The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-14
AROUND THE WHIST TABLE
THE NJ EMINIs OF LICK AND SKILL
~ THE GfME.
Ono Certain Test by Which the Ability Of
Any Player To Rise Above M-diocrity
May BE Ascertn,n-d- How To Become
kkilfui Mt " hist -Lu,k In Duplicate whist

skilfui Mt Whist-Luck In Duplicate whist
This IL fhe time Of year vh,r the merits Of " hist
players are compared and discussed with n view
10 selecting the hest n,rn for The cuffcn, ,ournn.
m'nts and training them 10 pull together ss teams
Tor the coming congress and State meets. As It
Is successful players that are wanted, /, Is usual
to Judge men by results, thosc making the best
scores in the general run Of COMPASS games he
Ing the ones upon whom the choice naturally
falls.
Success in any gam depends upon one II two
elements, luck and skill, o. upon both in comtina-
ton; and although luck may bc a large factor,
even In duplicate whist, II Is generally conceded
that skill is tho element 10 hc'surght for, II h,ing
the NOR" permanent factor. The GiTrult qucs-
ton 10 decide Is, whnt cOnsi!l'ca n standard fy
which a players skill may h. Judged apart from
hs luck and how much will the element II skill
dominate that Of lack in such games al duplicate
whist"
In MI games in which chance has any influence
We recognize this Peculiar element which We coll
luck, which appears 10 favor che player or the
other for crrt0in periods Ct timo, Il SEEMS to
attach itssl! more constantly 10 cone r, rsons
than to others. Jus, ns rats attach Themselves
10 certain houses, and there is no more apparent
reason why the luck should leave a man than There
is why a cat should leave n house. Some pla yers
are always getting gifts at the whis, table and
II Is impossible TO give any sensible reason why
they should not continue 10 do ~.
When one person speaks q another az lucky,
he simply expresses the result e his cs,ir stc
Of the individual during the timo that he has had
him under obscr ya'icn. Another prison. who
has observed the sam" individual nj a different
time, may have come g. the conclusion that he
was very u~nluckv. Thorc are some persons
PLAYING duplicate whist who e.; n rrwrtati, n Tor
luck in spite Of thrmsclvcs. Il is observed that
/ hey get more gifts than others. that their shots
Int the mark oftrncr and that 'he mistakes they
make do not cost much. Aftrr watching another
player Tor n tim" one comes To the conclusion
that the element Of his slcrcss cannat properly
hc called luck, but is the rc9glt Of the clement
which We call skill. He does not appear to get
any conspicuous gifts, he dpcs no, take any shots
on doubtful hands and h" drn, not make any
cos'ly mistakes in ti'kliSh si'Ua'rnS
! 1t cannot It. denied that both thrs, elements,
luck and skill, are productive q success al The
whist table, even when III" game IL duplicate.
Tahe The hand published last, wccR, cor instance,
In which n raiu OF five trirks dcpcn!r! cn'ir,ly
on lurk-thc chance As To which member Of the
New York tenn had the opcrinr rnd. Two II
them would have led the singleton and made the
gain, but neither Of th"m happened To hold the
hand, and The one to whom L. f"Il vas one ofthe
other two. who trl."rcd IN leading the long suit.
But the difference between TIE results achieved
by luck and SIX. is very marked The n,.t
seems t. he a special Jlsncusa,i,o NJ, Providence
reserved for those wh, hive been urlrc.v II, love
while the second is within the rca,b ~ any nor.
son Of ordinary Intelligence and ,bu,,r Tho,
tlDrN v v,nth.lp - ,,I,,..,.- -t-
'"' W. N"'''"'"| lu'N no' u
DO cenlcd, hut they do not apply g. the training
oi teams for d,lplirgte whist c,n,.e,4 In s,cb
rsr.s, J. 80, LA
"' we " '''"''" ~H'S anu 'ArHS
IN acc"rdance with the way the luck is running
because your position, y and : o- T. md W is
zeal -, ol,a, n
"h'' w am ""lN
tplhl your chAlr thr'c tines in the hope " chang
ing tic run Of the cards because IN c.r.ass
.,.,,c ,hc, -, 81 sb,ma, 49,, -.
a., .' ~ : qua "'"' o''u'e vac
EFN mama IS player, AM IL \ match the GcNl ~
o'nr advantage. There is no Use TAPPING n black
L,,o Nth y,,- lr,.,,, 49,
"'' - ""'No oo'auSo even II +"
brnSS Enl i'lr tFumpS you viii have TO pass
oil four Of them elonv T., tho other tell,r. ia a az,
,bc ~ d ,bo, rau
1' 80
IN the race Tor The attainment Of skill in any
game there is a certain dividing line a sor, If
Ls,,,co ne, tobi,I ,,T.i ,rF
- " ~ I'M" '' -''N' majority
o. persons stop 50 OXEN mat hey get TO lie looked
upon ns a class by themselves n srcc,cs of ,ls,
r.,. Co.
''" '"' ~ '''H HonS d1'N'ld lhIS marx
If a Ing Nlnc never seeming - be able e. get
past II cNucp, On rare Drc.s IN, This str,. M,
srui,s FL, c.yc,cl h, tho III
- "C "o'' "'N'-'''! anu II
N'E! CURIOUS 'hat IL marks q vel aclncd position
in an games Of skill lolk nj the th,u..rJs..,I
loci ,I.,a-s uh,,n ~, no., VA
'' "' " '''' ''uo game
WIN u ~ 'napIc average ui l"pi The chess lIaNcys
Wa GTo always about a kuI.at uchlnl the br.t
Ua-,, the Ch,CKcr PLAYER, Nu, ar, MI III az
enough never 81 NC CGuCn Mt ia a tvo.irr.nr, I'm
Yet ,buIu never gct rs IllCu as :. DRAW uroin,tr,
pr .~C,sIpG,4. thr Gpll ~,layCr5 Du, arc oIusys
Just HuJuttcn sirJhcs benin tie lu.lr. III, L',wG ct.
whose average s,au!s !or Sr.r, At a. H.. ,,,n
shots VIII s,an. al the iIays W,., h.irr 80 a..
never reach the ~. percent cil,,
In all gaines. IA WuIrA lr.IWurn 4, H., dominant,
factor there IS u certain element winch ny IN,
regarded as u a,tsAc test % the nIgsIrIitry
.. u person. ever passing beyond Inc Irr al NAH
O,Tty IN each game the test ma, lie .li,rbtI.
different IN It's application, but in All II Is r,,rc,,j
~ HE saline word foresight tnLc d., -
%. J.l.trGs. inouSqrl, AZ nuutsmt. 49, , "t"r
position shots well enough Il kun,y A g,r, r,'' III
VIII to a ter the shot, but not ONE IN n min, 49,
he'll Where they viii DO after two su1ts ,LgI 80
been playtd. The Professional can MIN ''o
ran nursr uuSlupn Symsuulr, u,r ~ ~" '' a
in alN an e Inc aNcra.c cuc,brr ra,i, ''''
tnAt n ne make, II certain ms. IA, uin'
80! one, but he cannot SIG Dr cuI,I .L -.
know thst ia elyut more up,rs i, uIII 49,
- give up q man ior nothing Tho 80, 49,.
chess pldycr Can sec tuat l. ne l-ets ia, ,",i'
~ attalk Were ais one ur. ruls lie MN NJ,
uccc. but l., c4luOi So ,uut "A .a,-iG,c "a
pieces vii give him a mate
Ia all intellectual gaines. the lost nf sur.,,,
tLlI min. - l.. - ]