The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-22
THE WHIST TABLE.
THE KHrckERBoCKERs FAIL TO WIN
THo STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

AWV hAAAG Cs
"
The Albany Club Keeps Its Honors with
Good Old-Fashioned whist Playing
Discipline in the Albany Tonm-Tho Now
system Of Playing Paw Matches Tried.
On Saturday. Jan. IA. the Knickerbockers
marched their army up the hill at Albany and
on Sunday morning they marched It down
again. They went up after the two State
CHAMPIONSHIPS, for pairs and for fours. and
they came down without either OF them. Le-
roy Smith and R. Connolly OF the Albany Chess
and Whist Club won the Utica trophy by two
tricks. B. @. Fuller and s. Wainwright Of the
Knickerbockers put up a good fight. Fuller
tieinR with Smith for the best individual score.
10 plus: G. A. Mosher and r. G. Curtis OF the
East Side Club OF Troy coming next with IA
and IL.
1t was the first trial OF the new system OF
playing pair matches. each player taking each
OF the others for q partner for four deals. the
aggregate scores Of the two men from the
same Stub being afterward added together. the
largest total winning the cup. The method
was not entirely satisfactory. because there
we're several rounds which did not affect the
pair score except to decide possible ties. The
committee have prepared another schedule
which will meet this defect. There will be
twelve rounds OF two deals each. everv player
playing with or against every other. hut In
each round tho pair scores will be affected. In
the match for fours the Albany Chess and
Whist Club team. Rathbone. Lodge. Snow and
Muhfelder. showed the Knickerbockers under
with q shower OF SO tricks 10 IL. and they did
It honestly. with the good old clean cut. long
suit. American leads. trust your partner and
don't try any funny business system which has
made the Albany team what 1t is to-day. one
OF the best In the country.
President Leroy Smith certainly deserves
great credit for the discipline and harmony
shown by his team In all it's important
matches. One little incident will illustrate
this. After the game one of the losers re-
marked that he was misled on one hand by an
Albany player leading the king when he held
five OF the suit. Leroy Smith Immediately Of
fered to bet 3 to ] that no Albany player had
made such an opening. which would be a radi-
cal departure from the system agreed upon.
When It was pointed out that II might have
been a mistake he offered to bet that no player
on that team had made a mistake in opening.
THE Sun would respectfully ask how many
teams there are In this country to-day on
which It would be safe to bet 5 to l that
they had not departed from their system. even
in such a trifie as a lead. Would any one bet
1t on the Knickerbockers, or would they rather
lay the odds the other way and offer 5 to l
that they did not stick to their system in more
Nioi q inlu vi bio
1t Is this confidence In the system, conf
dence In the partner. confidence in the team.
that wins matches. especially when it is COM
bined with good steady play; but some of our
would be champions seem to learn that lesson
very slowly, President Leroy Smith lie to be
congratulated on holding on to both trophies
and at the same time teaching whist players all
over the country q good l~esson,in the value Of
consistent team work.
This confidence in the partner is a great
thing. and it shows itself in many ways. espe-
cially by enabling one to take advantage of po-
sitions in which plays may be made which
would be very unsound unless the person max
ing them was quite sure OF his premises. the
foundation Of which would be confidence that
his partner had played straight" AS an ex-
ample OF this take the following little Skin
mish. played at the Knickerbocker Whist Club
on Jan. 10. Zdealt and turned the heart king: