Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-09-29

AS letters continue to come to The
| Sun from persons who are IN doubt
about the possibilities of playing a
conventionless game it becomes more
and more evident that the trouble with
such people is not that they cannot
play the game, but that they have not
had the kind of training which enables
a person to play whist as it should be
played. What they want is a more
thorough study of underlying prin-
ciples and less attention to triiing
details, such as whether the Queen or
the Jack should be led from A, K, @,
j, 10.
If you can depend upon your partner
! to develop his hand in such manner as
to indicate its possibilities in general
way there should be little difficulty in
knowing what course to pursue under
given circumstances, and especially
when to lead trumps and when to avoid
them. Some people cannot keep their
hanIs off their trumps when they have
good suit, even after their partner
has warned them that it will probably
be better to neep quiet. This is one of
the great advantages of supporting
cards that they are also cards of warn
ing, and II the partner will only take
the hint he will often be saved from
hidden and unexpected pitfalls, Of
which there are many in almost all
doubtful trump-leading hands.
1t used to be a fundamental prin-
ciple of the game that the original
leader should always lead trumps from
five, regardless of the rest of his hand
That rule being no longer followed, it
is unsafe for the adversaries to assume
that player cannot be long in trumps
simply because he does not lead them,
although it is pretty safe to gamble on
his not having six The short-suiter
must be very short indeed who will not
lead trumps from six, even with two
Singletons in his hand, because six
trumps really means four trumps and
two re-entry cards, which will go
long way toward making something in
Mariners hand, if he has anything at
all-R. f. Foster, in the New York
Sun.
The American Whist Player pub
fishes, among other things, the sub
Joined instructions for players, which
it designates a common sense system
Register readers who follow up whist
literature will be interested in noting
the radical deviation, in some. respects,
from rules laid down by long suit au-
| thorities They will repay perusal:
Exactly what the difference is be-
tween that which is denominated the
common-sense game and the long-suit
game. according to Cavendish, is some
what difficult to define, since even the
most rigid opponents of the long-suit
game ignore conventions at times.
| When these conventions should be ig-
nored is largely a matter of judgment.
| The shibboleth of the common-sense
| player is play to the drop" He be-
! lieves it better to open a sneak or
sub-sneak when weak in trumps and
without re-entry, than very long
suit which, even if established, canno
he brought in hv arvthio~ sho-+ 20
miracle. Like the modern long-suit
player, he believes it best to return
partners suit Immediately, rather than
| open a fresh one, unless it appears
| probable that he has better one than
his partner. The general outline OF
a system of play adopted by quar-
| tette OF "common-sense players IN
New England is a good deal as fol-
lows: Return partners suit unless
you have ne with three honors or an
, Ace-King suit. when you should play
| King. then switch to partners suit
Do not finesse unless the chances of
winning by it are distinctly in your
| favor.
Never invite a ruff when holding
| four trumps.
Open trumps from Ave, unless very
small and you have long plain suit
which will require two or three rounds
| to establish. In such case open the
| plain suit.
| Very strong in one suit and void OF
| another open trumps from four, so as
to lessen tie liability of being forced.
| AS a rule do not omen trumps from