Dec. 16, 1881.] 



KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



149 



dBm aeabi'gt column. 



FORCING AT WHIST. 



SiK, — I gat)»cr from the character of your published articles that 

 \ on presuppose in your readers some knowledge of the theory of 

 wliist. So much, in fact, has been written upon whist that it i.s 

 Jiflicult to find anybody absolutely ignoi-ant of its principles. It is 

 uf great value, however, to the young player, to place before him in 

 a condensed form the digested experience of the best players, and 

 llius raise him gradually from domestic to scientific play. " When 

 may I force my partner?" is a question frequently put. There 

 ;^re, undoubtedly, many positions in practice where the thoughtful 

 li.it inexperienced player finds himself in difficulty. It is ea.sy 

 t nough to understand the reasonableness of forcing an adversary 

 ■' ho has shown great strength in trumps, or a partner who has 

 j«Ti great weakness. But suppose, for example, as an original 

 III, a player were to lead from manifest weakness, an honour 

 ,,i-. ing been turned to his right, that which in ordinary cases 

 ajipears to be an invitation for a force, would, in fact, amount 

 almost to a direction to lead through the honour. But I will 

 endeavour to lay dovm the cases when a player, not having trump- 

 strength, may, nevertheless, force his partner : — (a) When, with no 

 indication of strength, he asks for a force, (h) When the position 

 sliows a cross-ruff, (c) When the adversaries have signalled. (J) 

 To make the fifth or odd trick, or to save the game, when the hand 

 of the forcing player, or the development of the game, does not 

 r'ise a high degree of probability that the necessary trick may 

 \orwise be made. But an interesting point relating to the force 

 where the player, in a position to force, has trump-strength 

 .. .il'Iy justifying it. It often happens that a player renounces to 

 t'ne lead of his partner, who, with ample trump-strength, has no 

 strength in the tlien declared suit. If he forces, and the declared 

 -lit bo not headed by Ace King, or King Queen, the result is, after 

 ■ irce, a lead up to ruinous weakness. No trick is gained by the 

 ee, for another trick is lost in the suit. If, however, the player 

 OS his partner his declared suit, the adversaries may infer that 

 lias no strength in trumps, and lead trumps to their disadvantage, 

 •nd you a game illustrative of this position, and hope it may be 

 .. -resting to your readers. Fkedekic H. Lewis. 



The Ha.vds. 



•iha—q. 9, 4. 



arts— 6, 3. 



ides— A, K, 8, 7. 

 imonds — Q, 5, 4. 



••f.s— 10, 7, 6. 



trta— K, Kn, 



.des— 4. 

 amends— Kn, 10, 6, 2. 



5, 4. 



Dealer 



z 



Trump Card, 



Shi3 of a.iij. 



Cluis—Kn, 3, 2. 

 Hearts -A, 10, 9. 

 Spades— Q, 10, 5, 3. 

 Diamonds — A, K, 3. 



Z. 



CUihs—K, 8, 5. 

 Hearts— Q, 8, 2. 

 Spades - Kn, 9, 6, 2. 

 Diamonds — 9, 8, 7. 



NoiB.— The nncierUned card i 



= 1 ; Y Z = 4. 



IS trifk, find card below it lea4s neit. 



INFERKNCES. 



1. — A leads from his strongest 

 suit. 



2. — The fall of the cards, and 

 the discard of Two of Diamonds, 

 the lowest of the suit, shows -I 

 that no one is signalling for trumps. 



3. — A, having here two honours 

 in trumps, might very well force 

 his partner, but, having only Six 

 and Three of Hearts, prefers to 

 give liis partner his suit.* 



4. — B, although having no 

 strength in ti-nmps, is hero quite 

 justified in returning the Heart. 

 If his partner has avoided forcing 

 him, in consequence of weakness, 

 the chances are that the game is 

 lost. If, however, a cross-ruff can 

 be secured, such a position would 

 be most advantageous. 



5. — r sees that a cross-ruff must 

 be secured. He has the tenaco in 

 Spades, the best Heart, an honour 

 has been turned ; he has the com- 

 mand in Diamonds, and A has 

 avoided forcing li. All this is too 

 much for weak human nature, and 

 he cannot resist a trump lead ; he 

 therefore loads the highest of his 

 three trumps. 



6. — .1 is now iu a position to 

 force his partner advantageously. 



7. — Tlie cross-mff : conveying also 

 to 4's mind, from the fall of the 

 cards, that the two remaining 

 Hearts are mth £. 



8. — A is in a position to give 

 another force. 



9. — B cannot lead one of his long 

 Hearts, such play would be very 

 bad, and accordingly he leads the 

 best of his remaining Diamonds, 

 treating the suit as though he had 

 originally but three. 



10. — A now has the tenace in 

 trumps, but he requires three 

 tricks to win the game. If he 

 keeps the Queen of Diamonds he 

 can make only two ; he, therefore, 

 cleverly throws the Queen, taking 

 the chance of his partner having 

 the Ten of Diamonds. The fact 

 being so, he secures four by cards 

 and the game. The rest of the 

 hand plays itself. 



Slnstotrsf to Contsfponlifntsf* 



Offici 



'All , 



mmunications for the Editor requiring early attention should reach the 

 b^ore the Saturday preceding the current isfue of Knowledge, the 

 ing circulation of which compeh us to go to press etirhf in the week. 

 Hints to Cobbesposdests.— 1. No quewtiona aekinq for scientific informatien 

 can be anetpered through the post. 2. Lettera sent to the Editor for correspondents 

 cannot be forwarded ; nor can the names or addresses of correspondents be given in 

 anstcer to private inquiries. 3. No queries or replies savouring of the nature of 

 advertise mentu can be inserted. 4. Letters, queries, and replies are inserted, unless 

 contrary to Side 3, free of charge. 5. Correspondents should write on one side 

 only of the paper, and put drawings on a separate leaf. 6. Ea«h letter, query, or 

 reply should have a title, and in replying to letters or queries, reference should be 

 made to the number of letter or query, the page on which it appears, and its title. 



and the reauh would be two, instead of four, bj cardj. 



W. We cannot afford space for your long letter, containing only assertions with- 

 out evidence. Newton waited uineteen years before advancing his theory of 

 gravitation, because, though it agreed in rdl other respects with observed facta, it 

 would not stand one test — the reason being that the accepted measurement of the 

 earth's globe was incorrect. Cannot Mr, Crosland's friends allow his astronomy 

 of the future to wait until it has been shown that it accounts in measure ani 

 number for at least one single observed fact ? We promise to give all the space 

 you ask for vague generalities, for the first demonstrated case of the kind.— H. J. 

 Pbabson-. (1) Strictly speaking, the eiact sciences are those which are based 

 on mathematics, as optics, astronomy, &c. ; but the tearm is usually extended to 

 all sciences depending on observation and experiment, so thai it include-j 

 chemistry, and other physical sciences not strictly exact. The term is not a well- 

 chosen one. (2) It cannot be " demonstrated " that the nearest way from one point 

 to another is the straight line joining the two points; but we show that the latter 

 path is shorter than any path made up of straight lines, and since a series of very 

 short straight lines may be made to approximate as nearly as we please to a 

 curved line, this can at lany rate be demonstrated, that a curved line from one 

 point to another differs by'an indefinitely small amount from a length which ia 

 greater to an assignable degree than the straight line joining the two points.— 

 Thos. Smith, Jun. Phrenology is not so young that, were it really a science, it 

 should be imable to take its own' part. It is much older than spectroscopy, which 

 can stand alone very well. We did not, however, mean that phrenology is 

 absurd, when we spoke of the absurdities of phrenology; there are reason- 

 able features as well as absurdities in it. Much may be said in favour of a 

 rational phrenology. Gall and Spurzheim were both scientific observers, aad both 

 made useful scientific discoveries ; but their system of mapping out the cranium 

 has now no adherents among men of science.— W. J. M. We have ourselves 

 seen and heard a dog which was said to speak ; but one had to make believe a 



