Part 15

_=INDIVIDUALS.=_ When four play memory duplicate, one of the four, usually S, retains his seat and keeps the score, the others changing places right and left alternately, each playing with S as a partner for 8 hands. These changes successively bring about the three following positions:--

c | b | a a b | a c | c b S | S | S | | Hands:--1 to 4 | 5 to 8 | 9 to 12

For the overplay, the trays are reversed, the hands originally dealt N & S being placed E & W; but the players continue to change right and left alternately. This brings the same partners together, but on different sides of the table.

c | b | a b a | c a | c b S | S | S | | Hands:--1 to 4 | 5 to 8 | 9 to 12

_=Scoring.=_ The names of the four players should be written at the head of each score-card, and as there is no trump turned in memory duplicate, the third and seventh columns can both be used for the numbers of the players that are partners, and the sixth column for the N & S gains.

When the match is finished, a tabulation of the tricks lost or won by each player will readily show which is the winner. In the illustration which we give, No. 3 finishes plus 6; No. 4 plus 2; No. 1 minus 4; and No. 2 minus 4.

It must be remembered that the hands which are here scored N & S, in the 5th column, were E & W when originally dealt; so that the 1st and 5th columns are really the same hands. The score-card should be folded down the middle during the overplay, so that the original scores cannot be seen. It is even better to use a new card.

_=Foster’s System=_ of playing two pairs at one table, which was used at all the matches for the Utica Trophy, in which one pair from a club challenged the pair that held the trophy for another club, consisted in having an umpire to transpose the suits between the original and the overplay of the deals. The trays containing the hands were sent in to the umpire’s room, and he had an extra pack of cards, from which he duplicated each hand of thirteen cards as he took it out of the pocket to which it belonged, but changed the suits, making clubs trumps instead of hearts, etc. This system was found to do away with the memory part of the game, it being very difficult to recognize a hand unless it had some startling feature.

Coupled with the present practice of throwing out all hands in which there is found to be a suit of more than six cards, and dealing it over again, Foster’s system for two pairs is the best so far suggested.

_=Eight Individuals.=_ This form of contest is seldom used, because players dislike the continual changing of position, and the delay in arriving at the results of the score. It would require seven sets to exhaust the combinations; and at each table two hands should be dealt, played, and exchanged with the other table in the set, before the players change positions. This would require 28 hands to complete the match.

_=Safford’s System=_ for arranging the players is to have indicator cards on the tables:--

The players take their seats in any order for the first set; after which they go to the next higher number; 8 keeping his seat, and 7 going to 1.

_=Scoring.=_ Each individual must keep his own score, adding up the total tricks taken in each set of four hands. These totals must then be compared with those of the player occupying the same position, N, S, E, or W, at the other table in the set; and it will save time in the end if these are tabulated at once, on a sheet prepared for the purpose. For instance: Let this be the arrangement of eight players in the first set:--

b f a 1 c Hands 1 to 4. e 2 g d h

If _=a=_ and _=c=_ take 34 tricks E & W; _=e=_ and _=g=_ taking only 30 with the same cards, either _=a=_ and _=c=_ must have gained them, or _=e=_ and _=g=_ must have lost them. It is a waste of time to put down both losses and gains, and all that is necessary is to call the top score zero, and charge all players with the loss of as many tricks as their total is short of the top score. In this case we charge _=e=_ and _=g=_ with a loss of 4 each. It must be obvious that _=f=_ and _=h=_ have also made 4 more tricks than _=b=_ and _=d=_; and that the latter must be charged with a loss of 4 on the same hands that _=e=_ and _=g=_ lose on.

We give as an illustration a sheet balanced in this way, showing the losses of the various players. The totals at the end of the match show that _c_ is the winner, losing less tricks than any other player.

_=Large Numbers of Individuals.=_ Several ingenious methods have been devised for handling large numbers of players, especially in domestic parties; Safford and Mitchell having both distinguished themselves in this line. The simplest form has been suggested by Mitchell, and is especially adapted for social gatherings of ladies and gentlemen.

As many tables as possible are filled; all the ladies sitting N & E; the gentlemen S and W.

The number of hands dealt at each table must be adjusted to the number of tables filled, and the time to be devoted to play. The trays containing the hands are passed to the West, and all the gentlemen move one table to the East, the ladies sitting still. In all the changes each gentleman keeps to his original point of the compass, South or West. When he arrives at the table he started from, the round is finished. If an odd number of tables are engaged in play, the changes may take place in regular order to the end. If even, a dummy must be put in; but as that is objectionable in a social gathering, it is better to adopt one of the two systems following, unless half the number of tables is an odd number, when the method already described may be used.

_=1st Method.=_ Some table in the series, which must not be either the first or the last, deals no original hands, but overplays all the hands coming from the other tables to the East of it. The four players sit still, taking no part in the progression; thus obliging those whose turn it would be to play at their table to pass on to the next.

_=2nd Method.=_ Each gentleman should carefully note the number of the hand originally dealt at the table from which he starts. He progresses until he meets this hand again. The first to observe this should give notice to the company by a bell tap, as all the gentlemen must meet their original hands at the same time. Instead of stopping at the table at which this tray is encountered, all the gentlemen move on to the next, leaving the trays as they are. This skip enables each to finish the round without playing any of the hands twice.

_=Scoring.=_ There must be four winners; the ladies with the best scores for the N & E hands respectively, and the gentlemen with the best S & W scores. If a choice is necessary, the lady and the gentleman taking the greatest number of tricks above the average should be selected as the winners.

_=MARRIED COUPLES.=_ Safford has an ingenious schedule for eight married couples, so arranged in two sets that no husband and wife are ever in the same set at the same time. When seven sets have been played, every lady will have overplayed four hands against every other lady and gentleman, including four held by her husband. The same will be true of every man. Indicators are placed on the tables to show players their successive positions. The numbers represent the husbands, and the letters the wives, the couples being a-1, b-2, etc. The couple a-1 always sit still; the ladies go to the next higher letter of the alphabet, and the men to the next higher number; _=h=_ going to _=b=_, as _=a=_ sits still; and 8 to 2.

One hand is dealt at each table, and overplayed at each of the others. A different point of the compass should deal at each table, in order to equalise the lead.

_=Scoring.=_ The score of each four hands should be added up by each individual player, and the results tabulated at the end of every four hands, in the manner described for eight individuals. The winner is the player who loses the fewest tricks. This is the only known system for deciding whether or not a man can play whist better than his wife.

_=PROGRESSIVE DUPLICATE WHIST=_ is the generic name by which those systems of duplicate are known in which the purpose is to have as many as possible of the players meet one another during the progress of the match. Most of the systems we have been describing belong to this class.

* * * * *

There are at present only two works on Duplicate Whist; but a number of articles on the subject may be found in “_Whist_.”

Duplicate Whist; by John T. Mitchell, 1896.

Foster’s Duplicate Whist; 1894.

Whist; Jan., 1892; Jan., 1894; Aug., 1894; Oct., 1894; Jan., 1895: Mar., 1895; May, 1895; July, 1895; Oct., 1895.

THE LAWS OF DUPLICATE WHIST.

_The Laws of Duplicate Whist as Amended and Adopted at the Whist Congress, Niagara Falls, New York, July, 1900; as amended at the Twelfth Congress, June, 1902; as amended at the Thirteenth Congress, July, 1903; Fourteenth A.W.L. Congress, July, 1904; Fifteenth Congress, July, 1905; Sixteenth Congress, July, 1906; Twentieth Congress, July 1910._

DEFINITIONS.

The words and phrases used in these laws shall be construed in accordance with the following definitions unless such construction is inconsistent with the context:

(a) The thirteen cards received by any one player are termed a “hand.”

(b) The four hands into which a pack is distributed for play are termed a “deal;” the same term is also used to designate the act of distributing the cards to the players.

(c) A “tray” is a device for retaining the hands of a deal and indicating the order of playing them.

(d) The player who is entitled to the trump card is termed the “dealer,” whether the cards have or have not been dealt by him.

(e) The first play of a deal is termed “the original play;” the second or any subsequent play of such deal, the “overplay.”

(f) “Duplicate Whist” is that form of the game of whist in which each deal is played only once by each player, and in which each deal is so overplayed as to bring the play of teams, pairs of individuals into comparison.

(g) A player “renounces” when he does not follow suit to the card led; he “renounces in error” when, although holding one or more cards of the suit led, he plays a card of a different suit; if such renounce in error is not lawfully corrected it constitutes a “revoke.”

(h) A card is “played” whenever, in the course of play, it is placed or dropped face upwards on the table.

(i) A trick is “turned and quitted” when all four players have turned and quitted their respective cards.

LAW I.--SHUFFLING.

SEC. 1. Before the cards are dealt they must be shuffled in the presence of an adversary or the umpire.

SEC. 2. The pack must not be so shuffled as to expose the face of any card; if a card is so exposed the pack must be reshuffled.

LAW II.--CUTTING FOR THE TRUMP.

SEC. 1. The dealer must present the cards to his right hand adversary to be cut; such adversary must take from the top of the pack at least four cards and place them toward the dealer, leaving at least four cards in the remaining packet; the dealer must reunite the packets by placing the one not removed in cutting upon the other. If, in cutting or in reuniting the separate packets, a card is exposed, the pack must be reshuffled and cut again; if there is any confusion of the cards or doubt as to the place where the pack was separated, there must be a new cut.

LAW III.--DEALING.

SEC. 1. When the pack has been properly cut and reunited, the cards must be dealt, one at a time, face down, from the top of the pack, the first to the player at the left of the dealer, and each successive card to the player at the left of the one to whom the last preceding card has been dealt. The last, which is the trump card, must be turned and placed face up on the tray, if one is used; otherwise, at the right of the dealer.

SEC. 2. There must be a new deal--

(a) If any card except the last is faced or exposed in any way in dealing;

(b) If the pack is proved incorrect or imperfect;

(c) If either more or less than thirteen cards are dealt to any player;

(d) If, after the first trick has been turned and quitted on the original play of a deal, one or more cards are found to have been left in the tray.

LAW IV.--THE TRUMP CARD.

SEC. 1. The trump card and the number of the deal must be recorded, before the play begins, on a slip provided for that purpose, and must not be elsewhere recorded. Such slip must be shown to an adversary, then turned face down and placed in the tray, if one is used.

SEC. 2. The dealer must leave the trump card face up until it is his turn to play to the first trick; he must take the trump card into his hand and turn down the trump slip before the second trick is turned and quitted.

SEC. 3. When a deal is taken up for overplay, the dealer must show the trump slip to an adversary, and thereafter the trump slip and trump card shall be treated as in the case of an original deal.

SEC. 4. After the trump card has been lawfully taken into the hand and the trump slip turned face down, the trump card must not be named nor the trump slip examined during the play of the deal; a player may, however, ask what the trump suit is.

SEC. 5. If a player unlawfully looks at the trump slip, his highest or lowest trump may be called; if a player unlawfully names the trump card, or unlawfully shows the trump slip to his partner, his partner’s highest or lowest trump may be called.

SEC. 6. These penalties can be inflicted by either adversary at any time during the play of the deal in which they are incurred before the player from whom the call can be made has played to the current trick; the call may be repeated at each or any trick until the card is played, but cannot be changed.

SEC. 7. When a deal has been played the cards of the respective players, including the trump card, must be placed in the tray face down and the trump slip placed face up on top of the dealer’s cards.

SEC. 8. If on the overplay of a deal, the dealer turns a trump card other than the one recorded on the trump slip, and such error is discovered and corrected before the play of the deal is commenced, the card turned in error is liable to be called.

SEC. 9. If such error is not corrected until after the overplay has begun and more than two tables are engaged in play, the players at that table shall take the average score for the deal; if less than three tables are in play there must be a new deal.

SEC. 10. Should a player record on the trump slip a different trump from one turned in dealing and the error be discovered at the next table, there must be a new deal. If the deal has been played at one or more tables with the wrong trump, the recorded trump must be taken as correct and the players at the original table take the average score for the deal; if less than three tables are in play, there must be a new deal.

SEC. 11. By the unanimous consent of the players in any match, a trump suit may be declared and no trump turned.

LAW V.--IRREGULARITIES IN THE HAND.

SEC. 1. If, on the overplay, a player is found to have more than his correct number of cards or the trump card is not in the dealer’s hand, or any card except the trump card is so faced as to expose any of the printing on its face, and less than three tables are engaged, there must be a new deal. If more than two tables are in play, the hands must be rectified and then passed to the next table; the table at which the error was discovered must not overplay the deal but shall take the average score.

SEC. 2. If after the first trick has been turned and quitted on the overplay of a deal, a player is found to have less than his correct number of cards, and the others have their correct number, such player shall be answerable for the missing card or cards and for any revoke or revokes which he has made by reason of its or their absence.

LAW VI.--PLAYING, TURNING AND QUITTING THE CARDS.

SEC. 1. Each player when it is his turn to play, must place his card face up before him and towards the center of the table and allow it to remain in this position until all have played to the trick, when he must turn it over and place its face down and nearer to himself, placing each successive card as he turns it, so that it overlaps the last card played by him and with the ends towards the winners of the trick. After he has played his card and also after he has turned it, he must quit it by removing his hand.

SEC. 2. The cards must be left in the order in which they were played and quitted until the scores for the deal are recorded.

SEC. 3. During the play of a deal a player must not pick up or turn another player’s card.

SEC. 4. Before a trick is turned and quitted any player may require any of the other players to show the face of the card played to that trick.

SEC. 5. If a player names a card of a trick which has been turned and quitted or turns or raises any such card so that any portion of its face can be seen by himself or his partner he is liable to the same penalty as if he had led out of turn.

LAW VII.--CARDS LIABLE TO BE CALLED.

SEC. 1. The following cards are liable to be called:

(a) Every card so placed upon the table as to expose any of the printing on its face, except such cards as these laws specifically provide, shall not be so liable.

(b) Every card so held by a player as to expose any of the printing on its face to his partner or to both of his adversaries at the same time.

(c) Every card, except the trump card, named by the player holding it.

SEC. 2. If a player says. “I can win the rest,” “The rest are ours,” “It makes no difference how you play,” or words to that effect, or if he plays or exposes his remaining cards before his partner has played to the current trick, his partner’s cards must be laid face up on the table and are liable to be called.

SEC. 3. All cards liable to be called must be placed face up on the table and so left until played. A player must lead or play them when lawfully called, provided he can do so without revoking; the call may be repeated at each or any trick until the card is played. A player cannot, however, be prevented from leading or playing a card liable to be called; if he can get rid of it in the course of a play no penalty remains.

SEC. 4. The holder of a card liable to be called can be required to play it only by the adversary on his right. If such adversary plays without calling it, the holder may play to that trick as he pleases. If it is the holder’s turn to lead, the card must be called before the preceding trick has been turned and quitted, or before the holder has led a different card; otherwise he may lead as he pleases.

LAW VIII.--LEADING OUT OF TURN.

SEC. 1. If a player leads when it is the turn of an adversary to lead, and the error is discovered before all have played to such lead, a suit may be called from him or from his partner, as the case may be, the first time thereafter it is the right of either of them to lead. The penalty can be enforced only by the adversary on the right of the one from whom a lead can lawfully be called, and the right thereto is lost unless such adversary calls the suit he desires led before the first trick won by the offender or his partner subsequent to the offence is turned and quitted.