Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-06-18
origin
OF Bridge Whist


tSasaniAx aexteE.l
The real origin of bridge whist h.
somewhat shEouded in mystery. { The
sane Il said tn have originated i'm
Russia. but ahsre ID no satisfactory
pTuot u this stateEneaL. II Mas fIrs4
known under tho uai.' oi "hlritch. a.
Rnsalsn whist" and Tits. No daahs.
gave rise to the idea that Il Vas II
hassaaa origin. although. ~ n matter
III taea. the word ~hiritah~ IN not a.
Ia be found IN the Rassian dictionary.
Tns game. - We play II. h Tar more
alkeiy 10 haze becn Ut Leyansine orr.
gla. II was certainly played. very
much In lis pTessnt form. some for
~ years Hgo. In eastern Europe. nota
bly, II co~astantinople and in Greece.
and II there were any necessity % ~
sign tn IL "A definite nationality Nc
should not hesitate 10 award the hoa.
OF 10 Greece.
The prevalent idea that bridge was
unknown In England up 10 the time
OF it, introduction st the Portland
club In 1894 Ia nm entirely mistaksa
one. IL was quite unknown In club
land. but there Is indisputabie evi.
dence of its having been known and
regularly played In private circles for
many years prior TO that date.
II In stated IN the supplement 10
the ninth edition OF the Encyclopaedia
Britannica that the game Of bridge
was arst introduced into England in
the year issa. but no Interruption In
given as to who furnished this state
ment. or as 90 what authority, u any.
there Is for Il.
We have received a letter from al
English gentleman Of Greek extrae.
tion. now resident In London, In which
we are assured that the writer can
remember the game OF bridge. very
much In It's present form. being regn
larry played among a colony Of Greeks
settled In Manchester. Of whom his
own father was one, as far back "A
the los Of the last century. The only
important point OF difference between
the game as II Ii played now was
that the value 81 trumps was ten
points per trick instead Of twelve.
and that the four aces In one hani
constituted eighty above the line in
stead Of loo. as at present. Also.
the lead Of a heart, In answer 10 a
double Of no trumps by the leaders
partner, which Is commonly supposed
to have originated In America. WAS
the general custom. The short suit
convention had not been heard of,
That was probably a purely English
convention OF later days.
In the year 1886 a small pamphlet
was printed In London. entitled "Bir.
Itch, or Russian Whist" There q
said TO be only one copy OF Il In the
library OF the British museum. II
gives a very a%ttenuated description OF
the game, with the method of scoring
and a few laws as to declaring. pass
Ing the declaration, stcahst sgain,
we are without availabie Information
as TO who framed these laws. or by
whose authority they we're published
As the game is there described, the
most valuable declaration, correspond.
ing to Jul present rail- OF no trumps..
was "biritch." !of playing without.
trumps and the saine OF this call was
again ten points per trick instead Of
twelve, and also foiir aces in one
hand counted eighty. not 100. The
winners Of the rubber added forty
points to the score. instead Oh 100
points as 4 our present game, and
this extra core was called "consoIa.
ton"
There 1 be no doubt that the
score for no trumps ought to be ten
points per trick and not twelve, dis
that Is following the regular upward
sequence OF the suit declarations, two
four. six. eight, ten, and also, if the
value Of the tricks at no trumps is to
be twelve points. why should the hon.
or score for ices not be also twelve
points instead Of ten? When or why.
or how. or by whom the change was
made is quite unknown. When the
game was nrst introduced at the
Portland club We we're certainly told
that the value Of no, trumps was
twelve points per trick. and the error,
II error It was, must somehow have
crept in accidentally.