March 16, 1882.] 



♦ KNO^VLEDGE • 



171 



partner as much as an early lead, though not quite so scrupulonsly 

 ae the signal. Such a lead means that from the observed fall of 

 the cards in the different suits the trump leader sees a good 

 prospect of bringing in one or other of the long suits which he or 

 his partner possesses, and has by this time probably established. 



Again, it is to be noticed that in leading trumps late, backward 

 play in that suit is usually advisable. For though forward play may 

 secure the drawing of more rounds, it risks throwing the command 

 in trumps into the adversaries' hand — who, in the case we arc con- 

 sidering, of hands originally well matched, may need only this ad- 

 vantage to gain all the good from your lead of trumps which you 

 had hoped to secure for yourself and your partner. Thus, we see 

 the reason of the difference already indicated between the various 

 leads in trumps and in i)lain suits. The leads in plain suits aim as 

 much at making the good cards held in the suit as at finally esta- 

 blishing it ; the leads in trumps aim chiefly at winning the closing 

 ronnds in trumps, or remaining at least with a long trump or a 

 winning card in the enemy's suit to bring in an established suit. 

 Por similar reasons, you may finesse more deeply in trumps than in 

 plain suits ; but not in the frst round to your partner's lead. 



Great judgment, then, is retiuired, where hands are well matched, 

 in deciding whether, or when, to lead trnmps, and in managing 

 tramps after they are led. 



It is hardly necessary to say that in the return of the trump lead 

 most careful attention should be given to the rule for returning 

 from long or short suits. It is bad enough to mislead a partner by 

 returning the lowest of a short suit, or the highest of a long suit, 

 (though tliis mistake is not often made) ; but in trnmps it is a 

 fatal error. Ue counts one more trump in your hand than yon 

 really have, and therefore one less in the enemies' hands ; he 

 miscounts the other suits also; and his whole strategj' is dis- 

 arranged. 



As to the play third in hand to yonr partner's lead, that has been 

 already considered. 



It remains that I should consider the lead of tramps from great 

 strength — first in trumps only, secondly all ronnd. 



(To be continued.) 



An American engineer, who, being engaged in the constmction 

 I, of a railway in China, has had unusually favourable opportunities 

 of examining the famous Great Wall, built to obstruct the incur- 

 sions of the Tartars, gives the following account of this wonderful 

 work :— " The wall is 1,72S miles long, 18 ft. wide, and 15 ft. thick 

 at the top. The foundation throughout is of solid granite, the 

 remainder of compact masonry. At intervals of between iOO and 

 300 yards towers rise up 25 ft. to 40 ft. high, and 21 ft. in diameter. 

 On the top of the wall, and on both sides of it, are masonry 

 parapets, to enable the defenders to pass unseen from one tower 

 to another. The wall itself is carried from point to point in a 

 perfectly straight line, across valleys and plains and over hills, 

 without the slightest reg.ard to the configuration of the ground, 

 sometimes plunging down into abj-sses l,OUOft. deep. Brooks and 

 rivers are bridged over by the wall, while on both banks of larger 

 Streams strong flanking towers are placed." 



M. PoisoT lately communicated to the SociiU de I'Indvstrie 

 Xin^rale de Sain' Etiennv some useful information as to the means 

 for preventing the slipping of locomotive wheels in the Mazenay 

 mines, no more fuel being now employed for hauling out 100 tons 

 than the eighty formerly. He observes that the ventilation is effected 

 by diffusion, and there is constantly in the rolley way a tolerably 

 thick smoke, which with condensed steam from the engine and the 

 . dampness of the workings causes the rails to be slippery. The 

 consequence is that every time they tried to ascend the gradient of 

 1 in 66 with a foil train, they could only get up half of it, about 

 180 mitres— 50O ft. — without the wheels beginning to spin; and 

 daring the rest of the rise, notwithstanding the use of fine and dry 

 sand, this difficulty frequently began again, so that they lost 

 pressure to such an extent that they were obliged to stop to make 

 steam. This ditficnlty caused great consumption of fuel, excessive 

 wear of the working parts of the engine, and a rapid destruction of 

 the rails. About two months ago the joint of one of the cylinder 

 cocks leaked, and a jet of steam, escaping from it, was directed on 

 to the rail, when the train took the gradient without the engine once 

 slipping. For two days they worked without making the repair, 

 and the locomotive drew all the trains without the slightest 

 stoppage. In consequence of this experience they altered the 

 cylinder cocks so as to make them discharge directly on to the rails, 

 aod when they get to the gradient the cocks are slightly opened, so 

 that they ascend it without difficulty. Aia-angenients for washing 

 lails with a jut of water are very old, having been used on some of 

 the French lines fifteen or sixteen years ago. The use of steam for 

 the purpose is a simpler modification of an old idea. 



(But Cbfcis Column, 



By ilEPnisTO. 



PROBLEM No. 80. 

 By a. J. M.VA.-!, Chum (Switzerland). 



Whits. 



VThite to play and mate in three moves. 



" Lnck is often within reach, but you must know how to grasp 

 it." There is some small amount of chance in everything, there- 

 fore also in chess play. But can it really bo called chance when a 

 player suddenly secures an advantage, or even terminates the game 

 in an unexpected manner, and perhaps at a time when his opponent 

 expected to secure victory ? Wo are of opinion that in most cases 

 it is skill and ingenuity that discovers the chance, and it requires 

 fine and precise play to follow up the idea when conceived, in order 

 to lead to a successful issue. People often have different opinions, 

 but that is perhaps chiefly owing to vanity. 



" I never played so badly in all my life ! " is an expression which 

 affords us great amusement whenever we hear it, which is usually 

 the case when a weak player plays a first-rate player for the first 

 time. Of course, the play of a first-rate quite bewilders him. It is 

 something quite different to what he has been used to. Therefore 

 his instinct suggests an excuse in keeping with his vanity. But 

 ought he not rather to say : I never played such a good player in 

 all my life ? But snch is weak mortal ! he seldom takes that view 

 of his defeat. 



" You will not win this game, for a thousand pounds ! " 

 said an impulsive player to us the other day. We determined to 

 keep a special look out for any opportunity, and it came, as the 

 following position will show : — 



Amatecr. 



Wbiii. 

 MEPniSTO. 



We played R to Kt7 (ch) K to B3 



R takes B 

 Then suddenly our opponent's fist banged the table, for he saw that 

 he had a lost game, for if he replies with R takes R, the Pawn goes 

 on to Queen ; if Kt takes P, then R takes R wins ; or if R to Q8, 

 then P to Kt4 wins. Our discomfited adversary did not for a 

 moment give us any credit for having been at great pains to defend 

 our game, and so manipulate our pieces that, in spite of being a 

 piece minus, we managed to advance a Pa^vn on to Hook's 6th, and 

 that by onr perseverance and special attention we mot chance half 



