KNOWLEDGE 



as " Mogul" long since pointed out (see Game XXIV., in " How to 

 Play Whist,") — the play which rendered the double grand coup 

 necessary amounting really to a determined effort to throw the 

 game away — there can be no qnestion of " Carendish's " present 

 skill and experience in his own method of play. What we object to 

 is the attempt to make fixed rules out of the multitudinous 

 points of play which a fine player has to deal with in the actual 



■ • - ■ :.a<ls. Players 



I.nsrth of the 



We say little about t" ' 

 already know what ;: 

 admit the desirability . 



chief suit, Mr. Trisfs .-. . ,. the incom- 



plete method of penv.'it n , ..____ leads adopted 



before, and on the occasioi:al u,=,' (,uiily) ..f.a imtliol for showintr at 

 second or third round that five or more had originally been iield 

 in the suit. Our own belief is that this systematising of the rules 

 for showing length has brought out more obviously than before the 

 disadvantage of always showing length. It would be well, in our 

 opinion, if the use of the methods for showing length should be 

 regarded as indicating more, — viz., that there was a probability of 

 bringing in the suit whose length was thus shown. With a weak 

 hand, to display the exact length of a long weak suit is simply in 

 nine cases out of ten to play the enemy's game. 



However, the American leads so simplify the rules for showing 

 ength, and therefore so suit the players who prefer a system they 

 can follow easily to one which leaves them to decide for themselves, 

 that we may regard them as almost sore to be generally adopted; 

 and if so, they must be followed even by those who dislike them, 

 or otherwise there will be risk of actually misleading partner. I 

 will therefore only remark farther respecting them, that at New 

 Orleans their birthplace, and at New York where they are much 

 dmired, they are followed much m,ore steadily than they are 

 utilised. I doubt if a single American player except Mr. Trist him- 

 self, has once in a hundred games noted the meaning of cards 

 played according to this system. Perhaps if a new system were 

 adopted, by which each player should have a paper foi-' noting the 

 cards played to tricks, and time to enter all details, and to make 

 all necessary calculations when his turn came to play, the system 

 would work as Cavendish and Mr. Trist think it ought to work, — 

 bat as a matter of observed fact it does not work that way. 



What -we note as particularly objectionable in " Whist Develop- 

 ments " is the wooden series of rules laid down for what is called 

 the " Plain-suit Echo." In the first place a case is cited from old 

 Hoyle to show that he anticipated this modern device, — a case in 

 which, in some mysterious way the third player is supposed to 

 know that his partner holds a great suit when only two cards of 

 that suit have been played, and holding Queen, Ten, Nine, and a 

 very small one of that suit, third player retains the very small one 

 and plays the Nine to his partner's Ace. The common sense of 

 this is so obvious that it needs no insisting upon. You are sup- 

 posed to know that yotir partner holds at least five, you yourself 

 hold four, and one has fallen on your right ; so only three cards 

 lie vrith the enemy : it is almost certain therefore that if you 

 retain three cards out of the five highest left, you will block 

 your partner's great suit. Hoyle indeed definitely assigns six cards 

 to your partner, so that you are absolutely certain to lose nothing 

 by playing the Nine instead of the very small one, even if both 

 King and Knave lie on your left. On the strength of such 

 cases. Cavendish adopts as a general rule that when Ace is 

 led, also in other cases definitely assigned, and yon hold as 

 third player exactly four cards of the suit, you should play the 

 lowest but one. He takes no account of the fact that in many, 

 nay in the great majority of cases, where you hold four cards 

 exactly and your partner holds at least four but possibly more, 

 there is no occasion to unblock at the first round, simply because 

 there are two or more small cards among your four. Thus in the 

 game in this week's Field (Aug. 22), which is intended specially 

 to show the advantage of unblocking, the thirl player holds 

 Ten, Eight, Six, and Two, and there is in reality no occasion 

 whatever for playing the Six in preference to the Two. 

 Amongst other points, left entirely unnoticed by Cavendish, is this, 

 that when you know your partner can get in again, after yoii have 

 taken your last trick in his suit, either by sure re-cnteiing pla'n 

 cards, or by long trumps, you need not trouble your- elf .atout 

 unblocking hia suit. The play of third hand in such cases Cinnot 

 possibly — at any rat« cannot properly — be laid down to rue : it 

 should depend entirely on judgment of the position. Of course, tn ^re 

 suo, Cavendish rejoices more at being able to get out a new revebp- 

 raent than at any real advantage which the play accordiiL.- i ■ bis 

 new rule may afford. It troubles him little that he is ^{roi'ing 

 the game by knocking the brains out of it, that he is muddling 

 the signal (insomuch, that to signal om: unlucky Cavendishian 

 third player must play his lowest but f iro, and has not signalled 

 f, giving up his plain suit echo at the second round, he phiys 



the lowest ; with other confusions), and that he is introducing a 

 broad swarth of exceptions to the really important general rule. 

 "Return the !f>wo=t of three" : all this ig a mere nothing com- 

 parpfl "i'li 'If^ ;i.n-,.,ln<-t;,,ii ,if '• .\Ti,,tli(.r Wliist Dfvflnpment." 

 Lu .,• confidence 



let ii 



playei 



suit of such and such a length; and secondly, tii;a as partner he 

 knows enough of the strategy of the game to determine, imlepen- 

 dently of any cut-and-dried rules, the propriety of unblocking his 

 partner's suit, whether as third player or by discarding. 



The way in which the illustrative games are given is very unsatis- 

 factory, as in all Cavendish's works. There is nothing like the 

 plan of the old Watmimter Papers, of which ours is a development 

 (improved, we think). 



Mr. K. A. Proctor's Lecture Tour. 



Subjects : 



1. LIFE OP WOKLDS 4. THE PLANETS 



2. THE SUN 5. COMETS AND METEORS 



3. THE MOON 6. THE STAR DEPTHS 



Each Lecture is profusely illustrated. 



Arrangements are now being made for the delivery of Lectures 

 by Mr. Proctor from August onwards. Communications respecting 

 terms and vacant dates should be addressed to the Manager of the 

 Tour, Mr. JOHN STUART, Royal Concert Hall, St. Leonards-on- 

 Sea. 



Aug. 27, 28, Matlock-Bath ; Aug. 29, 31, Bui-ton-on-Trent. 



Sept. 1, Burton-on-Trent; Sept. 2, 8, 11, 15, York; Sept. 3, 4, 

 BridUngton ; Sept. 7, 9, 10, Scarborough ; Sept. 14, 16, 21, 22, 

 Harrogate; Sept. 17, 18, Whitby ; Sept. 24, 25, Ilkley ; Sept. 28, 

 29, Derby. 



Oct. 3, 17, Malvern ; Oct. 31, Marlborough College. 



Nov. 4, Burnley; Nov. 9, Stafford; Nov. 12, Middlesbrough 

 Nov. 17, Darwen. 



Dec. 7, 8, 9, Croydon ; Dec. 16, 17, 18, 19, Leamington. 



Jan. 12, Hull. 



Feb. 3, Alexandria ; Feb. 6, 20, Malvern ; Feb. 10, WaUall ; 

 Feb. 15, Upper Clapton j Feb. 18, 25, London Institution. 



Contexts of No. 199. 



Finding the Way at Sea. BjE.A. Isleof Wight S.es- Ferrv 



Proctor 149 Eerieiva 



Thooght and Language. XT. By | Chats on Ge :.. 



AdIs.Ballin 150 ! {lib:,.) l'.: . ■ 



First Star Lessons. {TTilh Map.) _ | iliscellanea . 



The' Ph'Uosophy of ciothiVg." XT. j Corresponde:- . ;i .1 ,:, 



By W. Mattien Williams 132 —Invisible > .l -Lne in th 



Our Household Insects. (/7/i«.) By ' Moon — Evolutionism — Who 



The'CreatEedSpot'onJupiterVBy j the Univer-.e ?-Musical Ten 



The'roung Electri?i'ai"(iziM.)";By Om mis° ColSnn "......" .■;;.'.■ 



W. Slingo 157 I OniCheas Column 



If^OTICES. 



! Part XLT. (July, 1885). now ready, price Is. 3d., 



Binding' Cases tor all the Tolames published are to be hti, price Ss. ea.li 

 '"sabscnbers^numtera 'bound '(including title, index, ard e«ee) for 3t, r- 



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