October 1, 1886.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



367 



ought to be construed as " deal ot the following player," and had 

 decided that if honours had not been " called " previous to an 

 abortive attempt, which had deprived that "following player" of 

 his deal, they could not be scored. On finding, however, that a 

 competent authority had dissented from my ruling, I appealed to a 

 friend who occupies a judicial position in New South Wales, and 

 who is one of the best whist-players in that colony, requesting him 

 to give me his opinion on the points at issue. I wrote to this friend 

 as follows : — " It appears to me that the term ' claiming to score 

 honours ' is not necessarily identical in meaning with the require- 

 ment that ' at the end of a hand ' players shall ' call ' the honours 

 which they allege that they have held. Strictly speaking, the latter 

 phrase directs that, while all the facts are quite fresh in the memory 

 of all the players, two of them shall ' audibly name ' the cards on 

 which they base their claim to score honours. In practice, no 

 doubt, this requirement of the club code is not exactly obeyed. 

 This, however, is a mere matter of convenience, and not, so far as I 

 can see, because two different phrases, which are used without 

 definition in two successive whist laws, are necessarily identical in 

 meaning. Again, I cannot acknowledge that ' a misdeal is not a 

 deal.' The club code expressly provides that — in the absence of 

 certain circumstances, each one of which is explicitly specified — 

 ' a misdeal loses the deal.' Consequently, it is more than a ' not- 

 deal,' or mere negation of a deal. In fact, according to my 

 ™w, it is the ' following deal ' of Law 6 — abortive, it is true, 

 inasmuch as the cards distributed to the players are not 

 played, but nevertheless complete to this extent that, in con- 

 sequence of its occurrence, the deal passes to the player on 

 the left of the one whose proper turn it is to deal. It is 

 because of this effect of a misdeal that I feel certain in 

 regard to its barring the scoring of honours, which the law requires 

 to be called at the end of any hand, in respect to which the claim 

 to score them may arrive. But inasmuch as a whist-player, who 

 stands in the first rank, has protested against my decision, I shall 

 feel obUged by your examining the case, and by your obliging me 

 with your opinion in reference to the points at issue." I may add 

 that I had said in my published ruling that " it is a matter 

 of custom and convenience to regard the phrase ' end of the 

 hand' as being synonymous with the interval which is occu- 

 pied in dealing, and during which play is suspended. Hence, 

 there can be no doubt that in the event of Ws attempting to deal 

 with an important pack, and subsequently insisting on his right 

 to a new deal, A and B's claim to score honours would not be dis- 

 puted, provided the claim were made antecedent to the completion 

 of Ws new deal. Such new dea', however, is the ' following deal,' 

 — that is to say, ' the deal ot the following player ' — of the club 

 code ; but, manifesth", this is not the case in regard to the deal 

 which passes from A to B, in consequence of \V's having mis- 

 dealt." I had also said that my remarks might be regarded as 

 implying that " when a player deals out of his turn, the right of 

 scoring honours should lapse, in case of their not having been called 

 immediately after the conclusion ot the preceding hand. But it is 

 obvious that this objection admits of the reply that at any time 

 antecedent to the completion of such deal in error, the proper dealer 

 can insist on dealing. Hence this mistake is altogether different in 

 character from a misdeal, which deprives the ' proper dealer ' of 

 the right to deal.' Then, in conclusion, I had expressed the hope 

 that "among the amendments to be made hereafterin whist law will 

 be the enactment of an explicit rule that all questions of score shall 

 be settled before the cards are cut for the following deal." 



For the rest of the paper we have not at present space. The 

 reply of the New South Wales player is rather voluminous, and 

 leads to a still more voluminous rejoinder. The whole matter seems 

 to me included in the consideration that the object of the law is 

 clearly to insist that honours must be claimed between the close of 

 the play to the hand whereunto they belong, and the beginning of 

 the play of the next hand. As this plaj- does not commence after 

 a misdeal, completed or otherwise, the contention of the whist 

 editor of the Australasian appears to me to be unsound. The law 

 is not a pleasant one, any how. The practice should be to attend 

 to the score, and settle all about it before cutting for a fresh deal. 

 And were it not for the weary waste of words so often following the 

 play of a hand this would always he easily managed. 



MATHEWS ON WHIST. 



We propose to begin in our next a series of papers on the fine 

 strategic whist of Mathews, re-arranging his maxims (which they 

 much need), complaining matters where his wriiing is obscure, and 

 pointing out where modern whist departs from the whist of 

 Mathews' days (apart from those merely conventional arrange- 

 ments which many fondly imagine to constitute the science of whist 

 as now played). 



(Bttt CfK2!£i Column. 



By " Mephisto." 



ENGLISH PROBLEM COMPOSEBS. 



II.— A. E. Studd. 



E have much pleasure in continuing our series of 

 articles on English problemists by reproducing 

 the masterly compositions of Mr. A. E. Studd. 

 It will be seen from the specimens published 

 below that the composer is versatile in all 

 branches of problem composition. He has the 

 clever gift of making difficult problems by 

 using the pieces freely, but his problems never 

 seem overburdened, and mostly represent mas- 

 terly conceptions, in which all the parts harmonise with the whole 

 idea in a pleasing manner. This is exemplified, amongst others, by 

 problem No. 1, where, in spite of Queens, Rooks, and other pieces, 

 the Black King is given the utmost freedom of action, and the final 

 mate occurs in the purest possible manner, one move with the 

 Knight cutting off no less than four squares of the Black King. 



In order to appreciate the fine points in these problems we 

 strongly recommend our readers to make a fair attempt to solve 

 each particular problem before looking at the solution. 



No. 1 PosiTiox. 

 White— K on Q2. Q on K Kt2. R on QBsq. Kt's on KB3, QB4. 

 B's on QKtS, Q6. P's on K Kt5, KB6. (Nine pieces.) 



Black— K on QI. Q on KBsq. R on Q2. Kt on KR4. P's on 

 K Kt3, QB2, QKt3, 5. (Eight pieces.) 



Mate in two moves. 



No. 2 Position. 



White— K on QK2. Q on K Kt7. Rs on KB6, QBi. Kfs on 

 QB2, 6. B's on QR5, KS. P's on K2, 5, QR4. (Eleven pieces.) 



Black- KonQl. R on Q2. Kt on QB4. B on K3. P on KBo. 

 (Five pieces.) JIate in two moves. 



No. 3 Position. 

 ^^^]ite— K on QB6. Q on QKto. R's on KR sq, K7. Kt's on 

 KKtl, Kn. B on QR sq. P's on KR5, KB2, 6, 7. (Eleven pieces.) 

 Black— K on KKt4. P on KR2. (Two pieces.) 

 Mate in two moves. 



No. i Position. 



■White— K on QKt sq. Q on KR8. R's on Q sq, QB3. Kt's on 

 KKt3, K3. B on QB7. P's on KKt2, KB6, K6, QKto, QR2, 3. 

 (Thirteen pieces.) 



Black— K on Q5. Kt on Q6. B on Q7. P's on QKt2, 3. (Five 

 pieces.) Mate in two moves. 



No. 5 Position. 

 White— K on KR4. Q on KB2. R on KKt.5. Kt's on QKt2, 5. 

 B's on Ko, QKt7. P on QB6. (Eight pieces.) 



Black— K on Q4. R's on K6, Q"R sq. Kt's on KR3, K3. B on 

 QKt5. P's on K.5, Q6, QB2, KR6. (Ten pieces.) 

 Mate in three moves. 



No. 6 Position. 

 White— K on KRs.1. KtonQsq. P on QR2. P on KB3. Bon 

 KKt4. Kt on K4. B on Q6. Q on QB6. R on KB8. (Nine 

 pieces.) 



Black— B on QKt sq. R on QR2. P on K3. P on KKt4. B on 

 KB4. Kt on K4. P on QKt 4. P on KR5. K on KB5. Kt on QB5. 

 P on QKt6. P on KR7. (Twelve pieces.) 

 Mate in three moves. 



No. 7 Position. 

 AVTiite- B on KB sq. R on QR sq. K on Q2. P's on KB3, QB3, 

 KR4, KBo. Kt on KR6. B on QKt6. Kt on QB8. (Ten pieces.) 

 Black— K on Q4. P on QB.5. (Two pieces.) 

 Mate in three moves. 



No. 8 Po.siTioN. 

 White— P's on QB2, KB3. K on KKt4. R on QIU. B on Ko. 

 P on KB6. Kt's on QT, QR7. (Eight pieces.) 



Black— B on KBsq. P on K3. K on Q4. P's on QB4, QKt.5. 

 (Five pieces.) Mate in three moves. 



No. 9 Position. 

 MTiite- B on KKt sq. R on Q sq. K on QR sq. P on KB2. 

 PonQKt2. KtonQBS. K on KKt4. P on QKto. Kt on QB6. 

 P on KB". Q on KR7. (Eleven pieces.) 



Black— P's on KKt4, QB4. K on QB.5. Kt on Q5. P's on 

 QKtfi, QR7, KKt7, Q7. (Eight pieces.) 



Mate in three moves. 



