The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-01-06
THE BRIDGE WHIST TABLE.
SOME PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE
LAWS or THE AME
Present Conditions That Make a Bridge Con-
sress Desirable Improvement Suggested
The Matter Of Probabilities for or Against
Given Makes With any SPECIFIED Hand.


Given Mako. With any Specified Hand.
The Whist Club OF New York. which has
already issued two editions Of its laws Of
bridge. Is ont with n circular containing
some proposed amendments and stating
that they will be voted upon at the annual
meeting Of the club on the third Thursday
In March. II seems unfortunate that such
important matters should he decided by
the chance majority Of such members OF the
club as may happen TO be present on That
occasion. instead Of by some properly quail
fed committee who thoroughly understand
the nature and scope Of the laws OF card
games and the principles upon which such
laws are based II Ia even more unfortunate
that we cannot have a bridge congress. with
representatives from all tho leading clubs,
TO Determine upon an American set OF laws
for tho game Just az the American Whist
League fixed the laws for duplicate. The
circular bears evidence 90 careful and con-
scientious work on the paf, OF the committee.
who have evidently taken up all the defects
of the present code and set Themselves the
rather difficult task Of formulating amend
ments which shall be acceptable to the ma
,ority OF players.
The New York club has a large following
and whatever its members may decide will
probably have a strong influence upon other
clubs whose members will not stop TO in
quire how or why certain amendments were
adopted or rejected. A. the annual meeting
Of this club two years ago a proposal 10 amend
the law about the dealer or the dummy lead
ing out OF turn was lost by only one vote and
the fate OF some OF the amendments now
proposed may he decided by an equally
narrow margin, which seems hardly the
proper way 10 determine questions Of such
importance TO bridge players generally.
Some Of The proposed changes are unlm-
portant. such as the right of entry TO tables.
calling for a new deal /! the last card is eN-
posed. Sc Some Of tho amendments how
ever. are decided Improvements on the old
code and VIII do much To bring our laws
more into harmony with those Of other cities
and other countries Among the ten or twelve
changes proposed the most Interesting are
the following
Instead Of insisting that n declaration
once made cannot be- altered. the player
should be allowed IN correct himself II b"
does 80 before any action ha~ been taken
10y the adversari.s. such as asking. 'Shal!
| play or going over This - to provide
for cases in which a player names diamonds
intending to say hcarts I uder the old
rules he wa not allowed to correct himself,
even IN the same breath
shall either adversary double out Of turn.
the original maker Of the trump must be
the one to decide whether OF not the 60
over shall stand ANY consultation a. 10
whether or not 1t shall stand will eutltle tie
sdver~aries to & new deal
II the ponc. tho player on the right Of the
dealer. asks shall | play" the present rule
Is that his partner must PLAY, hecau>e tn"
question being ONT Of turn prevents him
from doubling II j., uow Proposed to allow
IN. eldest hand "a doutle # he -er~ 1T to
do 50. even after the ak
ono ol the most in portaut changes, and
/ one which cannot fan 20 improve IT." game.
l. the proposed rule that n the dealer touches
any "' m" cards ~ dumity : hhud. ',\r'Il
for ~" IyoW"d plrpu-" 81 arranging them,
b." must play IA" card touched, and II l"
touches NOR" than ono ~" adv'rsarirN may
raI. Nhi Hd, , csTri .iTt ,Tr,nnr So ~ IN 70 ' pr"y ide
that # ~" dealer 'ik.~ a card from hl- hand
and lay IL upon tho table w" shall play
u " u t., It II not at all uncommon for ~"
| dealer to pldC" = card fac" upward on tho
table and keep his Anger on IL, perhaps
I until ono ndvcr@ary las pla we'd. and then
take Il back and lead sou"thIus else
one HAT should have been made Iprs ago,
and that Is To strike out m" rIl" ahuut the
uenslty for leading out Of turn from the hand
OF the dealer ur II" dummy The New York
Cluh hd- been aIpn" against the world in
! ;hs %ir'airg eTr"f' which cannot b" ii he
+ s'iuh'.si advantage u the dpalor'- slia.
because NO information can he conveyed
TO a PARTNER who j. a dummy Two courses
are given IA the proposed changes. one -
TO make the penalty twenty pulr'- m the
honor column and the other l. to allow the
/ dummy to call his partner att"utl on to
, The isct that 10 !, about 10 bead from the
wrong hand Twenty paints ~ III" honor
/ column j. quite A. unjust a calling n ~uI'.
~ tact. NOR" 80. h"caus" n frequently hap
Yar. that calling a ~uit does not make the
slightest difference, whereas twenty points
b. tho honor column must make a diN"r"uC".
and quite a serious on" IN ~" value ui M"
Tuuhcr when the points ar" hIch Va" pro
po,9l 70 hln" we "u",,t as ~ nI.c'u,'.'
"a, -f,ct,r,. ia, and - tho ruI. nov 1dntird
a.. ali ia. English clubs
Irdsr the urr-rpt rulr-. ii one ~.de make,
3 n liam. 10 cannot count 'h" twenty or forty
: MONT. for IL ii the other -ldr r"vukes II H.
j ,rotn-ed to change this very unjust rulo
Z :, HIM, big or LITTLE slam may h. counted
! il II l. shown that II could unV' been made
/ had the revoke not occurred
ON, of the most interesting changes of
! MI /, the uiIn 10 prevent an, una a the table
, nom seeing tho la,' truck turned and quilted
/ This continual asking to ~" the last trIck
VA, one of the greatest iui-unCoS At tn"
/ whist table UhtIl II VAS stopped by the laws
| of the American Whist League. and II J. al
most equally a nuisance at bridge Players
are continually asking to See tho lat trick
when they arc looking for echoes. and the
moment q small card l. played by the PARTNER