Chapter VII: Part 7

When it is known that a certain high card cannot be in the hand of the right-hand adversary, it is worse than useless to play as though it might be there.

Finesses are of two kinds, speculative and obligatory.

The finesse speculative is as follows:--You hold ace, queen; or ace, queen, knave of a suit, which your partner leads. Third in hand, you play the queen, if you hold ace, queen; or knave if you hold ace, queen, knave. This play is adopted on the chance that the king is to your right, and is therefore a speculation.

The finesse obligatory is as follows:--You hold king, ten, seven, and three of a suit, and you lead {200} the three; your partner plays the queen, and wins the trick, and returns a small card of the suit. From the fact of the queen winning, you know the ace is not held by your right-hand adversary; you also know your partner does not hold the knave. When your partner returns a small card of the suit, you know he does not hold the ace. If both the ace and knave are to your left, it matters not whether you play king or ten third in hand. If, however, the knave be to your right, your ten draws the ace, and you remain with the king, the best card of the suit. Hence you are obliged to play the ten third in hand in order to give yourself one chance--viz., that the knave is to your right; consequently, this is called the finesse obligatory.

Before a speculative finesse is attempted, the state of the score should be considered; if only one trick is required to win the game, and you hold ace, queen of a suit, the ace should be played, unless there is a certainty of this ace being trumped. Also a player should consider whether it is specially desirable that he obtain the lead, when he has the chance of a finesse. If the lead is important, the finesse should not be made; if the lead would be detrimental, it should generally be attempted.

What a finesse really is should now be comprehended. It is not merely playing the queen third in hand when holding ace, queen, but it is playing the queen on the chance that the king may be in the hand of the second player. If the second player hold none of the suit, no finesse can be made; the ace _must_ be played by the third player, if second hand has not trumped. It is curious how often bad players will commit the error of playing queen third {201} hand, holding ace, queen, when the second player has failed to follow suit, and has refused to trump.

THE PLAY OF THE FOURTH HAND.

The fourth player has to win the trick if he can, with the lowest card in his hand. If he cannot win the trick, he plays his most worthless card.

WHIST CONVENTIONS.

From an examination of the leads, it will be seen that one main object is to convey information to your partner. The king is led before the ace, so that your partner may fairly conclude that, if the king wins the trick, you hold the ace. If, after the king, the queen be led, he obtains an additional piece of information. The science of Whist is in great measure based on this principle of giving information to your partner by means of the cards you play.

Among the conventions now universally adopted, perhaps the most important is--

THE CALL FOR TRUMPS.

If a player be desirous to obtain a lead of trumps from his partner, he can intimate such desire by playing _an unnecessarily high card_ to a trick.

It must be distinctly understood that the play of an unnecessarily high card means a demand on the partner to lead a trump. What, then, is an unnecessarily high card?

If a player, second or fourth in hand, play, say a six, and on the second round of the same suit play a {202} two, three, four, or five, he has played an unnecessarily high card, and has called for trumps. If a player third in hand win with the ace, return the king, and then play a small card, he has intimated, by playing the ace, that he wishes his partner to lead a trump, the ace being an unnecessarily high card.

The play by the second hand of a high, then a low, card may not indicate that an _unnecessarily_ high card had been first played. For example, second hand holds queen, knave, and two of a suit; the three is led, second hand plays knave, and, on the return of the suit, plays the two. Some unreasoning partners would at once jump at the conclusion that this was a call for trumps, because a high, then a low, card was played by their partner. If the second player wished to call for trumps, he would play his queen, not the knave, under the above conditions.

Some partners are so dense in these matters that it is dangerous to play a protecting card second hand for fear they may assume this to be a call for trumps. If one holds knave, ten, and a small card, and the ten, which is the correct card to play second hand, be put on, a bad partner will conclude, when he sees the small card played in the next round, that his partner must have asked for trumps, because a ten, then a small card had been played. This erroneous conclusion is usually arrived at when the partner is only superficially acquainted with the card that ought to be played second hand.

The player who calls for trumps intimates to his partner that he is so strong that if trumps are led to him he is prepared to undertake all responsibility for the consequences. To ignore such a signal is unjustifiable. {203}

It is a serious step to call for trumps, even with five trumps and two honours, if the other suits are very weak. When, however, the player holds one or two queens, with such other cards in those suits as to render it probable that the queen may be trumped in the third round by one of the adversaries, then a "call" may be allowable.

When calling for trumps, the card selected with which to call should, if possible, be a middle card, so that, if necessary, the call may be temporarily concealed. For example, suppose one holds the six, five, and four of diamonds, and five or six trumps (clubs), and one is second player. Original leader starts with the diamond suit; second player, wishing to call, should play the five, not the six; third hand plays queen; partner drops ten. Ace of diamonds is returned; partner drops knave, and thus shows no more diamonds; original caller may now, with advantage, conceal his call by playing the six. When the original caller obtains the lead, he may play his four, thus allowing his partner to make a small trump, and, at the same time, showing that the five which he originally played was a call.

THE ECHO TO THE CALL.

If partner has called for trumps, and you are able to lead trumps to him, lead the highest of three, the lowest of four, unless the ace be one of the four, when lead the ace, then the lowest. If your partner lead winning trumps, and you hold four, play to his leads, first, the lowest but one, then the lowest. This shows four trumps at least. Also if, before either you or your partner obtain the lead, you have {204} the chance of playing an unnecessarily high card which does not damage your hand, do so, if you hold four or more trumps and your partner has called. If the adversaries either "call" or lead trumps, then, conceal the fact that you hold four. It is even sometimes advisable, if you know your partner is weak in trumps, and the adversaries are leading trumps, and you hold only three, to play these as though you held four; the strong hand may then draw his partner's last trump, under the impression that you hold it. Such "false-carding," however, should not be attempted until one has acquired proficiency in the game.

DISCARDING.

It is a most important matter to know what to discard, when you hold none of the suit led, and either cannot or do not think it desirable to trump. The discard may be grouped under three heads:--

1. When trumps have not been led, nor have been called for by either adversary. Then discard the lowest of the weakest suit.

2. When your partner has led trumps, and you have to discard on a winning card of his, throw away the lowest card of your weakest suit.

3. If the adversaries have either led trumps or have called for trumps, throw away the lowest card of the strongest suit.

Simple as this system of discarding really is, and sound as it is, some players never seem to comprehend it. They will too often do the very opposite, and will throw away from their strong suit when their partner has led trumps, and from their weak suit when the adversaries have led trumps. {205}

When a player has had the original lead, and has shown strength in one suit, it is unnecessary that he tell his partner that he is strong in that suit by discarding from it when the adversaries have led trumps; he may then discard from a weak suit, unless he has to keep it guarded.

Towards the end of a hand, and when only four or five cards remain, the discard is often of vital importance, and should be carefully attended to by a partner.

Attention may be called to the occasional advisability of discarding falsely, when one has mastered the principles of the game. Such false discard may be understood by the following example. Suppose you hold ace, queen, and two small clubs and two small spades. The adversaries have led trumps, and your left-hand player has drawn the last trump from your partner. According to rule, you ought to discard a club, to show your partner your strong suit. As, however, your left adversary has the lead, he would at once lead a spade up to your indicated weak suit. You may therefore discard a spade, in the hope that he may lead a club up to your ace, queen.

THE USE AND ABUSE OF TRUMPS.

The suit that is trumps is the most powerful suit of all. A two of trumps will beat the ace of another suit. Consequently, it is of the utmost importance that trumps be treated with the greatest respect. As a general rule, the original leader with a strong numerical hand of trumps should lead them, six or even five trumps being numerical strength, even though no honour is held. If the original leader {206} hold six trumps, there are only seven others against him; and if these be divided as they most generally will be, viz. two each in two hands and three in one other, three rounds of trumps will extract all the trumps except the three remaining in the leader's hand; in which case three certain tricks are held by the leader. If one player hold six trumps, it is probable that his partner holds a long suit (not trumps); and if trumps be extracted, his partner may make several tricks in this long suit. There is no fear of the adversaries doing so, as the long suit would be trumped by the leader who held originally five or six trumps. If, on the contrary, partner has no good cards, a valuable score can hardly be made by any method of play. Therefore, to lead trumps, if strong in them, is almost imperative, although the leader may hold no winning card in any other suit. If the partner only hold one trump, which will be discovered in the second round, it is advisable to continue leading a trump in order to draw two of the adversaries' trumps together, and thus to prevent them from making these separately.

One of the great difficulties which players only partially acquainted with the game experience, is when to trump or not to trump a doubtful card.

It has been laid down as a law not to trump a doubtful card if strong in trumps, and many players will never trump a doubtful card if they hold only four small trumps, as they seem to consider such a hand is strong.

It must be remembered that refusing to trump a doubtful card is in reality declining to make certain of a trick, in exchange for a possibility that one's partner may hold the winning card of the suit. If {207} the adversary hold the winning card, then a trick has been actually lost by declining to trump. How, then, can the loss of this trick be recovered? It may be recovered if the player who refused to trump is able to extract the adversaries' trumps, and bring in one or more cards of a long suit, a proceeding which he would have been unable to accomplish had he trumped the doubtful card. Also, the player who refused to trump may get rid of a worthless card of some other suit, which he may then be able to trump should the winning card of that suit be against him.

When, however, no card that is worthless can be thrown away, and when strength in trumps has been indicated against him, a player can with advantage trump a doubtful card, even though he hold four trumps, one of which is an honour.

Another important item in connection with trumping a doubtful card is whether one desires the lead, or does not wish for it. If the lead would be disadvantageous, then the doubtful card should _not_ be trumped, and _vice versa_.

When one's partner has either led or has called for trumps, then the doubtful card should be trumped without hesitation, and the best trump led to the partner's call or lead of trumps.

One very common and oft-repeated error of the bad player is to refuse to trump a winning card merely because he holds four trumps with one honour. He will refuse to trump more than once, and imagines he is playing a strong winning game by discarding one or more worthless cards of a short suit, which he believes he will be able to trump when this suit is led. {208}

With a hand of trumps not sufficiently strong to make certain of extracting all the trumps and remaining with the lead, it is advisable to consider how many tricks are likely to be won by the trumps in one's own hand. For example, the trumps held are queen, nine, four, and two. It is not likely that more than one trump will make a trick, and possibly not one. We have the chance of trumping a doubtful card, and we refuse to make even one of our trumps, and throw away a certain trick if our partner does not hold the winning card of that suit. If our partner does hold the winning card of the suit, he may not be obliged to play it on our trump; and it is no severe loss to make one trump out of four, even if the partner does hold the winning card.

It cannot be too strongly impressed on the young player that the great object of Whist is to win tricks, and to refuse to win a trick when you can do so is to accept a dangerous responsibility.

UNDERPLAY.

One of the worst forms of bad play is to repeatedly change the suit, and thus, by continuing to make your partner third player, to incur the risk of sacrificing the best cards of each suit that are in his hand. Instead, therefore, of leading a fresh suit in which you may be very weak, it is frequently safer to return the adversaries' lead, especially if it is evident that you can lead through the strong hand up to the weak.

In order to take full advantage of this lead, what is termed "underplay" may be attempted. As an example of underplay, the following is given. A, original leader, leads the two of spades, thus indicating {209} most probably a four suit; A, it is evident by this lead, does not hold king, queen of the suit. Y, the second player, plays the three of spades; B, third player, plays the nine; and Z, fourth player, holding ace, ten, and four of spades, wins the trick with the ten.

Z, having no court card in the three remaining suits, fears to lead any one of these. Z knows that he possesses the ace of spades, but this fact is not known to A. Z then underplays by leading back the four of spades. A, who holds king, knave, eight, plays knave second hand; Y wins with queen, and now knows that his partner holds the ace, for had A held the ace he would have played it second in hand. Y, now having the lead, can show his strong suit, and may fairly assume that his partner has no good suit, because, had he been strong in any suit, he would have led a card of it, instead of at once resorting to underplay.

FALSE CARDS.

False cards are played either in consequence of ignorance, or for the purpose of deception. A player who has never troubled himself to learn the leads is perpetually playing false cards, and deceiving his partner. Thus, with a suit of five headed by one honour (not the ace), a player who leads the lowest of this suit, instead of the fourth best, has led a false card, and has, according to Whist rules, told his partner a falsehood, viz. that he holds only four instead of five cards in this suit.

A player who holds ace, king, and queen of a suit, and leads king then ace, also tells his partner a {210} falsehood, inasmuch as he makes the cards say: "I don't hold the queen of this suit."

False cards, played deliberately, are those which a player knows he ought not to play according to rule; such, for example, as winning a trick with the ace when it could have been won with the king, or playing the queen of a suit on an adversary's king when the knave was held.

The cases in which false cards can be played with advantage are rare, but sometimes, especially in trumps, success may follow the play of a false card. The following is an example:--A holds ace, king, ten, and eight of diamonds (trumps). When Y, the left-hand adversary, obtains the lead, he plays a small diamond; Z, the right-hand adversary, plays queen third in hand. A may now win with ace, thus stating, in effect, that he does not hold the king.

Y may now conclude that his partner probably holds the king, and, on again obtaining the lead, may play another diamond up to king, ten, eight, when A is certain to make both king and ten.

HOW TO PLAY WHIST.

When a player has learnt the leads, and what to play second and third in hand, he can play a fairly intelligent game. In the present day, when there are so many ably written books on Whist, there is no excuse for an habitual whist-player remaining ignorant of such elementary matters as the leads. The skill and general principles of the game may then be studied. The following suggestions should at this stage be attended to:--

Sort your hand as quickly as possible, so as to be {211} able to form some idea of the style of game you ought to play before a single card is led. Remember that an average hand contains four court cards, of honours, one in each suit. If these four court cards be four knaves, the hand is below the average; if four kings, or two kings, two queens, and a knave, it is about the average.

When the hand has been sorted, and the adversary's score his been examined, a player can estimate his chances (or the certainty) of saving the game. If the adversaries have nothing scored towards the game, and you hold ace, king, queen of trumps, you know that you must win three tricks, and nothing but a revoke can lose you the game. A bolder game may then be attempted than would be advisable if you had not the saving of the game in your own hand. It is always desirable to make certain of saving the game before you attempt to win it. We frequently hear rash players remark, "I never dreamed it possible that we could lose the game; if I had thought so I could have easily saved it." The safer plan is to always think it possible to lose the game, unless you have the saving of it in your own hand.

Although it is correct play to lead from the longest numerical suit, especially when strong in trumps, it is most detrimental to continue to do so when very weak in trumps, and when you have found, by the card your partner has played third in hand, that he has no winning or protecting card in that suit. It frequently happens, if this lead be repeated, that one adversary holds the winning cards of the suit; the other falls short, and is consequently able to get rid of worthless cards on his partner's winning cards.

As we have already had occasion to remark, and {212} the fact should be persistently borne in mind, the great object at Whist is _to win tricks_. Many inexperienced players, who have superficially learnt certain rules, seem to imagine that it is better to refuse to win tricks in order to convey information to a partner, or to deceive one or both of the adversaries. This proceeding is most commonly adopted when the unskilled player holds four small trumps, and is not provided with a long suit, and believes it to be good play to decline to trump a doubtful card second in hand. With four small trumps, it is more than probable that not one of these will win a trick except by trumping. To refuse to trump a doubtful card indicates strength in trumps, and this strength ought not to be less than five trumps, with or without an honour or honours, or four trumps with two honours.

UNBLOCKING.

One of the most important results of the modern system of leading is that a player may know when to unblock his partner's suit; that is, to avoid being left with the winning card of a suit of which his partner holds the remainder. The disasters that may result from not unblocking are of frequent occurrence with those players who either do not know the leads, or are incompetent to grasp the situation. The following is a simple example:--

Y holds the ace, knave, 3 of clubs, and four losing cards in spades and hearts. Z (Y's partner) has extracted all the trumps (diamonds), and leads the king of clubs; A follows suit with the 2, Y plays the 3, B plays the 5.

Z then leads the 4 of clubs; A plays the 9. Z, {213} knowing from his partner's lead that the latter has the queen of clubs, ought to perceive at once that, as regards winning the trick, his ace and knave are equal cards; but that the former may obstruct Y's other clubs, whereas the latter cannot. If Z mechanically plays his lower card (perhaps being even deluded by the belief that he is "finessing"!), he has successfully blocked his partner's suit; because, when he has played out his ace, he must lead another suit, and his partner, who had king, queen, 10, 8, 4 of clubs, and two small hearts, can never get in again to make his two remaining clubs. If Y had won the second round of clubs with his ace, and returned the knave, Z would have taken the knave with his queen, and would then have won tricks with his ten and four. Consequently, Y and Z would have won five tricks in clubs, instead of only three; Y therefore, by not unblocking his partner's suit, lost two tricks in that one hand.

Another form of not unblocking is the following:--Y leads the knave of spades, which wins; he then leads the king of the same suit. Z, his partner, held originally ace, three, and two of that suit. When Y leads the king after the knave, Z ought to know that his partner led originally from five spades headed by king, queen, knave. It is therefore Z's duty to play his ace on his partner's king, and thus unblock his partner's suit. Z now knows that, as his partner led originally from five spades, and he held originally three, making eight, a third round of spades must be trumped by one of the adversaries. Y, if he knows his partner to be a sound player, will feel certain that his partner holds one more spade; because, had his partner held ace and only one other spade, he would {214} have played the ace on the knave, in order to unblock his partner's suit.

To be able to thus aid a partner, the leads must be thoroughly known, so that from a partner's original lead it may be fairly estimated what other cards of the suit he holds in his hand, and when, consequently, it is desirable to unblock his suit.

ON PLACING THE LEAD.

The player who has to play last has an advantage over the other players. If this last player hold the king and one other card of a suit, he is certain to make a trick with the king, unless it be trumped. If this last player hold ace, queen of a suit, he is certain to make them both, unless one or the other is trumped. Towards the end of a hand, and when a fairly correct estimate may be formed of where certain cards are located, it is of the utmost importance to place the lead either to the right or left, according as you wish your partner or yourself to be led up to as last player. Some simple examples such as the following will illustrate these cases.

A player, Y, holds the king and one other trump (spades), and one trick is required to win the game; he holds also a winning heart. His partner Z plays a thirteenth diamond, which is not trumped by the second player, who discards a heart. The ace and queen of spades are in hand somewhere, and may both be held by an adversary. Y must therefore play his winning heart on the thirteenth diamond, when the left adversary, after trumping, must lead up to the king of spades guarded, when consequently the king must win a trick, and the game. Simple {215} at this proceeding is, bad players will frequently fail to grasp the situation, and will indulge in vain imaginations, such as that their partner has played this thirteenth card in order to ask for the best trump to be played on it. Or that the partner holds the ace of trumps, and fears to play it out, lest he might catch his partner's king, not perceiving that, if that is so, the game is a certainty in any case. Such singular ideas are by no means uncommon with the bad player.

Each time a player leads a fresh suit in which he is weak, he is playing a dangerous game, inasmuch as he is giving an adversary the advantage of being last player. It is a common error of the bad player to change the suit at random, when he finds his partner possesses little strength in the one originally led by him. He thus continues to sacrifice his partner, and loses trick after trick. The following is an example from actual play. A held queen, eight, five, and two of spades, ten, eight, and three of diamonds (trumps), knave, eight, five, and two of clubs, the six and four of hearts.

B, his partner, held king, and two small spades, king, and two small diamonds (trumps), king, and three small clubs, king, and two small hearts.

A led two of spades, B played king third in hand, which was captured by ace in the fourth (Z's) hand.

Z returned a spade, which A won with the queen.

A now led two of clubs, B played king, which was also captured by Z with ace. Z returned a small club, which Y, his partner, won with queen.

Y then led a small heart, which Z won with queen, and returned ace, then a small heart. A trumped the small heart, and B's king fell. A, after due {216} consideration, now led one of his two remaining trumps. B's king was captured by the ace; and thus, by his partner's changes of suit and trumping, B, with four kings, did not win a trick with any one of them.

It is an old and well-known maxim, that a player should be cautious how he changes suits. If the adversaries hold the best cards of a suit, they must make these, and it is far better to let them do so by playing a third round of that suit, and thus placing the lead in the hand of one of the adversaries, than to open another suit in which no high card is held.

The following examples of placing the lead are useful, and should be remembered, because either exactly such cases or others which are very similar are perpetually recurring towards the end of a hand.

You hold the losing trump--one other in against you and to your left (trumps being spades)--the ace, queen of clubs, the ace, queen of hearts.

The king of clubs and the king of hearts are somewhere in the other three hands. Three tricks are required to win or save the game. The diamonds are all out. To make a certainty of winning three tricks, play the losing trump; you must then be led up to either in clubs, or hearts, and must win three tricks out of your own hand.

It is sometimes advisable to throw away what would be the best card in your hand in order to place the lead, or at least to attempt to place it. The following is an example of such a case.

You hold four cards, the ace, queen of spades (trumps), the king and one other heart. The king of spades was turned up to your right, and you know {217} another trump guards the king; no trumps are in the other hands.

Your left adversary leads the ace of hearts; when he leads another heart you must win with the king and must lead up to the king of trumps, when you win only two tricks. If you throw your king of hearts on the ace, you avoid obtaining the lead, and your partner may hold the queen, and your ace, queen of trumps will then both win tricks. Should your partner not hold the queen, you lose nothing by this play, as you must make your ace, queen of trumps if you have not the lead, and if you retained the king of hearts you could not by any possibility win more than two tricks.

Sometimes one holds what is called a trump too many; such a case is the following. You hold ace, queen, and one small trump (spades), and a losing diamond; your partner holds the best diamond. The king of spades is on your right and is guarded, and this adversary has but two trumps. Your partner has no trump, and leads the ace of hearts. If you discard your diamond on this ace of hearts, you must trump the best diamond, and must then lead up to the king of trumps, when you win only three tricks out of the four. If, however, you trump your partner's ace of hearts, and lead the diamond, you again transfer the lead to your partner, and you make all four tricks, as the king of trumps cannot win.

In order to thoroughly master these simple problems, it is advisable to place the cards on the table before you, and examine such cases. They frequently occur, and are, more frequently than not, quite overlooked by bad players, who would think {218} it quite absurd to trump a partner's ace, and who omit to notice the importance of placing the lead.

It is by the manner in which the last four or five cards in a hand are played that skill in Whist is shown; two and sometimes three or four tricks are lost by bad play, when only five or six cards remain in each hand.

THE PLAY OF THE TWELFTH AND THIRTEENTH CARDS.

The play of a twelfth or a thirteenth card is one requiring careful consideration. A player may hold the twelfth card, and he may know that his partner does not hold the thirteenth. He may know, and ought to know, whether his card is the higher or lower of the two remaining. He ought also to know, from the leads and return leads, whether the right or left adversary holds the other card of the suit. A player who does not note such details would be better employed in a game of Beggar-my-neighbour than at Whist, the former game being more suited to his intellectual capacity.

The least dangerous form in which the twelfth card can be played is when it is the better of the two, and when the thirteenth is in the hand of the adversary on the right. The most dangerous, except when placing the lead for a specific purpose, is when the twelfth card is the lower of the two, and the best is held by the left-hand adversary. When the right adversary holds the better card, to play the losing card affords the left-hand adversary the opportunity of discarding a worthless card. A trick {219} is frequently lost by the eagerness of an inexperienced player to play his losing twelfth card in order to allow his partner to make a trump. Before playing this twelfth card, winning cards should be played in order to prevent the second player getting rid of a loser and then trumping the winning card. For example, two rounds of hearts have been played, ace and king being out. A holds the queen of hearts and a losing twelfth card. Left-hand adversary holds small heart and small trump. When the losing twelfth card is played, he discards his heart, and is thus enabled to trump the queen. If the queen of hearts had been played first, an extra trick would have been won.

The play of a thirteenth card means one of two things. It is either a demand on your partner to trump with his best trump, or it is an attempt to place the lead. It is for the partner to use his judgment as to which of these proceedings should be adopted. To lead a thirteenth card merely because, as some persons assert, they "did not know what else to do," is an exhibition of feebleness of intelligence.

MAXIMS.

Those persons who desire to become whist-players, and not mere players at Whist, should bear in mind that Whist is a combination of well-established rules, which should be obeyed; of observation, which is usually misnamed memory, and of reason, which is one of the most essential items towards becoming a whist-player. In order to put as little strain as possible on the reasoning powers, it is advisable to {220} become acquainted with certain maxims which can be committed to memory like proverbs, and can then be acted on during the game. The following will be found useful:--

1. Note whether you hold a sufficient number of winning cards in your hand to make certain of saving the game. If you do, you may run risks in order to win it.

2. Be very careful that you do not make a mistake and imagine that the game cannot be lost, when, by some unusual combination of cards, it _may_ be lost.

3. Immediately your partner leads a card, examine the cards of the suit in your own hand, and form a preliminary opinion of the strength of the suit from which he led. For example, your partner leads the six of spades; you hold ace, queen, and five. The second hand plays the two, you play the queen, fourth hand plays the seven. You thus find the three and four have not been played. Where are they? If the fourth player hold either, he is calling for trumps. You return the ace of spades, the then second player plays the ten, your partner plays the three, and the last player plays the eight. You ought now to know just as well as if you had seen it, that your partner led from king, knave, nine, six, four, and three, and started with the fourth best card. To take a third round of this suit would be childish, as one adversary would make a small trump, the other get rid of a worthless card, and thus show his partner his weak suit.

4. If very strong in two suits, and your partner lead from the third suit, in which you are weak, lead him a trump immediately you gain the lead, although you hold only one or two small trumps. {221}

5. Never hesitate to give your partner the _chance_ of a ruff, unless he has led trumps, or has "called." To refuse to give him this chance merely because you are weak in trumps, is to play a losing game.

6. At the end of a hand, consider the importance of placing the lead. For example, you hold the losing, your partner the winning, trump (clubs), and you hold ace, queen, ten of diamonds. Right-hand adversary leads a small diamond, you play your ten, and it wins the trick; there are other diamonds in your partner's hand, the value of which you do not know. Lead your losing trump, and your partner wins this and returns a diamond, and you win all four tricks. If the king of diamonds be to your right, you would lose a trick by playing ace then queen of diamonds. Feeble players, however, would be certain to lead the ace of diamonds, hoping that their partner would trump the queen, and that thus the trumps would make separately. They give up a certainty for a chance, and consider it safe play to do so.

7. Do your best to help your partner, not to play in opposition to him. Thus, if your partner call for trumps, lead him your best if you have less than four, your lowest if you hold four, and your fourth best if you hold more than four--the exception being when you hold the ace, which always lead to your partner's call. Do not refuse to lead a trump to your partner's call merely because there is a chance of your ruffing a suit. This is selfish play, and usually results in a loss, the suit you wish to trump not unusually being your partner's strong suit.

When your partner, by his discard (or otherwise), has declared strength in one suit and weakness in another, lead the best card of the suit in which he {222} has declared strength. It is a criminal act to lead his weak suit, unless you hold all the winning cards of that suit.

It is towards the end of a hand that bad players display the greatest ingenuity in selecting cards, which, when led or played, can alone lose the game. Also revokes are more commonly committed by a player who holds only two or three cards, than they are when he has in his hand seven or eight cards. Never dash out a card, after you have won a trick, without examining the card that both you and your partner have just previously played.

When you have the game in your hand, play as calmly as though you had a difficult hand to play. Time is rarely, if ever, saved by throwing down your cards. The adversaries examine these deliberately as their only chance, and too often it is found that, had the player played in the usual manner, he must have won the game, but, in consequence of his cards being called, he has just missed winning it.

BOOKS ON WHIST.

If the reader is ambitious to become a genuine whist-player, the following should be studied--not glanced at and forgotten, but thoroughly mastered--and their principles systematically practised:

A TREATISE ON SHORT WHIST. By James Clay.

CAVENDISH ON WHIST.

THE ART OF PRACTICAL WHIST. By Major-General Drayson.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF WHIST. By Dr. W. Pole.

WHIST: (The Club Series). By Dr. W. Pole.

THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF WHIST. By
Ernest Bergholt and Leonard Leigh (Philadelphia).

* * * * *

{223}

BRIDGE.

This is a recent development of the grand old game of Whist. Though differing widely in many particulars from its prototype, it is still essentially Whist, the innovations, while introducing a new speculative element, affording even larger opportunities for the exercise of the judgment and skill which Whist proper demands; and the best proof of its merit lies in the fact that even by the "old stagers" of the London clubs it is now generally played in preference to the classic game.

The main elements of novelty in Bridge, as distinguished from Whist, may be classed under the following heads:--

1. The manner of deciding the trump suit.

2. Different values of tricks and honours according to the suit made trumps.

3. Licence to each party in turn to double and re-double the normal value of tricks.

4. The dealer playing two hands, his partner becoming a "dummy."

Before proceeding to the Laws in detail, it should be premised that Bridge, like ordinary Whist, is played by four persons, two against two, with the full pack of fifty-two cards (two such packs being {224} used alternately). The players cut for partners and for deal; the cards are shuffled, cut, and dealt in the usual way, thirteen to each player; but no card is turned up, the trump suit being named by the dealer, or by his partner, as hereafter explained.

Before perusing the following general remarks, the reader should study the Club code of Laws, which will be found at the end of this chapter, and which contains full particulars as to naming the trump suit, doubling and re-doubling, revoke penalty, mode of reckoning up points, &c.

THE SCORE IN ACTUAL PRACTICE.

This is usually kept upon a scoring block, ruled as shown upon the following page. Each column is intended to receive the score of one rubber. It will be observed that the column is divided midway by a horizontal line. The portion below this is for recording the value of the tricks won; the portion above for the scoring of honours and the other subsidiary elements affecting the ultimate value of the rubber.

A practical example will best illustrate the working of the plan. A and B, we will suppose, are playing against C and D. Diamonds have been declared to be trumps, and A and B have won in the first deal nine tricks. The value of each trick, when diamonds are trumps, being 6 points, A and B score in their own column, immediately below the central line, 18. They have also together held four honours, value in diamonds, 24. They accordingly mark 24 above the line.

{225}

BRIDGE SCORING BLOCK.

+------------+------------+------------+------------+
| | | | |
| A. B. | C. D. | | |
+------------+------------+------------+------------+
| | HON|OURS | |
| -- | 8 | | |
| -- | 100 | | |
| 16 | -- | | |
| | | | |
+------------+------------+------------+------------+
| -- | 16 | | |
| -- | 30 | | |
| 24 | -- | | |
| | | | |
+============+============+============+============+
| | TRI|CKS | |
| 18 | -- | | |
| -- | 24 | | |
| 16 | -- | | |
+------------+------------+ | |
| 4 | -- | | |
| 24 | -- | | |
| 2 | -- | | |
+------------+------------+ | |
| 104 | 178 | | |
| 100 | | | |
+------------+ | | |
| 204 | | | |
| 178 | | | |
+------------+ | | |
| 26 | | | |
+------------+------------+------------+------------+

NOTE.--Scoring Blocks of this pattern, but usually of larger size, are
issued by all card-making stationers at low prices.

{226}

The next deal is played _sans atout_. C and D are the winners by two tricks, and between them hold three aces. The value of the two tricks is 24, which is scored below the line, and the value of the three aces 30, which is scored above the line.

In the third deal, hearts are trumps. A and B win two tricks, value 16 points. This, added to their previous 18, makes them 32, and therefore gives them the game. But C and D hold three honours, value in hearts 16: these they score above their previous 30. The points are not yet added up, but a pencil line is drawn above and below the scores of both parties, to indicate that they represent a completed game.

In the next deal, clubs are trumps. A and B win the odd trick, value 4 points. They have also four honours (divided), value in clubs 16.

The next hand is played _sans atout_. A and B win two tricks, value 24, but D holds four aces, value 100.

In the next hand, spades are trumps, and A and B make the odd trick, value 2 points. This makes them game, giving them the rubber as well, but C and D hold between them four honours, value in spades 8, which number is accordingly placed to their credit.

We are now in a position to assess the value of the rubber. Each column is added up. The total of A and B's score is 104, while that of C and D is 178. But the 100 points for the rubber have yet to be taken into consideration. These are accordingly added to the score of A and B, bringing it up to 204. From this total is deducted the 178 standing to the credit of C and D, and the difference, {227} 26, is the number of points by which A and B are the gainers.

As the points at Bridge frequently run into high figures, it is as well to keep their individual value small, or a loser may find himself let in for an amount which he had not intended risking.

HINTS FOR PLAY.

So far as the science of the game is concerned, the main point, in so far as it differs from Whist, is to be able to judge correctly what suit should be made trumps; whether to play without trumps; or, lastly, whether to pass the option to one's partner. Hands are, of course, capable of almost infinite variety, and it is difficult to lay down rules which shall govern all cases. The novice may, however, safely take to heart the following maxims:--

1. Holding four aces, the dealer plays _sans atout_, inasmuch as he thereby secures four certain tricks, besides one hundred for his aces.

2. Holding three aces, he should do likewise, unless he has a strong red suit, giving assurance of a high score without risk, while the No-trump call involves dangerous weakness in one suit. In this case, the strong red suit should be declared.

3. Early in the game, if he cannot safely declare No-trumps or a red suit, and is not exceptionally strong in clubs, he should pass the option to his partner.

4. When the score of the dealer and his partner is approaching game, if the dealer can make game a certainty by declaring a black suit trumps, he should usually do so. {228}

For more detailed advice as to Bridge tactics, the reader may be referred to two handy little works by W. Dalton, entitled _Bridge at a Glance_ and _Bridge Abridged_, published by Messrs. De la Rue & Co. By the courtesy of these gentlemen, we are enabled to reprint the authoritative Laws of the game, as revised by a joint committee of the Portland and Turf Clubs. It will be observed that they follow very closely the Laws of Whist; but the special features of Bridge have been minutely considered and provided for, and a careful study of the Laws will form the best possible introduction to a knowledge of the game.

THE LAWS OF BRIDGE (1904).

(Reprinted, by permission, _verbatim_ from the Club Code.)

THE RUBBER.

1. The Rubber is the best of three games. If the first two games be won by the same players, the third game is not played.

SCORING.

2. A game consists of thirty points obtained by tricks alone, exclusive of any points counted for Honours, Chicane, Or Slam.

3. Every hand is played out, and any points in excess of the thirty points necessary for the game are counted.

4. Each trick above six counts two points when spades are trumps, four points when clubs are trumps, six points when diamonds are trumps, eight points when hearts are trumps, and twelve points when there are no trumps. {229}

5. Honours consist of ace, king, queen, knave, and ten of the trump suit. When there are no trumps they consist of the four aces.

6. Honours in trumps are thus reckoned:

If a player and his partner conjointly hold--

I. The five honours of the trump suit, they score for honours five
times the value of the trump suit trick.

II. Any four honours of the trump suit, they score for honours four
times the value of the trump suit trick.

III. Any three honours of the trump suit, they score for honours twice
the value of the trump suit trick.

If a player in his own hand holds--

I. The five honours of the trump suit, he and his partner score for
honours ten times the value of the trump suit trick.

II. Any four honours of the trump suit, they score for honours eight
times the value of the trump suit trick. In this last case, if the
player's partner holds the fifth honour, they also score for honours
the single value of the trump suit trick.

The value of the trump suit trick referred to in this Law is its original value, _e.g._ two points in spades and six points in diamonds; and the value of honours is in no way affected by any doubling or re-doubling that may take place under Laws 53 to 56.

7. HONOURS, when there are no trumps, are thus reckoned:

If a player and his partner conjointly hold--

I. The four aces, they score for honours forty points.

II. Any three aces, they score for honours thirty points.

If a player in his own hand holds--

The four aces, he and his partner score for honours one hundred points.

{230}

8. CHICANE is thus reckoned:

If a player holds no trump, he and his partner score for Chicane twice
the value of the trump suit trick. The value of Chicane is in no way
affected by any doubling or re-doubling that may take place under Laws
53 to 56.

9. SLAM is thus reckoned:

If a player and his partner make, independently of any tricks taken for the revoke penalty--

I. All thirteen tricks, they score for Grand Slam forty points.

II. Twelve tricks, they score for Little Slam twenty points.

10. Honours, Chicane, and Slam are reckoned in the score at the end of the rubber.

11. At the end of the rubber, the total scores for tricks, honours, Chicane and Slam obtained by each player and his partner are added up; one hundred points are added to the score of the winners of the rubber, and the difference between the two scores is the number of points won, or lost, by the winners of the rubber.

12. If an erroneous score affecting tricks be proved, such mistake may be corrected prior to the conclusion of the game in which it occurred, and such game is not concluded until the last card of the following deal has been dealt, or, in the case of the last game of the rubber, until the score has been made up and agreed.

13. If an erroneous score affecting honours, Chicane, or Slam be proved, such mistake may be corrected at any time before the score of the rubber has been made up and agreed. {231}

CUTTING.

14. The ace is the lowest card.

15. In all cases, every player must cut from the same pack.

16. Should a player expose more than one card, he must cut again.

FORMATION OF TABLE.