In trying to protect the high cards
or his suit he commits the error in the
trump suit that the short suit PLAYER Is
supposed to have committed in the other
suits.
The incest discrimination is needed tn
get the most tricks possible out of both
hands. Leaning too far backward is AZ
culpable as guerrilla warfare or any other
The flexible spine," not in the capacity
OF rubber neck, bending in all directions.
ana calculating to a nicely the tactics of
the enemy. placing the last cards. leading
the thirteenth trump at tenth or eleventh
trick II necessary to make the adversary
rrsuard a king or give up the best card in
a suit IN which you have the next best.
There are times when no system will helm
you but your close attention, attentive
memory to the cards already played and
understanding the language they spoke to
the partner of the player. When you have
Il S.uk~.