August 1, 1888.] 



♦ KNOAA^LEDGE ♦ 



239 



plate sxiv.). Her journey through Gemini is completed by 5h. 

 30m. A.M. on the Gth, at which hour she enters Cancer. She 

 quits Cancer for Leo at 7h. p.;j. on the 7th, and Leo in turn 

 for Virgo at 9h. A.M. on the 10th (" The Seasons Tictured," 

 plate sxv.). She remains in Virgo until Ih. 30m. P.M. on the 13th, 

 when she crosses the boundary into Libra ("The Seasons Pictured," 

 plate xsri.). In the course of h'!r journey through Libra she arrives 

 at Gh. A.M. on the loth at the western edge of the narrow northern 

 spike of Scorpio, when by 3 o'clock the same afternoon she has 

 crossed this it is to come out in Ophiuchus, a constellation which she 

 leaves for Sagittarius at 4h. a.m. on the 17th. By lOh. A.M. on the 

 19th she has traversed Sagittarius and entered Capricornus ("The 

 Seasons Pictured," plate xsi.). She leaves Capricornus for Aquarius 

 at Sh. 30m. a.m. on the 21st. She is travelling over Aquarius until 

 llh. A.M. on the 23rd, and she enters Pisces ("The Seasons 

 Pictured," plate ssii.). Journeying across Pisces, she at 4h. a.m. on 

 the 21th plunges into a i^ortion of Cetus, and continues in that con- 

 stellation until Ih. 30m. P.M. on the 25th, when she emerges in 

 Pisces again, only, however, to re-enter Cetus lOh. later. When 

 she quits Cetus for the second time at 5h. a.m. on the 27th she 

 comes out in Aries (" The Seasons Pictured," plate xxiii.). She 

 remains in Aries until 5h. 30m. a,m. on the 2Sth, and then passes 

 into Taurus, travelling through which, as at the beginning of the 

 month, she reaches the northern prolongation of Orion at 6h. a.m. 

 on the 31st. At 5 o'clock that afternoon her journey over this is 

 complete, and she quits Orion for Gemini. There we leave her. 



(Buy ^Mf)i0t Column* 



By " Five of Clubs." 



MATHEWS ON WTELIST— concluded. 



Playing to the Score. 



OU should not give up the certainty of the odd 

 trick for an even chance of making two by tricks, 

 nor that of making or saving a point for an even 

 chance of making an extra trick. And con- 

 versely you should risk a finesse giving you an 

 even chance of preventing your adversaries from 

 getting the odd trick or from making or saving 

 a point. [In Mathews reference is made to the 

 points at long whist, and the wording is obscure : 

 the strategic principle is the same both for short whist and long 

 whist.] 



When at three, with two honours, note the adversaries' score and 

 consider whether there is a probability that they may win the game 

 by tricks, or make a point, even though your partner should hold a 

 third honour. If there is, yon should conceal j'our strength in 

 honours as long as possible, as a knowledge of it would give the 

 adversaries a decided advantage against you in playing for tricks. 



To explain what is meant by playing to the score or to points, 

 consider the following case : — 



A has the two lowest trumps, and two forcing cards with the 

 lead. The two best trumps are known to be with the adversaries, 

 but it is uncertain whether the)' are divided or both in the same 

 hand. Nine tricks have been turned. Query : What should A 

 play 1 Ansirer : This can only be decided by considering the score, 

 and inquiring w'nether it justifies hazarding two tricks for one or 

 not. It should be obvious that before the score is much advanced 

 it would be quite wrong for A to play a trump, because by so doing 

 he manifestly ventures two tricks for one : he should therefore 

 secure two tricks by jjlaying a forcing card. But suppose A-B are 

 at the score of two, and that they have won six tricks, Y-Z not 

 having reached the score of four : then as obviously A should play 

 the trump, because if the other trumps are divided A wins three 

 tricks and the game, and if they are not divided A-B remain at the 

 score of two : the even chance of winning the game is better than 

 the certainty of reaching the score of four. If the adversaries are 

 at the .score of four, A should of course not lead a trump, for he is 

 certain to save the game if he leads a forcing card, and there is an 

 even chance of his losing it if he leads a trump. 



The following critical stroke decided one of the most material 

 rubbers [as to the amount of money depending on it] ever played, 

 and is recommended to the attentive study even of proficients : — 



The score was nine-all [corresponding to four-all at short whist]. 

 A had won six tricks, and remained with knave and a small trump, 

 and two diamonds, with the lead. Y, his left-hand adversary, held 

 the queen and ten of trumps and two clubs. B, A's partner, had 

 two small trumps and two diamonds. Z, the last player, held the 

 ace of trumps and a small one, a club, and a heart. A led a 



diamond, which was passed by Y, and was to be won by Z. 

 Query : How is Z to play to make it possible to win the odd trick ? 

 Ansn-er : Z saw it was impossible to win the odd trick unless his 

 partner held either the two best trumps or the first and third, with a 

 successful finesse [that is, the second-best with A]. He therefore 

 trumped with the Ace, and led the small one, and Y finessing the 

 Ten, Y-Z won the game. [By taking the trick with the Ace, Z 

 made his partner's trumps the best and third best, which before the 

 Ace was played were the second and fourth best. Clearly had he 

 retained the Ace only one round of trumps could have been taken 

 out, and one trick must go to the enemy, even though Y held the 

 two best trumps after the Ace. It will be noticed, of cour.<e, that 

 Z"s play would have been quite wrong had the score been other than 

 it was. For by rutiing with the small trump, Z would make sure of 

 three tricks out of the four last, whereas by playing the Ace he 

 left it more than an even chance that Y-Z would make but two 

 tricks. Since, however, three tricks woidd be worth no more to 

 Y'-Z than two, when all four were wanted to save the game, he won 

 the game for himself and partner by his correct strategy in playing 

 to the score.] 



SoMK Points of Stbateoy. 



The difficulty of Whist does not consist in playing good cards to 

 advantage, for Aces and Kings will make tricks, and no skill can 

 make a Ten win a Knave. But there are hands which frequently 

 occur when skilful players win where bunglers lose points, and, 

 except where the cards run very high, it is on the playing of such 

 hands that success depends. 



For example, suppose a player holds Ace or King and three 

 other trumps, a tierce-major with others of a plain suit, and a 

 probable trick [that is, a probable re-entering card] in a third suit, 

 the player's plan here should be to remain either with the last 

 trump, or with the last but one, with the lead. To accomplish this 

 he must not win the second trick with his commanding card, but 

 reserve that card for the third. Nothing, then, but five trumps in 

 one hand can probably prevent his establishing his long suit. For 

 where he finds but four trumps against him in one hand, and the 

 fourth or last left of those adverse trumps is against him, he forces it 

 out with his long suit, and then the thirteenth trump brings in his 

 suit again, which without the lead after the third round of trumps 

 would be impossible. 



[The " probable trick in a third suit " is required to give the 

 trump leader a fair chance of leading a third round of trumps, 

 should his partner be unable to lead trumps again. Mathews gives 

 as illustrative cases, to make his " maxim " — as he calls it — more 

 clearly understood, a series beginning with the same case precisely 

 which has just been dealt with. The others are as follows] : — 



A with a strong suit headed by the tierce-major, a probable trick 

 in a third suit, holds Ace, King, and two small trumps. If the 

 adversaries li-ad trumps he should not win the first trick, even if 

 last player. By passing, he remains after the second round with 

 the best card for the third, and establishes his suit, even though the 

 best trump remains against him, unless there were five trumps in 

 one hand originally. 



With a similar hand and Ace, Queen, and two small trumps, do 

 not win the Knave led on your left hand, but let trumps be led 

 again. You then take out the third round, and remain as in the 

 case last considered. 



[The following special case is worth noticing] : — 



A remains with the best trump (say the Ten) and a small one, 

 with some losing cards, B, his partner, having to A's knowledge the 

 second best (say the Nine) with some winning cards, the adversaries 

 having some winning cards of the other two suits. A is forced. 

 Query : How should he play ' Answer : A should ruff with his best, 

 and lead out his small trump ; he thus puts the lead in his partner's 

 hand, enabling him to make his winning cards, while those of the 

 adversaries are rendered useless. This mode of play would some- 

 times be right, even when it was not certain whether the second- 

 best trump was in partner's or an adversary's hand ; but the fine 

 player alone can determine the correct play under such conditions. 



Judgment is often required in taking the penalties of a revoke. 

 Before the score is advanced, if the party revoking has won nine 

 tricks, the least consideration wUl show that the adversaries should 

 take three of them ; for it they add to their own score they still 

 leave the odd trick to the enemy. But if the revoking party is at 

 the score of three, it is better for the adversary to score three 

 points, as the odd trick leaves the former at four, which is in every 

 respect a worse point than three. [In the original the reference is 

 to long whist, in which perhaps the privilege of the " call " made 

 the score of eight preferable to the score of nine; but in short 

 whist sound players prefer the score of four, for the reason aptly 

 indicated by ilr. Bentinck, that the possession of three honours 

 does not absolutely prevent the winning of the odd trick.] On 

 other occasions it is only necessary to calculate how the different 



