The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
HI FINESSE As IT rs PR1CTICED
AMONG MODERN u YERS.
Glasses Into which He Divided FIncsse
Plays Illustrations of Finessing - Tho
Hardest Whist Problem Ever Published.

Dcschapelles's Theory of II aud the Six
Glasses Into Which lie Divided FInesse
Plays illustrations of Finessing - Tho
Hardest whist Problem Ever Published.
Tho popular idea Of nnesse seems TO be that
It is a simple method OF getting more tricks
out Of u hand than there are in II. Very few
whist players could give any satisfactory def
milton of the term 'nnesse" u they were asked
to do SO from their own experience Of its
workings apart from what they have rood
about 1t In books. The word Is French, but
In France IL does not mean to inlay tho queen
third hand when holding the ace-qucen or
the jack from kinE-jaok. The French word
for that Is impdsse. meaning a blind alley, or.
literally. turning into a path the outcome OF
which ia doubtful: going II blind, in fact. a
term which should strike many moderu rlay-
ers as extremely appropriate.
Deschapclles was the first to remark that
the word impasse was inconvenlent and did
not properly express the spirit Of the PLAYS
that come under the head OF flnesse. He pre-
ferred the words fnesse and dndsser. which he
tells us had even then been generally adopted
by foreigners. Finessc, properly speaking,
means fine play. md as pointed out by Des-
chapelles. any play which Ia a departure from
tho ordinary course OF playing the best card
OF a suit II you hold 1t must have In IL some ele-
ment of ~ilneness or nnesse. If every one
plays his best cards at the first opportunity"
he SAYS. 1T makes the game one OF sheer
strength ard awkwardness. and It's routine be-
comes as monotonous as the motions OF q
steam engine" CHAPTER Y. section 8.
D~eschapeiles seemed to hold that every de-
parture from the rule of playing the best card
OF n suit when trying to win a trick. or the low
est card when not trying to win. covered the
whole flnesse and strategy OF the game. He
classified all such plays under the head of
fnesse and divided them into six classes:
l. Finessing third hand on partners leads,
to be varied according 10 the players judg-
ment as TO whether the invite" was true or
false; that is. his good suit or a warning.
.. Second hand illnesses on the adversaries'
leads, also varied according to whether the
lead was true or false.
8. illnesses on the second round Of the suit.
whether second or third hand. when the fall
OF the cards on the first round indicated that
the card flnessed against was not on the left.
4. The fnesse obligatory, when you know
you must lose the trick and IL ia only a ques-
ton Of retaining the command Of the suit, IL
possible.
3. The flnosse which Is a speculation.
q. The flnesse on the partner.
The first three Of these Deschapelles OK
planned in what remains to us of q fragment
of his tenth CHAPTER. but he did not live to
write out his explanation and opinion Of the
remaining three. Many persons are curious to
know What he might have meant by the
lnesse on the partner. 1t is generally sup
posed that it Was taking a chance that the part
ner could win certain tricks which 1t was
necessary 10 trust to him.
II We examine carefully the plays which
modern experts call illnesses we shall find that
they may be divided into.two general ella sses:
those which are or should be compulsory. be-
cause they may win and cannot lose. and.those
which are simply speculative. Those In the
first class are really not illnesses at all. be-
cause they are conventional, Just as much as
the leads. II a suit in which you bold X. ] and
others has been led through you and won third
hand 10y the ace. il is not n fnesse to put on the
j il it is led through YOU again. because the .
cannot lie on your left. or it would have been
hnessed on the first round. II Is not a hnesse
70 duck your partners Z led when you hold .,
10. 3. 4, =. because If the I is q fourth best the
ace or king il the only card that will win II.
and If it is the top Of nothing. you simply
throw away your queen If you play 1t. II
you have led a small card from X. 10. ), 4. =.
and your partner has won the first trick with
the queen and returned a small one. 1t Is not
the ace is on your left and the only chance to
hat The ,aek Is on your right' ii! these are
conVeptionally defensive plays, and have moth
ing of the element of speculation in them.
Aimost al modern PLAYERS agree with Des-
~finesse., except with ace. queen. on partners
Original Iead OF a strong suit Deschape!les
ton game They also agree with the great
master OF nnesse that If the card led is evil
d 81 net he partners strong suit, and he Is
defend Il. you should tinesse much more deep
lyi the 10 from A. .. ~. the J from X. J. and
called such leads False ffPpsfi %nYftes;" We'c cnii G tRe@
cards of warning and protection.
There are quite a number who object to the
ace queen lneSse on partners strong suits.
when the king is on your left, and that if It IS
upon the first trick. It must be admitted that
to get into the lead and get at least che round
o. their own suit, which may result In getting
1t established against you and will certainly
leaving them in the better position for the in
%eyItable fight over tho trumps later on,
queen II only two remain. the small card II
there nre three left. YOU secure, two rounds Of
you. no matter on which side. you clear up the
suit enectually, in two rounds, probably get
ting 1t Established befnIe the adyeEIsarleS get
u suit In which he has nothing higher than the
Jack. which must be the case If thA king is
should have pretty good re-entrY cards or
trHmps to Justify it; and tho two rounds Of his
nult' csLihllSnlnR IL, snOulu leave MIN III u
pretty good position to get into the game and
force matters, either by leading trumps him
against him.
The objection to giving up the ace-queen
nnesse is that IL the king Is on your right it
must make II the inesse Is not taken. 1t will
make IN any CAGE, unless 1t Is sinRly guarded,
so that an immediate return. OF, the ace will
catch 4. or unless the original leader can
come through IT with some supporting card.
| the hnesse OF the queen wins, the original
leader must get in again to come through the
King, and he must come through with some
card which will save thu ace II the king does
not cover. Even II this qnuuy succeeds,
the result Of IL Is TO block the leaders, suit, II
second hand still hugs tho king, because the
ace must be held up by third hand. In the
CORRESPONDENCE tournament deal No. 2, the
original leader, with "a siX-card suit, four good
trumps and two sure re-entries. could not get
his suit cleared on account Of his partners
keeping the ace to catch the doubly guarded
king in second hand. and only five tricks we're
made on q hand good for nine or ten IL the
king could have been caught before the adver-
saries got into the lead and established a suit
against the opener and his partner.
Here Is a glriDnS AXamDlA of tna ANNA nnai-