Part 13
This does not mean that the player shall always lead a short suit, but that he should combine the best features of both systems, without slavish adherence to either. This idea has been brought to perfection in practice by the famous American Whist Club of Boston, and under the able leadership of its captain, Harry H. Ward, it has demonstrated that he can take any kind of a team and beat any of the old style long-suit players, no matter how skilful they may be. The following is a brief outline of the American game, as given by Captain Ward in _Whist_ for May, 1906:--
_=Five-trump Hands.=_ With five trumps, and the suits split, 3, 3, 2, we always open a trump, unless we have a tenace over the turn-up card. From five trumps and a five-card plain suit, we open the suit if it is one that will require some help to establish; otherwise the trump. From five trumps with a four-card plain suit, we open the trump with hands of moderate strength; otherwise the plain suit.
_=Four-trump Hands.=_ From four-trump hands we invariably open a suit of five cards or more, but prefer to avoid a four-card suit headed by a single honor. These are the suits in which the best chance for a single trick usually occurs when the suit is led by some one else. For example: Hearts trumps:--
♡ 8 7 6 3 ♣ 9 8 ♢ K 8 3 2 ♠ K 4 2
The best opening from such a hand is the club nine.
When forced to open single-honor suits, the lead of the lowest card shows an honor as good as the Queen, while the lead of an intermediate card denies such an honor, as in the following examples: hearts trumps:--
♡ 10 8 3 2 ♣ K 6 ♢ Q 7 6 4 ♠ Q 5 4
From this we should lead the four of diamonds; but holding
♡ 10 8 3 2 ♣ K 6 ♢ J 8 7 4 ♠ Q 5 4
we should lead the seven of diamonds.
From hands containing four trumps and three three-card suits, we use our own judgment, sometimes leading the trump, and sometimes a plain suit. We prefer the plain suit if it is a desirable one to open, such as hearts trumps:--
♡ K 8 3 2 ♣ J 10 4 ♢ A 10 3 ♠ 8 4 3
From this we would open the Jack of clubs; but from
♡ K 8 3 2 ♣ J 3 2 ♢ A 10 3 ♠ Q 6 3
we should lead the deuce of trumps. If in this hand the club suit were Q J 3, the Queen of clubs would be the best opening.
It may seem paradoxical that a weaker hand should call for a trump lead; but the opening is not an attack. It is a move to await developments.
_=Three-trump Hands.=_ From hands containing three trumps or less, our opening leads vary from the ordinary player’s game more than in any other particular. We always open a long suit from three-trump hands if the suit is a good one, such as A K and others, K Q and others, or even Q J and others. But without such strength in the long suit, we let it severely alone, and develop the hand with a short-suit or “gambit” opening.
With three trumps and a five-card suit containing two honors not in sequence, we still open the long suit if we have a sure re-entry in another suit. This, for example, hearts trumps:--
♡ K 6 2 ♣ 8 6 2 ♢ A Q 6 4 3 ♠ A 10
The trey of diamonds is the best opening. If there were no re-entry, such as only 10 2 of spades instead of A 10, we should open the 10 of spades.
Although we open a great many short suits, we avoid weak three-card suits except in rare instances.
While our system, like all others, entails losses at times, it seems to avoid many of the pitfalls that confront the player who always opens his long suit, regardless of the possibilities of ever bringing it in. In many instances we find he places himself in the worst possible position for any chance to make even one trick in the suit he opens.
We admit that if a team adopts straight American leads, it is much easier for them to count the partner’s hand accurately; but it seems to me that this advantage is more than overcome by the fact that in our openings we have a clear idea as to the general character of the partner’s hand while there is still time to take advantage of the knowledge. In the long-suit game this element is entirely wanting.
_=IN CONCLUSION.=_ The first-class whist-player is usually developed gradually. If he possess the faculty of paying close attention to the game while he is playing, nothing should prevent his rapid progress. At first he may care little or nothing for “book” whist, but after some experience with book players, he is rather in danger of running to the other extreme, and putting more book into his game than it will carry. Having passed that stage, his next step is usually to invent some system of his own, and to experiment with every hand he plays. By degrees he finds that all special systems of play have some serious defects which over-balance their advantages, and this discovery gradually brings him back to first principles. If he gets so far safely, his game for all future time will probably be sound, common-sense whist, without any American leads, plain-suit echoes, or four-signals, and free from any attempts to take fourteen tricks with thirteen cards.
When a whist-player reaches that point, he is probably as near the first class as the natural limitations of his mental abilities will ever permit him to go.
_=THE LAWS=_ will be found at the end of the Whist Family of Games.
ILLUSTRATIVE WHIST HANDS.
A and B are partners against Y and Z. A is always the original leader, and Z is the dealer. The underlined card wins the trick, and the card under it is the next one led.
_=No. 1. Long Suits=_; | T| _=No. 3. Short Suits=_; ♡5 turned. | R| ♡Q turned. | I| --------------------------------+ C+-------------------------------- A Y B Z | K| A Y B Z +-------+-------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+-------+-------+ | _♣K_ | ♣5 | ♣7 | ♣3 | 1| Q♢ | K♢ | _A♢_ | 2♢ | | ♡10 | ♡J | _♡Q_ | ♡5 | 2| 2♠ | _A♠_ | J♠ | 5♠ | | _♣Q_ | ♣J | ♣2 | ♣10 | 3| 4♢ | 10♢ | 3♢ | _J♢_ | | ♡7 | ♡3 | _♡9_ | ♡8 | 4| ♡2 | ♡5 | ♡3 | ♡Q | | _J♠_ | 9♠ | 2♠ | 5♠ | 5| ♡6 | _♡A_ | ♡4 | ♡J | | ♣A | ♡4 | _♡6_ | 5♢ | 6| ♣8 | ♣2 | ♣3 | ♣K | | 4♠ | _♡K_ | A♠ | 6♠ | 7| _♡7_ | 8♢ | 5♢ | 7♢ | | J♢ | 7♢ | 2♢ | _K♢_ | 8| _♡K_ | 4♠ | 6♢ | ♡9 | | _♡2_ | 3♢ | 4♢ | A♢ | 9| _K♠_ | 7♠ | 6♠ | 8♠ | | _♣9_ | 6♢ | 3♠ | 8♢ |10| _Q♠_ | ♣4 | ♣5 | 10♠ | | _♣8_ | 9♢ | 7♠ | 8♠ |11| 9♠ | ♣Q | ♣6 | ♡10 | | _♣6_ | 10♢ | K♠ | 10♠ |12| _♡8_ | 9♢ | ♣7 | ♣J | | _♣4_ | Q♢ | _♡A_ | Q♠ |13| _3♠_ | ♣A | ♣10 | ♣9 | +-------+-------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+-------+-------+ --------------------------------+ +-------------------------------- _=No. 2. American Game=_; | T| _=No. 4. Play to Score=_; ♡8 turned. | R| ♡J turned. | I| --------------------------------+ C+-------------------------------- A Y B Z | K| A Y B Z +-------+-------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+-------+-------+ | 6♢ | J♢ | _A♢_ | 9♢ | 1| K♠ | 4♠ | 3♠ | _A♠_ | | _♡3_ | 3♢ | 2♢ | 10♢ | 2| ♡3 | ♡9 | _♡Q_ | ♡2 | | ♣9 | ♣K | _♣A_ | ♣3 | 3| 2♠ | 7♠ | 5♠ | _♡4_ | | _♡6_ | 4♢ | 5♢ | ♣4 | 4| ♣2 | _♣K_ | ♣6 | ♣3 | | _♣Q_ | ♣8 | ♣2 | ♣7 | 5| ♡5 | ♡7 | ♡8 | _♡J_ | | ♣6 | ♡4 | _♡9_ | ♣10 | 6| ♡10 | ♣5 | ♡K | _♡A_ | | _♡10_ | 7♢ | 8♢ | ♣J | 7| ♣8 | _♣J_ | 3♢ | ♣4 | | ♣5 | ♡K | _♡A_ | 7♠ | 8| 5♢ | J♢ | _A♢_ | 2♢ | | 4♠ | Q♢ | _♡Q_ | ♡5 | 9| 10♠ | 9♠ | 8♠ | _♡6_ | | 2♠ | 5♠ | _♡J_ | ♡7 |10| ♣Q | ♣7 | 4♢ | _♣A_ | | _A♠_ | 6♠ | Q♠ | K♠ |11| Q♠ | J♠ | 6♠ | _♣10_ | | _J♠_ | 9♠ | 3♠ | 10♠ |12| 10♢ | 7♢ | 6♢ | _♣9_ | | _8♠_ | K♢ | ♡2 | _♡8_ |13| Q♢ | 8♢ | 9♢ | K♢ | +-------+-------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+-------+-------+
_=No. 1.=_ This is a fine example of the _=Long-suit Game=_. The leader begins with one of the high cards of his long suit. Missing the 2, he knows some one is signalling for trumps, and as it is very unlikely that the adversaries would signal while he was in the lead, he assumes it is his partner, and leads his best trump. His partner does not return the trump, because he holds major tenace over the king, which must be in Y’s hand. At trick 5 B still holds major tenace in trumps, and leads a small card of his long suit to try to get A into the lead again. If A leads trumps again, his only possible card of re-entry for his club suit is gone. At trick 7, if B draws Y’s king, he kills A’s card of re-entry at the same time.
_=No. 2.=_ This is an excellent example of the _=American Game=_. A has a three-trump hand, but his long suit is not headed by two honors in sequence, and the Queen of clubs cannot be considered as a re-entry, so A makes the gambit opening of the singleton diamond. His partner, having nothing in plain suits, immediately returns the diamond. A now leads an intermediate club, and B forces him again. At trick 6, A avoids changing suits. If the long spade suit is opened, and Z returns the diamond 10, A-B will make four tricks less on this hand.
_=No. 3.=_ This example of the _=Short-suit Game=_ is from Val Starnes’ Short-Suit Whist. This is sometimes called the Gambit opening. The leader, having no reason to lead trumps, even with five, and not having three honours in his long suit, prefers the gambit opening of the singly guarded queen. Y holds what is called a potential or imperfect fourchette, and covers, in order to make A-B play two honours to get one trick. B also makes a gambit opening by returning a supporting spade. Three tricks are gained by the two leads of the supporting cards, and five would have been made but for Y’s covering on the first trick.
_=No. 4.=_ This is an example of _=Playing to the Score=_. The game is English Whist, 5 points, counting honours. The first lead of trumps shows Z that honours are divided, and that he must make 11 tricks to win the game. At trick 3, he must trump; to discard clubs would be inconsistent with refusing to trump in order to bring them in. At trick 4, if Y cannot win a trick in clubs and give Z a finesse in trumps, Z cannot win the game. At trick 7, both black queens are against Z, and he must take the best chance to win if the diamond ace is also against him. The adversaries cannot place the club ace, and so Z underplays in clubs as his only chance for the game.
* * * * *
_=PRUSSIAN WHIST.=_ This is the ordinary 5, 7 or 10 point whist, with or without honours, except that instead of turning up the last card for trump, the player to the left of the dealer cuts a trump from the still pack, which is shuffled and presented to him by the dealer’s partner.
_=FAVOURITE WHIST.=_ This is the regular 5, 7 or 10 point whist, with or without honours, except that whichever suit is cut for the trump on the first deal of the rubber is called _=the favourite=_. Whenever the suit turns up for trump, after the first deal, tricks and honours count double towards game. There must be a new favourite at the beginning of each rubber, unless the same suit happens to be cut again.
A variation is to attach a progressive value to the four suits; tricks being worth 1 point when Spades are trumps; when Clubs 2; when Diamonds 3; and when Hearts 4. Honours do not count, and the game is 10 points, made by tricks alone. The hands are played out; the winners score all tricks taken, and the winners of the rubber add 10 points for bonus. The value of the rubber is the difference between the scores of the winners and that of the losers. For instance: If the rubber is in A-B’s favour with the score shown in the margin A-B win a rubber of 8 points.
1st game; 10 to 6 2nd game; 4 to 16 3rd game; 14 to 8 Rubber; 10 -------- Totals 38 to 30
This is a good game for superstitious people, who believe that certain trump suits are favourable to them.
TEXT-BOOKS.
The following list of works on _=whist=_, alphabetically arranged, contains the principal standard text-books on the game. Those marked * are especially for the beginner. Those marked x are chiefly devoted to the Short-suit game.
Art of Practical Whist, by Major Gen. Drayson. * Foster’s Whist Manual, by R.F. Foster. * Foster’s Whist Tactics, by R.F. Foster. x Foster’s Common Sense in Whist, by R.F. Foster. * Foster’s Self-Playing Cards, by R.F. Foster. x Foster’s Duplicate Whist, by R.F. Foster. Foster’s American Leads, by R.F. Foster. * Foster’s Whist at a Glance, by R.F. Foster. * Gist of Whist, by C.E. Coffin. x Howell’s Whist Openings, by E.C. Howell. Laws and Principles of Whist, by “Cavendish.” Modern Scientific Whist, by C.D.P. Hamilton. Philosophy of Whist, by Dr. W. Pole. * Practical Guide to Whist, by Fisher Ames. x Short-Suit Whist, by Val. W. Starnes. * Short Whist, by James Clay. * Theory of Whist, by Dr. W. Pole. * Whist, or Bumblepuppy, by “Pembridge.” Whist Developments, by “Cavendish.” * Whist of To-day, by Milton C. Work. * _Whist à Trois_, by Ch. Lahure. [Dummy.] x Whist, and its Masters, by R.F. Foster. * Whist, A monthly journal; pub. Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A.
DUPLICATE WHIST.
Duplicate whist is not a distinct game, but is simply the name given to that manner of playing whist in which a number of hands are played over again with the same cards, but by different persons.
_=CARDS.=_ The cards have the same rank as at whist; they are dealt in the same manner, and the same rules apply to all irregularities in the deal, except that a misdealer must deal again. The objects of the game are the same, and so are all the suggestions for good play. The only differences that require attention are the positions of the players, the manner of counting the tricks, and the methods of keeping and comparing the scores.
_=THEORY.=_ It may briefly be stated that duplicate proceeds upon the principle that if two partners have made a certain number of tricks with certain cards, under certain conditions with respect to the lead, distribution of the other cards in the adversaries’ hands, etc., the only way to decide whether or not two other players could have done better, or cannot do so well, is to let them try it, by giving them the same cards, under exactly similar conditions.
This comparison may be carried out in various ways; but in every instance it depends entirely upon the number and arrangement of the players engaged. The most common forms are: club against club; team against team; pair against pair; or man against man. The reason for the arrangement of the players will be better understood if we first describe the method.
_=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ There is no cutting for partners, and choice of seats and cards as at whist, because the players take their places and deal according to a pre-arranged schedule.
The player to the left of the dealer begins by placing the card he leads face up on the table, and in front of him. The second player follows by placing his card in front of him in the same manner; and so the third, and so the fourth. The four cards are then turned face down, and the dealer takes up the trump. The partners winning the trick place their cards lengthwise, pointing towards each other; the adversaries place theirs across. At the end of the hand, the number of tricks taken by each side can be seen by glancing at any player’s cards. If there is any discrepancy, a comparison of the turned cards will show in which trick it occurs, and the cards can be readily faced and examined.
N & S 6; E & W 7. East has made a mistake in turning the fifth trick.
_=COUNTERS.=_ In some places 13 counters are placed on the table, the winner of each trick taking down one. This system often leads to disputes, as there can be no check upon it, and there is nothing to show in which trick the error occurred.
_=COUNTING TRICKS.=_ At the end of each hand, the players sitting North and South score the _=total=_ number of tricks they have taken; instead of the number in excess of a book. Their adversaries, sitting East and West, do the same. Each player then slightly shuffles his 13 cards; so as to conceal the order in which they were played, and the four separate hands of 13 cards each are then left on the table, face down; the trump being turned at the dealer’s place.
_=TRAYS.=_ When any apparatus is used for holding the cards, such as trays, boxes, or envelopes, each player puts his 13 cards in the compartment provided for them. Each tray has a mark upon it, usually an arrow, showing which end of the tray should point toward a given direction, usually the North. The pocket into which the dealer’s cards go is marked “dealer,” and it is usual to provide a trump slip for each tray. When the hand is first dealt, the trump is recorded on this slip, which travels round the room with the tray. After the dealer has turned up the designated trump, he places the trump slip in the tray, face down. When the play of the hand is finished and the cards replaced in the tray, the dealer puts his trump slip on the top of his cards. The four hands can then be conveniently carried or handed to any other table to be overplayed.
_=SCORING.=_ There should be two score-cards at each table. The various methods of putting down and comparing the scores can best be described in connection with the variety of competition to which they belong. It is a common practice to note the trump card on the score sheets.
_=POSITION OF THE PLAYERS.=_ The four players at each table are distinguished by the letters N S E W; North and South being partners against East and West. West should always be the dealer in the first hand, North having the original lead. In all published illustrative hands, North is the leader, unless otherwise specified.
The deal passes in rotation to the left, and the number of hands played should always be some multiple of four, so that each player may have the original lead an equal number of times. 24 hands at each table is the usual number, and is the rule at all League tournaments. The partners and adversaries should be changed after each eight hands. Three changes in 24 hands will bring each member of a set of four into partnership with every other member for an equal number of hands.
If two teams of four on a side, A B C D, and W X Y Z, play against each other, the arrangement in a League tournament would be as follows:--that A B C D should represent the players of the visiting club, or challengers, and W X Y Z the home club, or holders; and that the positions of the players should be changed after every four hands. It is usual to play 24 hands in the afternoon, and 24 more at night.
A | A | A | A | A | A | W X | Y Z | W Y | X Z | X Y | W Z | B | B | C | C | D | D | | | | | | | 1st. | 2nd. | 3rd. | 4th. | 5th. | 6th. | | | | | | | Y | W | X | W | W | X | C D | C D | B D | B D | B C | B C | Z | X | Z | Y | Z | Y |
If more than four players are engaged on each side, this arrangement must be repeated with every additional four; the tables being always in sets of two each, but in such cases, and in fact in anything but League matches, it is usual to play only the 1st, 3rd and 5th sets.
_=CLUB AGAINST CLUB.=_ The smaller club should put into the field as many multiples of four as it can; the larger club presenting an equal number to play against them. The opposing sides are then so arranged that half the members of each club sit North and South, the other half East and West. If we distinguish the clubs by the marks O and X, and suppose 16 to be engaged on each side, they would be arranged at 8 tables, thus:--
O | O | O | O X 1 X | X 3 X | X 5 X | X 7 X O | O | O | O | | | 1st set | 2nd set | 3rd set | 4th set | | | X | X | X | X O 2 O | O 4 O | O 6 O | O 8 O X | X | X | X
If apparatus is used, the players may sit still for four hands, putting the trays aside, and then exchanging them for the four trays played at the other table in their set. If not, the cards are left on the table, as already described, and the fours change places; those at table No. 1 going to table No. 2, while those at No. 2 go to No. 1, the other sets changing in the same manner. This brings them into this position:--
X | X | X | X O 1 O | O 3 O | O 5 O | O 7 O X | X | X | X | | | O | O | O | O X 2 X | X 4 X | X 6 X | X 8 X O | O | O | O