The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-22
DUPLICATE TRIED
AT ROYAL AUCTION
The Players Score Not Real
Test Of His Skill at
the Game.
EFFECT OF BAD BIDDING
BY No Scheme Yet Devised Is
Luck Entirely Eliminated
From Cards.
EFFECT OF BAD BIDDING

There have been many and various
schemes proposed for the purpose Of elm
mating luck from cards. but the great
secret In still undiscovered. The nearest
approach To II IL supposed to be duplicate.
In which the same cards. under the same
conditions. are held By each player In the
game. the hands being passed from table
to table In trays constructed for the pur-
pose.
Tho system Of overpiaying the anne
hands, which In known as duplicate
originated with whist. II was never APP
piled to bridge with any success, because
OF the Importance OF having the dealer
start at the same stage Of the score. as
well AS with the same cards. II four
deals were played and one man started
with No. l. going to Nos. z. 3 and 4, he
would pick out very different series of
trumps from the man who started with
deal MO- and then played 4. and 2
In auction the deal cuts little or no
figure In the final declaration, because tho
score il not Of the slightest Importance
more than once In twenty times. II has
been found by experience that each deal
is practically a game Ia Itself. just as At
whilst, and that the usual procession of
the trays from table to table gives very
satisfactory results.
As there seems 10 be a general tendency
all over the country toward a revival OF
duplicate play In auction bridge and The
Whist Club has provided a cJde Of laws
to govern this form or the game, IL may
be interesting to inquire just how far the
results OF any duplicate contest will go
toward furnishing n true test of play
er's skill.
The question comes down to this Does
the final score OF a duplicate match give
the true rank OF the players engaged?
As between two teams Of large numpers,
such as twelve on y side. the approx ina
lion might d. closer. just as IL would be IL
the same players took part Individually
IN dozen games instead OF one. The
law OF averages would then come into
play.
A match between American and Eng
iish players has long been q favorite SUBJ
tect of discussion among crack players
In this country. but how would II be
settled? The English would not play
duplicate. as they consider 10 both in
decisive ana unnecessary. while the Amer
leans would probably consider any match
hot played ON the duplicate system AS
an Imperfect test. because they think X
impossible TO arrive at a conclusion by
sny Other means.
Americans estimated the comparative
strength OF whist players simply by their
records at duplicate and attached no
Importance to reputation gained by
all the time at straight whist.
That might be lucky card holding. How
IN IL possible" asks the American, ito
tell whether or not man loses tricks
on hands unless those hands are over
played by others. 10 that we may have q
The Englishman does not see II In this
light at all and insists that duplicate In ,
entirely unnecessary Tor the purpose OF
players skin. Speaking on
this point Matthias Boyce, one OF the
foremost players In London, said to the
wrtar
you must admit that In the ordinary
rubber you can tell when a man throws
away trick. You can see where he
might have saved trick II he had been
alive to the situation. You can see where
he picks UP n trick or two every now and
then that would have escaped any but
a very keen player. and you can tell at
once, even when his play loses, whether
Or not his reasons Tor II were sound
ut Is very easy TO pick out the men
that seldom or never lose what you call
cold tricks and to recognize them as IN
A class by themselves. There Is no me-
cesslty to test them hy duplicate methods
because we can Judge Of their ability in
tho course of very few rubbers. and
the more We play with them and watch
them the more trmiy their reputation
becomes estab ished
Take the acknowledged best PLAYER In
London. He never played duplicate In
his life and no one knows how many
points, plus or minus, as YOU call IL, he
would get In one OF your duplicate
matches. but players generally recognize
in him al! the elements or master and
observe that he possesses these qualities
in such "A degree and combination as to
stamp him easily FIRST. suppose he were
20 come out third or fourth In a compass
game, would that prove the pubic opinion