90 



BEZIQUE. 



cates or not, when declared, count 80; any four 

 queens, whether duplicates or not, when declared, 

 count 60 ; any four knaves, whether duplicates or 

 not, when declared, count 40; sequence of best five 

 trumps, when declared, counts 250. The best five 

 trumps are ace, ten, king, queen, and knave. If a 

 player has already declared a royal marriage (40 

 points) he can subsequently declare a trump se- 

 quence (250 points) ; but, if the sequence be declared 

 first, it precludes the subsequent declaration of the 

 royal marriage with the same cards. Each ace or 

 ten taken or saved in trick counts ten. The winner 

 of a trick containing an ace or ten at once adds ten to 

 his score ; if the trick consists of two aces or tens, or 

 one of each, he adds twenty. 



Sometimes aces and tens are not scored till the end 

 of the hand. In this case, each time an ace or ten is 

 played the winner of the trick takes up the cards on 

 the table, and turns them face downward in front of 

 himself; and when all the cards have been played, 

 each player looks through his cards to ascertain how 

 many aces and tens it contains. When near the end 

 of the game, if scoring in this way, it occasionally 

 happens that both sides can score out. This being 

 so, some players deduct the number of aces and tens 

 held by one from those held by the other, and only 

 allow the majority of aces and tens to reckon. Other 

 players, when near the end, count the aces and tens 

 in their tricks at once if it makes them out. Thus: 

 being 960, and having four aces and tens in the 

 tricks, the player would at once call game. Others, 

 again, give precedence in scoring aces and tens to the 

 player who wins the last trick. But the best and 

 simplest method is to mark each ace and ten as the 

 score accrues, not only at the end, but all through the 

 game, as is done in the case of other scores. 



The winner of the last trick counts ten. 



The Last Eight Tricks. The last two cards of the 

 stock are taken, one by each player, as before, the 

 loser of the last trick taking the turn-up or seven, as 

 the case may be. When the stock is exhausted no 

 further declarations can be made. Then all cards on 

 the table that have been exposed in declaring are 

 taken up by the player to whom they belong, and the 

 play of the last eight tricks commences. The winner 

 of the previous trick now leads ; the second player 

 must follow suit if he can, and must win the trick if 

 he can. If he holds a trump ? and is not able to fol- 

 low suit, he must win the trick by trumping. The 

 winner of the trick leads to the next. The tricks are 

 still only valuable for the aces and tens they may 

 contain. 



The winner of the last trick scores ten points. 



Mode of Scoring. A numbered dial with hand, or a 

 be"zique-board and pegs, or counters, may be used. 

 The last plan is to be preferred. Eleven counters are 

 required by each player, one marking 500. four each 

 marking 100, one marking 50, and five each marking 

 10. The counters are placed to the left of the player, 

 and when used to score are transferred to his right. 

 This system of marking shows at a glance not only 

 how many each player lias scored, but, by looking to 

 his left, how many he is playing for. This is often 

 important when near the end of the game. 



The game is usually played 1,000 up. If one 

 player scores 1,000 before bis adversary obtains 500, 

 the game counts double. A partie is the best three 

 games out of five, reckoning a double as two games. 



Hints to Beginners. The first difficulty in "playing 

 to the tricks is to decide what cards to throw away 

 and what, cards to retain, so as to do the least harm 

 to your chance of scoring. 



1. It is, if anything, disadvantageous to get the 

 lead unless you have something to declare. There- 

 fore, when a card (not an ace or a ten) is led, do not 

 take it, but throw away a losing card. (See 5 and 12.) 



2. The cards that can be spared without loss are 

 sevens, eights, and nines, as they form no part of any 

 of the scoring combinations. (But see 7.) 



3. After these, the least injurious cards to part with 



are knaves (except the b<5zique knave and the knave 

 of trumps). 



4. It is better, when in difficulties, to lead a ten or 

 an ace, as a rule, than a king or queen, though there 

 are many exceptions. Aces count a hundred, kings 

 only eighty, and queens only sixty; but kings and 

 queens can marry and aces can not. And, as a rule, 

 if you play for four aces, you have to sacrifice some 

 other combination, and having shown four aces, you 

 are pretty sure to lose some of them in the tricks. 

 Remember that every ace or ten lost to you makes a 

 difference of twenty in the score. 



5. It is seldom advisable to go for four aces unless 

 you happen to hold three, and are in no difficulty. 

 Rather make tricks with the aces when opportunity 

 offers. 



6. If driven to lead an ace or a ten, and your adver- 

 sary does not take the trick, it is often good play to 

 lead another next time. 



7. Do not part with small trumps if it can be helped. 

 The seven, eight, and nine of trumps should be kept 

 to trump aces or tens led. If possible keep one small 

 trump in hand to get the lead with when you want to 

 declare. 



8. Do not part with trump sequence cards. Even 

 if you have a duplicate card of the trump sequence 

 you should not play it until near the end of the hand, 

 as playing it shows your opponent that you have a 

 duplicate. This frees his hand, as he need no longer 

 keep sequence cards. Armed with this knowledge, 

 he will trump every ace and ten you subsequently 

 lead. 



9. Until near the end of the hand, do not part with 

 bc-zique cards, even after declaring bezique. By so 

 doing you give up all chance of double bezique, the 

 score for which is very high. Having declared b&- 

 zique, and holding or drawing another bezique card, 

 sacrifice everything, even sequence cards if necessary, 

 for the chance of double bezique. 



10. Having a choice between playing a possible 

 scoring card from your hand, or a small trump from 

 your hand, or a card that you have declared, as a 

 rule play the declared card, so as not to expose your 

 hand. 



11. Avoid showing your adversary, by what you 

 declare, that he can not make the trump sequence or 

 double bezique. By keeping him in the dark you 

 hamper his game, and as a likely consequence may 

 save some of your tens or aces from being taken by 

 him. For example, (hearts being trumps) suppose 

 early in the hand you hold four queens, viz., two 

 queens of hearts and two queens of spades. It is 

 much better to sacrifice, or, at all events, to postpone 

 scoring, sixty, and not to declare these, than to let 

 your adversary know that he can not make sequence 

 or bezique. (Compares.) 



12. Whenever your adversary leads a card (not the 

 ace) of a suit of which you hold the ten, take the 

 trick with the ten. This rule does not apply to 

 trumps, as in that suit you require the ten to form 

 part of your sequence. 



13. When there are only two cards left in the stock, 

 win the trick if possible. It is the last chance to 

 declare, and it also prevents your adversary from 

 declaring anything more that hand. 



14. Toward the end of the hand run your eye over 

 the cards your adversary has on the table, and play 

 accordingly. For example : suppose your opponent 

 has an ace on the table, and you horn a card of that 

 suit, throw away that card that you may be able to 

 trump the ace in the play of the last eight tricks. 



15. In playing the last eight tricks your only object 

 should be to save your aces or tens and to wm those 

 of the adversary. 



16. It is of more importance to win aces and tens than 

 at first sight appears. It is very captivating to sacri- 

 fice a number of small scores for the chance of obtain- 

 ing a large one, and very agreeable when such play 

 succeeds. But it is the practice of experienced players 

 to make sure of a number of small scores. They say 



