his left, he may finesse against the third best being there also. For
instance: A player leads from K 10 x x x. Third Hand plays Queen and
returns a small card. The Ten should be finessed, regardless of trump
strength, as the Ace must be on the left, and the finesse is against
the Jack being there also. Many varieties of this finesse occur.
_=Placing the Lead.=_ This is usually a feature of the end-game A
player may have an established suit, his adversary being the only
person with any small cards of it. If the lead can be placed in the
hand of this adversary, he must eventually lead the losing cards.
A player begins with a weak suit of four cards, on the first round
of which it is evident that his partner has no more, the adversaries
having all the high cards. The suit is not played again, and for the
last six tricks the original leader finds himself with three cards of
it, and the Q x x of another suit. If the adversaries play King and Ace
of the latter suit, the Queen should be given up, trusting partner for
the Jack, for the Queen will force the holder of the three losing cards
into the lead. It is sometimes necessary to throw away an Ace in order
to avoid the lead at critical stages of the end-game.
_=False Cards.=_ It requires more than ordinary skill to judge when a
false card will do less harm to the partner than to the adversaries.
There are some occasions for false-card play about which there is
little question. Having a sequence in the adverse suit, the Second or
Fourth Hand may win with the highest card, especially if the intention
is to lead trumps. Holding K Q only, Second Hand may play the King,
especially in trumps. Holding A K x, the Fourth Hand should play Ace
on a Queen led by an American leader. With such a suit as K J 10 x,
after trumps have been exhausted, the Ten is not a safe lead; Jack or
fourth-best is better. Holding up the small cards of adverse suits
is a common stratagem; and it is legitimate to use any system of
false-carding in trumps if it will prevent the adversaries who have led
them from counting them accurately.
_=Playing to the Score.=_ The play must often be varied on account of
the state of the score, either to save or win the game in the hand. If
the adversaries appear to be very strong, and likely to go out on the
deal, all conventionalities should be disregarded until the game is
saved; finesses should be refused, and winning cards played Second Hand
on the first round. If the adversaries are exhausting the trumps, it
will often be judicious for a player to make what winning cards he has,
regardless of all rules for leading, especially if they are sufficient
to save the game.
It often happens that the same cards must be played in different ways
according to the state of the score, and the number of tricks in front
of the player. A simple example will best explain this. Hearts are
trumps; you hold two small ones, two better being out against you, but
whether in one hand or not you cannot tell. You have also two winning
Spades, one smaller being still out. The game is seven-point whist. The
importance of playing to the score will be evident if you consider your
play in each of the following instances, your score being given first:
Score 6 to 6; you have 5 tricks in front of you.
Score 6 to 6; you have 4 tricks in front of you.
Score 6 to 5; you have 4 tricks in front of you.
Score 5 to 4; you have 5 tricks in front of you.
_=INFERENCES.=_ The great strength of the expert lies in his ability to
draw correct inferences from the fall of the cards, and to adapt his
play to the circumstances.
Inferences from the various systems of leads and returns are too
obvious to require further notice; but attention may be called to some
that are often overlooked, even by advanced players:
If a suit led is won by Third Hand with King or Ace; and the original
leader wins the second round with King or Ace, the adversaries must
have the Queen.
If the Third Hand plays Ace first round, he has neither King nor Queen.
If he plays Queen on a Ten led, he has no more. If he plays Ace on a
King led, he has the Jack alone, or no more.
If the Second Hand plays King first round on a small card led, he has
Ace also, or no more. If he plays Ace under the same conditions, he has
no more. [See Minneapolis Lead.]
If a suit is led, and neither Third nor Fourth Hand has a card in it
above a Nine, the original leader must have A Q 10, and the second
player K J. When neither Third nor Fourth Hand holds a card above the
Ten, the major and minor tenaces are divided between the leader and the
Second Hand. If it can be inferred that the leader held five cards in
the suit originally, he holds the minor tenace.
When a player, not an American leader, begins with a Jack and wins the
trick, the adversaries may conclude that his partner had two small
cards with the Ace, and had not four trumps and another winning card.
When a good player changes his suit, he knows that it will not go
round again, or that the command is against him. This is often a
valuable hint to the adversaries. When he quits his original suit and
leads trumps, without his partner having called, the adversaries may
conclude that the suit has been established.
When a player puts Ace on his partner’s Jack led, and does not lead
trumps, the adversaries may count on him for only one small card of the
suit led.
When an adversary finesses freely, he may be credited with some
strength in trumps.
When a player changes his suit, the adversaries should note carefully
the fall of the cards in the new suit. As already observed, the leader
almost invariably opens the new suit with the best he has. Suppose a
player to lead two winning cards in one suit, and then the Eight of
another, which the Second Hand wins with the Ten; The four honours in
the second suit must be between the Second and Fourth Hands.
Having won the first or second round of the adverse suit, and having no
good suit of his own, the Second or Fourth Hand may be able to infer a
good suit with his partner, by the play. For instance: A player opens
Clubs, showing five, his partner wins second round, and opens the
Diamond suit with the Jack, on which Second Hand plays Ace, his partner
dropping the 9. Having now the lead, and no good suit, it is evident
that the play should be continued on the assumption that partner is all
Spades and trumps.
* * * * *
_=THE AMERICAN GAME.=_ Since the revolt against the invariable opening
from the longest suit, which was the style of game advocated by the old
school of Pole and “Cavendish,” many systems have been tried out by
the various clubs that meet at our national tournaments. E.C. Howell
was the first to attempt to set the short-suit game in order, but his
methods have long since been superseded by more elastic tactics.
The fundamental principle of the short-suit game, as first explained to
the world by the New York _Sun_, is to use the original or opening lead
to indicate the general character of the hand rather than any details
of the individual suit. In the long-suit game the original leader is
always assuming that his partner may have something or other, and
playing on that supposition. The short-suit player indicates the system
of play best adapted to his own hand, without the slightest regard to
the possibilities of his partner. It is the duty of the partner to
indicate his hand in turn, and to shape the policy of the play on the
combined indications of the two.
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.
[Illustration:
+--------+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+-------++-+-+-+ +-+ | | +-+-+ | |
| | | | | | |
+--------+---+-+ +-----+-+
N
+-------+ +----------+
| | | |
+-------+ | |
| | | |
+-------+--+ +----------+
| | | |
+----------+ +----------+
| | | |
+-------+ | +----------+
| | | | |
+-------+ | +--+-------+
| | | | | |
+-------+ | | +-------+
| | | | |
+-------+--+ W E +--+-------+
| | | | |
+-------+ | | +-------+
| | | | | |
+-------+--+ | +-------+
| | |X |
+----------+ +----------+
| | | |
+----------+ +----------+
| | | |
+----------+ +--+-------+
| | | |
| | +-------+
| | | |
+----------+ +-------+
S
+-+-----+-+-+---+--------+
| | | | | | |
| | +-+-+ | | +-+ +-+-+-++-------+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+--------+
]
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.
[Illustration: VARIOUS APPARATUS FOR DUPLICATE.]