The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-23
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
RESULTS At THE NINTH ANNUAL
CONGRESS OF THE LEAGUE

Surprises Sprung Upon tho Crackaisoks
at Chicago by Unknown TeRms-Char-
aoter of tho Playing - Tho Scores OF
tho Chief Events Progressive Events.
The ninth annual congress Of the American
Whist League has passed into history. AL
! though. perhaps. not quite 80 largely attended
| as some OF the earlier meetings OF the league.
1t was az we'll managed and as satisfactory in
| its results as any OF the others.
! Almost all these annual gatherings have
some distinctive feature by which they are re-
membered by those who attend them. VIII
any one who saw 1t ever forget the display OF
suspenders and open backed shirts at Putin
| Bay2 Will any ono ever forget the surprises
that were sprung on the crackajacks at Chi
| caRo this year? Two or three comparatively
unheard OF clubs. from which no ono ever ex-
| pected anything In particular. came very near
| carrying Off all the championship honors.
These were Racine. Wis; Toronto Oaks Of
Austin. ILL.,. and Indianapolis.
The Minneapolis team started their match
against Indianapolis in the second round OF
the trial heats for the Hamilton trophy with
sort OF half chuckle at having drawn such a
snap. 30 little did they think OF the Hoosiers
that they did not even stop to ask them what
| system they were playing. and after they had
lost the match, and with it their only hope Of
the hampionship. they were the most sur
prsed lot Of men at the congress.
In much the same manner the team OF the
Athenaum Club Of Toronto opened the eyes OF
their opponents by the strength OF the game
they put up. and their skill in reading cards.
| They we're shut out OF the Hamilton on the
second round by Austin. but stayed in the A.
| W. L. until the last card was played. defeating
| the Americans OF Boston. Cincinnati. Chicago.
| Nashville and Sioux Falls and playing the
| champion St. Paul team to a tie. Although the
| Boston team puzzled them little it could
not beat them. In ono hand Bggar OF the To-
ronto team held A. ]. +. g. OF spades. led up to
from his left with the 7. Tho ten fell second
hand; king and ace. Player on the right got
| in and came back with the 5: BiRgar drops the
deuce The falls from the orSFppal leader 9 and
The Oaks team Of Austin. H.. were another
surprise. They got into the Ham lton finals by
sem-hmals had the aatisfacton Of beating the
| present champions by two tricks in their match
The Heyer Whist Club. formerly the Racine OF
Wisconsin fairly took every ones breath away
BY the ease With which they knocked out Phila-
easo b"ao ndayna ST austin man! and T5ledo
sertion SO often put forward by THE suN, that
II some Of our younger teams could only b.
those with big reputation. and would avoid
o he match o sared to
much better than they think.
AS usual there we're great many things OK
peoted a. the ninth cpngress that didn't nap,
| the turned trump. although all the progressive
games were played without one. clubs being
| declared. In the championship events trump
was turned in all cases. probably SO that the
"turned-through-t the -honor-called" fellows
As to systems Of play. it would seem that lit
| tie or no attention was paid to them. although
eseSe o system The on s
| OF any Importance that have made profession
Toied9. and they certain I did not make sue
cess OF 1t at the congress which has Just closed
tSay hE got int the the S Of hs %
All the winners OF the big events at the con-
| Rres5 played the long suit game pretty strictly
nothing else played, Three Of the Toronto
sense game hut in Difference 70 the wishes OF
their fourth man they dropped It at the con-
that the matches won and lost did not turn
| upon the use OF any system. but simply upon
nations. simple blunders were to blame for
tho loss q TIE most important mptehes IN a many
tru il once too often. and 50 shut themselves
.nu one sSs ,ss S ssi
Toledo, dropped the two tricks that would
Grand Rpd The sme
tho fact Ct that It = not the system but the abilc
| ity to read hands and to see through situations
90 busy with the creation Of private conven-
tons that they could sec nothng else. but now
OF the soIld principles OF the game 10 worth
more than all the systems ever devils ed Know
ono ono hand is worth sixteen street attachments
Tho women players we're out In force. IN spite
the 0ne % hsm "a @ tns Of hSsq
took part in championshp match, playing
for New England in the auxiliary. About nifty
cob narf in n rin prny G ~ m
the average than that Of the men. 1t was at
| first intended to keep the games in which the
women took part separate from the mems
regular compass events which are chiefly dis
| arrangement did not last long. and the women
were soon invited into many OF the games
There was little or no business done at the
ness seh upon Hs" s
1000 Thts wa done in order to shorten The the
following officers were elected for the coming
PF s9,snh Eo
retsry. G. 4, Henranes. New YORK treasurer.
L. sshwab Sssshve '9 Thom es@
TheIan Be!tm9se T assp F. Talcott
As predctsa in THE SuS several weeks ago
WIN any any" h sTS sis Ths
uncertainty gave an unusual interest to the
| various contests and the wires were kept hot
sending kilograms to distant cities telling the
their teams were still in it., The full Official
scores OF the important events are as follows
furnished to THE Sun by Fl. T. Fry OF Chicago,
Chairman Of the Bureau OF Information. and
BY H. T Baker OF Brooklyn. who was elected
Assistant SECRETARY Of the congress in the abb
sence Of G. A. Henriques.
HAMILTON TROPHY.
The conditions OF this contest were that IN
the preliminary rounds matches OF twenty
four deals each should be played between
clubs drawn against each other in pairs, the
drawing being so arranged as to get an East
ern club against a Western club much as
possible. There were TWENTY-FIVE entries, and
the first round resulted as follows: