The sun., 1899-05-07
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE.
BEST UAY or MAKING STUDY OF
fGLCSTRdTIpE HANDS

Oeveiopmcnt Of This Method of Le earning
to Play whist Modern Ideas Applied To
old Examples 80 How to Get Instruc-
tion from Illustrative Deals-Problems.
hqucstion very frequently asked is what 10
the best wav 70 study example or illustrative
hands DR.. Poe was the first to suggest that
many useful lessons in whist tactics might be
taught By means Of hands played completely
through after the manner 80 long in use In an
botated games OF chess. Before his ttme the
usual way OF illustrating the play was to give
some tragmentary description OF II which was
supposed 10 be quite sufficient to cover the
point insisted upon. something after the fol-
lowing fashion. which Is from one OF the earlier
editions OF Mathews:
"A had wop six tricks and one moro would
win the game. He remained with knave and
small trump and two diamonds. with the lead: /:
Y. his LEFT hand adversary. with the queen and
ten Of trnmps and two clubs; b. his partner.
with two small trumps and two diamonds: 4.
last player. with ace and a small trump. club
and n hear. 4 led diamond. which. being
passed by y. was won ny Z. Now. how IL Z to
play to mako II possible to win the odd trick
z saw il was not possible unless his part
ner had either the two best trumps or the frat
and third with a cuccessul lnesse He there
fore trumped with the ace. led the small trump
and won the game"
twill be observed that this description 10 30
loose that It does not even begin by telling US
what the trump suit was and the play covers
only the last part OF what was probably very
interesting hand. Nothing is said about the
development up to the critical point when It
became necessary for YX TO win every trick.
and we have no means Of Judging whether or
not had anv information from tho previous
fall OF the cards as TO how the trumps lay or
how he knew that his partner could win the
last two tricks If ho had either the hest trumps
or the tcnare over A.
Here is something little better. which pre-
tends to give the play OF the whole hand. 1t is
from the first edition OF Pembrdges we'll
known work. whist. or Bumhepuppv o.
with the score all five point whist. count
ing honors nave seen tho original leader
holding ace. knavc. nine. to five trump and
the ten turned up--play a singleton. knock his
partners king on tho head and then begin to
signal. while the adversaries were making the
next two tricks In that very suit. His partner
ruffed the fourth. and. with king and queen Of
the two unopened suits. led the queen Of
trumps. killed tho king in the second hand.
and the signaller then proceeded to wait about.
and. with all tho remaining trumps on his
right. eventually lost three by cards"
1t is rather difficult matter to follow such
description with the same interest that one can
give to 1t II the whole play is shown in such n
manner as to let us SOC the conditions existing
at each trick. and the writer took the trouble
20 get the full play ot this deal which struck
him as peculiar from the fact that the dealer.
holding six trumps himself. went back with the
suit originally opened although he should have
been easily able to read it for Il singleton.
Here is how Invent The ten OF hearts turned
byZ