Evening star., 1909-02-14
CHANGED METHODS
IN Whist PLAY
Duplicate Game Responsible
for Development of
Silent Pastime.

A common source of loss among players
is the holding up of winning cards until
they are sacrificed by falling on trumps
or other winning cards at the end of the
deal This error arises usually from too
rigorous an application of the rule that
the command of an adversarys long suit
should he retained as long possible.
This rule is offset by the counter-principle
that when the development discloses that
partner or an adversary holds several
trumps after the deal is wei! advanced
there is grave danger that unless win
ners in plain suits are led at once they
will not make at all. If you do not need
the master card of an adversary SUIT
for re-entry purposes it is nearly always
best TO play It on the second round OF the
suit. If you have no suit to make 1t Is
rarely wise to run the risk of getting the
master card trumped on the third round
The. principal cases where the master
card may be held up are not summarized
in any text book. but may be enumerated
as follows:
First where the first trick of the suit
showed that your partner would proba-
bly, trump the second round and you
hold four or more trumps or three trumps
TO honor and considerable strength
in the other plain suits.
Second where your right-hand adver-
sary opens "A second round of his long
suit, which your left adversary play
Ell 'li1ru-Ndnu HlSn Oh ile illSt iouHo,
and you still hold the master card and
above the :. in which case the latter
card will hold the trick in a surprisingly
large number of instances.
Third. where your lett-hand adversary
showed such weakness on the first
round that you feel nearly sure that
your partner will win the second round
In this position you must he sure that
the suit opened originally at your right
really Il long suit, else thlrd-hand
may have fnessed deeply, and will not
turn out to be as weak as you suspect
Fourth where a suit is led to your left.
and your right adversary shows weak
hess, you may lead small card and thus
conceal the whereabouts of the master
card, to give your partner chance TO
win cheaply, as your left adversary will
generally he afraid to put up his best
card. This is called ''underplay." 1t is
often very difficult to tell whether you are
being ''underplayed." or whether your
right adversary is leading through your
hand for a ruff, merely because he has
nothing better to do. Underplay is dam
eerous unless the fourth-hand is out of
trumps, for if secondhand suspects the
maneuver he will play his best card. and
if he wins will lead the suit again at once,
when it will probably be trumped by his
partner and the maSter-card, II un-
guarded will be killed
Fifth. when your hand contains COM
binations favorable to be led up to, 1t is
often we'll to give partner chance to
win doubtful trick on the second round,
for if the third hand wins he will very
likely open new suit up to one of your
favorable combinations. The principal
combinations advantageous to be led up
To are suits headed by two honors not
in sequence and at least one ether card;
suits consisting of ace or king with one
or two guards queen with two guards,
king-queen with at least one guard. All
these combinations. including ace-queen.
with or without a guard. frequently gain
an extra trick If the suit is opened at
Cne'S left
Sixth, where you are very strong in
trumps. it often pays to hold up the
master card of an adversary's suit.
When 1t is plain that you are so holding
UP. shrewd partner will take the hint
to lead trumps if nothing better appears.
Duplicate whist. and the spirit of in
vestigation fostered by 1t. has worked
great change in the methods Of play.
extensive practice CT false carding and
leading singletons and the tolerance
with which these plays are now treated
Lv even the most conservative players.
II is not long since the play of false
card was looked upon a species
of sharp practice unbecoming gentle
man and sportsman. As recent an
author as Hamilton condemns the play
Cf a false card under any circumstances.
and characteriZes it as Cheap deceit"
but he is almost alone in the severity
of his structures. While most modern
writer's admit that the practice is per-
fectly legitimate and proper under
certain circumstances, all are agreed
that it should seldom be indulged in
and only by experts. The discrimina-
tion and judgment necessary to the eff
by compar .tively few players. The nom
conventional player may exercise more
latitude in the matter than If he was
restricted by the rigid requirements of
arbitrary system of leads and fol-
lows
False cards may be most successfully
played under extreme conditions-that is
with a very good partner or a very bad
one, with an excessively strong hand or
an exceptionally weak one. Under normal
conditions the practice is seldom advis-
able.
The temptation to play false cards s
often very great. but 1t should be un-
compromisingly combated by the aver
age player. The habit is as insidious as
that of dram drinking. and many an
otherwise good game Is Spoilt by in
dulgence in it.
\ situation may occur once in fifty
deals. where false card can be played
without any possibility of harmful ef
feet, but even under such conditions It
is probably best for the ordinary player
10 play straight" and avoid arousing
doubts in his partners mind To his in
tegrity
Early i'm the hand il is dangerous to
uuguard honor blank an ace. for
the development may prove that the suit
OF which YOU are holding up the high
card is your partners s strong suit. and
YOU may block him. Also the discard of
q singleton is equally unwise unless you
arc positive that il Is of the suit In which
the opponent is strong. II may turn out
tuat the suit of which YOU hold single
card is your partners great suit, and the
only means you hold OF putting him in TO
make il is that very insignificant card
which you are tempted to east out of your
hand
\ number OF interesting points are
brought oHt In the play OF the following
deal, which was board No. Is in the Fri
day afternoon session OF the Minneapolis
prelimlnaries at the late congress:
dealt. turning the queen of clubs, and 4
led to the first trick.
Trick. Il