Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-04-10
HIS

Information as Given by the Long and
short Suffers
MY good f.iepd Lander NJ. Bouye,
captain Of the American Whist Club
team, who Of late has achieved con-
siderable distinction as a whist writer
Of the long suit school, is in the habit
CT laying stress upon the confidence
which exists between partners who
follow the strict long suit routine. His
numerous articles on this subject have
brought about a feeling that the long
suit game is, without any bad mean
ing attached to the phrase, a thorough
song confidence game, | do not pro-
pUse to acknowledge this, and, on the
ground that the confidence game is
an immoral one, to condemn it.; but,
On me contrary, l deny that there is
any more mutual confidence between
partners under the long suit routine
than there is in the common sense or
sAQrt suit system, or, as Whist has re-
Gently characterized it, the flexible
game. The strict long suffer opens
hand invariably with his longest suit,
ana with the fourth best card of it or
some high card that is equally inform
dt9Ey ana conventional, and thereby
SHOWS to partner, and incidentally to
the adYersaries the length OF the suit
ana pretty near his exact holding.
1t IS not only the opening OF hand
IL whist that establishes confidence be-
tween partners. When you tell part
hef what your best suit is. how many
t3Fds you have in it and what the size
y those cards is, you really don't tell
nm 50 much. When, at The flexible
t.f'e Of game, you lead him a support
ing card or even a small card indi-
eating strength. you do not tell him SO
WV much Judgment and perception
ways required in continuation Of
tAe play. Still. there is absolutely no
oouOt that the broader and more gem
tlal indications afforded by the short
shl or common sense openings are
more valuable for the general and
uIoad development of the play than
',e narrow and particular indications
= lae long suit routine.
ne style Of play of which | am an
oeFoeale / am loath to call a conf
~gAee game, but if you will accept that
t4Im IN a favorable sense, ] will chal-
IGnSe my friend Bouve to show a con
si0etaDle number of instances where
! ans routine is more confidential than
mine
his Is a. quite amicable discus
son 1t was suggested TO me by a
llateh that the Howell Whist Club
P'ayed the other day against the Amer
van W hist Club for one of the trophies
y, the New England Whist Associa-
,Ou Our team was luckily successful,
small margin, but still successful,
er quartet of players carefully
p =, and trained by Captain Bouve.
Wy played their confidence game, we
1iayed ours, and if we had to do any
more guessing than they did. it did
"'e appear in the score, nor in the
aet'on OF the players, nor in their
S'ale OF mind at the finish.
AS matter Of fact, | have reason
10 believe that they lost the match
aI.Eugh a lack of that very confidence
'"tth their captain has always claimed
~ oe one CT their most valuable attri-
N''tes. As an example of the confidence
'1aJ snort suffers can repose in each
uef without any number showing
gus Of arbitrary conventions, of any
0i Whatever, | append the follow
9 deal, taken from one of our prac-
HIN games at the Boston Duplicate
y INST Club. North and South are
ing suffers. East and West members
" my team. The deal was played at