46 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[December 1, 1887. 



lOh. A.M. on the 4th, when she enters Cancer. She remains in 

 Cancer until llh. 30m. P.M. on the 5th, and then passes into Leo. 

 She does not leave Leo for Virgo C'The Seasons Pictured," plate 

 XXV.) until 2 P.M. on the 8th. She is in Virgo until Ih. P.M. on the 

 11th, and then crosses the boundary into Libra ("The Seasons 

 Pictured," plate xxvi.). As she traverses Libra she, at 6h. 30m. 

 A.M. on the 13th, reaches the western edge of the narrow northern 

 spike of Scorpio, her passage across which she completes by 

 3 o'clock the same afternoon and comes out into Ophiuchus. She 

 remains in Ophiuchus until 4h. A.M. on the 15th at which hour she 

 quits it for Sagittarius. She is travelling through Sagittarius until 

 lOh. A.M. on the 17th, when she enters Capricornus ("The Seasons 

 Pictured," plate sxi.). She passes from Capricornus into Aquarius 

 at lOh. A.M. on the IDth, and at 5h. P M. on the 21st leaves the last- 

 named constellation and enters Pisces ("The Seasons Pictured," 

 plate xsii.). As she traverses Pisces she touches the boundary 

 between it and Cetus, and passes into the last-named constellation 

 at llh. A.M. on the 22nd. At 6 P.M. on the 23rd she emerges into 

 Pisces, only, however, to re-enter Cetus at 5h. p.m. on the 24th. 

 When she tinally leaves Cetus, at 7h. A.M. on the 25th, it is to pass 

 into Aries (" The Seasons Pictured," plate xxiii.). 30 minutes after 

 noon on the 26th she quits Aries for Taurus. Travelling, as at the 

 beginning of the month, through Taurus, she reaches the western 

 edge of the northernmost part of Orion, at tlh. 30m. A.M., on the 

 2i)th. She takes until 9 o'clock the same evening to traverse this, 

 and then, as before, emerges in Gemini (" The Seasons Pictured," 

 plate xsiv.). She is crossing Gemini until 4 P.M. on the 31st, at 

 which hour she enters Cancer. She is, of course, in Cancer when 

 our notes terminate. 



€)m WRWt Column. 



By "Five op Clubs." 



MATHEWS ON WHIST. 



KUPI-'ING AND FOBCING. 

 EVER rulf an uncertain card if strong in trumps, 

 or omit doing so if weak. The last rule is one of 

 the few universal maxims in whist, and cannot be 

 too rigidly adhered to. It is right even when you 

 know the best card ot the suit is in your partner's 

 hand. It has the double advantage of making a 

 useless trump and telling your partner the state 

 ^ of your hand, so that he will play accordingly. 

 [hulling has this further advantage, that if your partner has the 

 best card guarded, he remains with command over the suit — pre- 

 sumably the adversary's : this may be a decisive advantage later on. 

 I suppose Mathews would scarcely insist on the ruff if partner is 

 known to have the best card single. There are cases, however, 

 where even in this position it is best to ruff. The trump card may 

 be absolutely useless, and so nothing be lost, while it may be of 

 critical importance to let partner know your weakness. Usually, 

 however, in such a case the proper course would be to discard from 

 a suit in which you may have a chance of getting a ruff more pro- 

 titably. The former part ot the above rule is by no means so con- 

 stant a maxim as the latter. Thus with six trumps it is usually 

 well to ruff an uncertain card and go on with trumps. Even with 

 five trumps it is often well to ruff, not following, however, with a 

 trump lead. There are positions, though they are seen but seldom, 

 when it is well to rufl: from strength though your partner holds the 

 winning card (guarded), merely that he may be left with command 

 of the enemy's suit. Still, as a general rule, with strength in 

 trumps, a doubtful card should not be ruffed. In the next para- 

 graph (not the next, in his book, however, by any means) Mathews 

 discusses this matter keenly and justly, being especially careful to 

 consider cases where the general rules, on which he properly insists, 

 must be set aside.] 



With a strong hand in frumps, particularly if you have a long 

 suit, avoid ruffing j'our right-hand adversary as much as possible. 

 As this is a maxim less understood, less followed, and more indis- 

 pensably necessary than almost any other, I will endeavour to 

 explain it to beginners as clearly as I can. 



If cards are nearly equal, the point to which the manceuvres of 

 all good whist-players tend is, on the one hand, to establish a long 

 suit, preserving the last trump to bring that suit into play; and, on 

 the other hand, to frustrate the same play ot the adversaries. 

 With an honour, or even a ten, and three other trumps, you have a 

 right — if onl_v you manage your trumps well — to expect success. 

 In this case, if your right-hand adversary trumps a suit of which 

 you are void, do not over-trump, but throw away a losing card ; by 

 this, since only twelve trumps remain, your own hand is strengthened, 



while whatever suit is led your partner has the tenace;* whereas, 

 had you over-ruft'ed you would have given up the whole game to 

 secure one trick. [For you remain with only three small trumps 

 out of eleven left, and the tenace in your long suit remains with the 

 enemy.] 



There are cases, however, in which you break through this rule, 

 viz. : — 



First, if your left-hand adversary has shown a decided great 

 hand in trumps— in which case make your tricks while you can. 



Secondly, if your partner evidently meant to force you. To 

 understand whether this is the case or not, note whether your 

 partner played the winning card or a losing card of the suit of 

 which you are void : if he played the winning card, it is by no 

 means clear he meant to force you, and you should play your own 

 game. It he played a losing card [knowing you to be void in the 

 suit], you are to suppose him [if he understands the game] 

 to be strong in trumps, and may depend on that strength of his to 

 protect your long suit. 



Due reflection on the case last considered will show you the value 

 of the maxim which enjoins that you should never play a strong 

 game with a weak hand, or rice fcrsd. [Mathews means that re- 

 flection on the inferences you draw from J'our partner's lead, in the 

 case considered, shows j'ou the importance of always suggesting 

 correct inferences yourself, when in a similar case you have to lead ; 

 and thus Mathews enforces the general rule rhat your leads should 

 always be such as to convey correct ideas as to your strength or 

 weakness.] A few deviations from this effectually destroy the con- 

 fidence which is necessary between partners : a confusion results 

 which cannot but have the most disastrous consequences. Inatten- 

 tion to this rule cannot be too carefully avoided or too strenuously 

 deprecated. 



If strong in trumps, with the commanding card of the adver- 

 saries' suit and small ones, force your partner, if he has none of 

 that suit, with the small ones, reserving the commanding card to 

 the last. 



It is a general maxim not to force your partner, unless strong in 

 trumps yourself. There are, however, many exceptions to this rule, 

 as — 



First. If your partner has led from a single card. [In this 

 case you force him to make the best of a bad business.] 



Secondly. If the ruff saves or wins a particular point. 



Tliirilhj. If great strength in trumps is declared against you. 



Fourthly. If j'ou have the chance of a " saw." 



Fifthhj. If your partner has been forced and did not follow with 

 a trump lead. 



Sixthly. It is often right in playing for the odd trick. 



As regards forcing the enemy, — 



Always force the strong, seldom the weak, never both adver- 

 saries. In this third case, you play your adversaries' game, and 

 give the one an opportunity to make his small trumps while the 

 otlier throws away his losing cards. Careless forcing is a very 

 gpneral as well as fatal error; the extent of the mischief is seldom 

 comprehended by unskilful players, who, seeing the good eifect of 

 judicious forces, practise them indiscriminately, to their almost 

 constant disadvantage. 



The following case, shoviiing the effect of a force, is too obvious 

 not to be instantly comprehended ; but the student should note 

 that the same principle operates through the fifty-two cards, 

 however various their combinations ; and that its steady considera- 

 tion [or rather its thorough mastery] is one of the most necessary 

 steps towards an insight into the game : — 



A has a seizieme major in trumjjs, a quart major in one plain 

 suit, and a tierce major in another suit ; and his adversary (either 

 on the right or left) has six small trumps and the entire command 

 of the fourth suit. In this case, one force on A gives B the odd 

 trick ; without such a force B loses every trick. Though so great 

 an effect may seldom be produced, sliil there is scarcely a rubber 

 where the truth of the general principle involved is not experiment- 

 ally proved. 



It is easy soon to discover the different strengths ot [hands held 

 bj'] good players, but more diiBcult with bad ones. When an adversary 

 refuses to trump, and throws away a small card, you conclude [if he 

 is a good player] that his hand consists of a strong suit in trumps, 

 with one strong and another weaker suit. It he discards an honour, 

 you know he has two suits only, one of which is trumps ; in this 

 case win tricks when you can. Avoid leading trumps when an 

 adversary has thus declared trump strength, or to his plain suit 

 force him, and give your partner an opportunity to trump if 



■" Mathews uses the word "tenace " in its proper sense, as signify- 

 ing "the advantage " of position. There is no connection whatever, 

 as many mistakenly imagine, between the cards ten and ace and 

 the tenace. The word is French, and indicates the " hold " which 

 a player has in particular positions. 



