The sun., 1899-04-02
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
WHIST NOT A GAME TO BE PLITED
By MACHINRRT.

| "
Sigma of the Approaching Change from the
| Mechanical Routine of system to the
| Freedom of Art-Dishonesty OF Private
| Conventions - Tricks Thrown Away.
| The game OF whist has passed through many
| transition periods In it's day. but it now seems
| on the eve OF what may prove the most Inn
portant OF all, the change from the mechanical
| routine Of system to the freedom OF art.
There are some people who believe that
| watches made by machinery are the best. be-
cause when once We have a lrst-class pattern
! We can keep on duplicating 1t for ever. while
| those made by hand are each OF them an ex-
pertinent in itself There are persons who pre-
| fer lithograph reproduction Of a great paint
! ing to an original canvas from the hand OF
| less famous artist. There are those who think
| IL better to copy the design Of an approved
| specimen OF architecture than to adopt the
| suggestions OF an original designer. On the
| same principle. there are those who think that
| II the experts have decided upon q flrst-class
| system which covers all the essential points Of
| a game OF whist. the safest course is to follow
| that system. playing hand after hand accord
| ing to the pattern before them. Just as
carver turns out egg moulding by the yard.
! Whist is not science however nearly it may
| approach one. Neither can it be played by
machinery, however accurate and well tested
| the tools. The game is peculiarly an art. and
| It requires an artist to get out OF it its full
| possibilities The curse OF the modern player
| has been his attempts to play whist by ma
| chinery and to use conventions as his patterns
| and guides. Every possible twist that can be
| given to the cards has been used for some
purpose or other. The high-card leads have
! been varied time and again to show trump
strength or weakness. the low-card leads to
show the weakness OF the suit itself or the
! possession Of reentres in other suits. Interior
leads have been devised to call through honors
turned. to invite or decline forcing game: to
show nothing higher in the suit than the Jack.
or to prevent the partner from leading trumps.
Some persons imagine these things to be OF
such importance that they cannot play whist
without them while others are continually on
the anxious seat for fear they have adopted
some convention TO the exclusion of another
which might have proved more useful.
The inevitable end of all purely conventional
play is dishonesty The player first deceives
himself and then tries to deceive his adversary.
He experiments with somo convention which
seems to be a trick winner and tlatters himself
that he is n better player because he has won
more tricks since he adopted 1t. Then he finds
1t does not work so we'll II it is fully explained
TO the adversaries SO he does not say anything
about it unless they question him closely That
these private understandings between part
that they are continually coming to the surface
in unexpected ways. One frequently hears
player say to his partner as they are leaving the
table after hand. / showed you an honor in
| clubs. why did you not give me the suitT The
each other and wonder what new system they
have been UP against.
In recent tournament in New England p,
pair came UP to a table. at which they were
asked for some details OF their system. At first
they denied having any system in particular,
N hai aal laH hn II n |
they used the rotary discard. they said they
did. the order OF the suits or it's variations
saries very properly. declined to, play against
them, The rotaries then concluded to consult
with the other members OF their team. and
| presently returned with the statement that as
they did not care to disclose the ir system they
Tersaries very Pa properly M w refused to play against
| them at all. system or no system it being evil
dent that had they not been Gpesti1ned ed, they
| saying word about Il;
| OF what use are all these things after all
waste on calling for trpmps. because they OBJ
thing. They used the call in red sut
red sui suit led. provided it was not the he trump. %
II IT was trumps. the club, was the suit
On he SANE ss rFnHe they tried
to have the other black suit led il it was not
trqmps; II t was trumps; they wanted hearts
| led. At first they thought this very fine thing.
Snotnsp @ f' Until al the Nf possible conhiHatons q q
hausted. they abandoned the whole thing as
| good for nothing. and only an additional source
1t is certainly astonishing that our good
| players cannot see the extent to which they de-
sade, 9y nSns ypon shs
the result. go far as the score Is concerned.
there is no feast Of reason and flow Of soul in
| such a game. and one cannot help rising from
| the table with bad taste in his mouth after
ak or seven courses Of private signals. which
| Why do not our conventional players keep
notebook and yot down the numb Der OF tricks
and in another put down the number they lose
| by neglectine the sol Id principles OF the game
such statistics. i given out BY some o. our our
1eeding suppose Beverly shith were ,d 70 come come
the dom ,torce.me, lead and discard, and had
ing from long suits headed by single honors |!
Would not the margin Of II tricks in favor OF
what happened 10 the long SUITS
Just take your pet c9nyention and keep tab
record OF the tricks you lose through your ig-
norance OF the common-sense principles OF the
and the ss
from short trumps a winner2 p2 you know
know. when your partner discards his good
suit which suit he Is keeping in preference to
| it and why? Do you know. when your partner
returns the adversaries, suit whether 1t Is be-
| cause he wants to esta bish II in his own hand.
| or 10 get you to force him with it. or simply to
place the lead to his advantage? Just study
! up on these points little and then set against
their trick winning possibilities bali dozen
| OF the best conventions you can find. and see
| how you come out at the end OF month.
| There Ia not q game in which there are not
| enough cold tricks thrown away through
| ignorance or thoughtlessneSS more than to pay
| for all those gained by the use OF conventions
| three times over. As an example OF how tricks
| can be dropped in large lunches, take the fol-
| lowing deal, played in tho pair championship
| OF the New Jersey Whist Association on last
| Saturday at Jersey City. u dealt and turned
| the heart =. and the player who had the open
| ing sat North.
TnIcI.