The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-05
CORRECTING ERRORS
AT ROYAL AUCTION
Duplicate Game Valuable in
Showing Up Mistakes in
Judgment.
WHY TRICKS ARE LOST

Some years ago THE Sun published an
Interview with Matthias Boyce Of Lon
don. long famous as a whist player and
a frequent contributor Of critical articles
on the game. whose pen name. "Mogul"
was adopted by one Of the leading nan
ufacturers Of playing cards. This inter-
view advanced the opinion hat dupli-
cate. which was then all the rage in
America. was quite unnecessary as a
test Of a players individual skill.
The point was that any good Judge
could see where tricks were lost and
could unerringiy place his finger upon
the point. whether II was due to bad
judgment or bad play. or simply to the
eccentricities Of the a~dversaries
While this may be true when there
are experts about to sit in judgment
upon the play, there is nothing like lu-
plicate to bring home to the average
because he sees the scores made on the
same cards at other tables.
You may talk as you please about
what ne should have done or did not do
in an ordinary rubber, there is still n
lingering doubt in his mind as to
whether II would rave made any great
difference after all, but there is no argu-
ting against the cold fact hat eight or
nine pairs made three or four hundred
plus on four deals that he and his part
ner lost on.
The word duplicate" as applied to
the game IL really a misnomer. because
the hands are not duplicated. They are
always the same hands. The correct
term would be ''overplay." and a writer
or the game tried hard to get a word
sdgnifying this fact adopted as the
name. but without success. Now. II Is
obviously quite unnecessary to pass "A
deal to another table to everyday it. The
cards can be laid out and overplayed "A
dozen times by the same persons II a
dealt and played them in the first place
II the object liz to compare the results
Of different lines Of attack and defence.
Matthias Boycc argued that this could
be done mentally by any good analyst.
which 10 quite true but the average
player at the card table cannot carry
the cards In his memory with sufficient
accuracy and clcarness for this analy-
sis. He IL from Missouri. He wants to
count the tricks.
A good teacher always asks the pupil
to replay the hand in which he makes
a mistake. II II loses tricks, but the rea-
sons for the selection Of a different
treatment must be divided into two very
distinct classes.
n the loss IL due to an error in the
Individual judgment Of the situation, ~
the players opposed, Of neglect TO mark
or count certain cards played. or any
circumstance OF that kind. IL is some
thing that cannot be cured by any
amount of teaching. No teacher has a
right to criticise any play that is
merely matter Of Judgment, because
sound Judgment or a reliable memory
are qualities that he cannot transmit TO
his pupil.
But II the loss il due to a departure
from the fundamental principles of the
game. principles that apply to any and
every hand dealt without exception,
which are conventional rules to he
blindly followed on the theory that they
are bound to win in the long run, the
teacher should point them out.
Any person can learn these conven-
tons. A player may he absolutely 'ie-
void OF judgment and perception as rp-
piled to the refinements OF the game
but II he re~ligiously follows convention,
both In bidding and I'm play. he will not
only be a very desirable partner but n
very dangerous opponent.
II any one will a the trouble to
examine about a hundred hands in
which there has been n marked differ
ence I'm the score when played In dupli-
cate matches or any large number of
hands In which mere Is a striking diner
ence between the actual result and the
possibilities 1t will be found that nj
least s5 per cent of them show tina,
some simple little convention has been
violated and that the loss Is directly
traceable to that and to nothing else.
THE Sun is continually in receipt Of
interesting letters relative to the prin-
ciples OF play enunciated in these ar
ticles, with hands showing how well
these principles would have fitted into
certain cases. Here n a little gem, sent
by William Il. Watkins. one of the crack
players at the Knickerbocker, which
shows what departure from convention
may cost:
C762
q y & A