22 



♦ KNOW^LEDGE ♦ 



[November 1, 1886. 



(Bnv WlWt Columiu 



By "Five of Clubs." 



JIATHEWS ON WHIST. 



T seems desirable, when so much attention is being 

 directed to conventional devices at whist, to turn to 

 the worli of one wlio was a master of whist strategy, 

 and thoroughly well acquainted with all those points 

 of play which constituted the science of whist in his 

 day. That whist has advanced since Mathews's time 

 may doubtless be true. It will be seen, as we proceed 

 with his work, that in several points modern whist 

 differs strategically from the whist of the beginning 

 of this century. But the change has been much less than those 

 suppose who imagine that modern whist owes its scientific 

 superiority to the system of conventional signals. I might even say 

 that the advance has been much less than it would have been had 

 not whist strategy been hampered by a system of cumlirous con- 

 ventions. I believe many readers of the series of papers in which 

 I am about to present the whist of Mathews will be surprised to find 

 how slight the advance has really been since his time, so far as 

 whist strategy is concerned. 



But Mathews's book is unfortunately ill-arranged and ill-written. 

 There is, indeed, no arrangement whatever. If he had written 

 evening after evening on separate scraps of paper such ideas as the 

 progress of successive games suggest, and had afterwards piled 

 these scraps in a box and taken them out at random to make his 

 book, he could liardly have produced a more heterogeneous con- 

 glomeration of suggestions. Then some of tlie suggestions are so 

 ill-worded that they will bear two or three interpretations, and onlj' 

 the whist player who, having gone through the work, has learned to 

 appreciate the vigour of Mathews's strategy can fell precisely what 

 he meant to say. In other cases, however, Mathews has succeedetl 

 in laying down in a few lines the whole philosophy of a matter 

 about which some recent authors have written chapters, verbosely 

 presenting views inconsistent with sound whist strategy. This is 

 especially the case with the discard. In what follows I have 

 thoroughly rearranged Mathews's matter ; and where necessary I 

 have altered his wording : where I follow him inwrted commas are 

 used ; square brackets where matter is interpolated, unless the 

 addition is very slight : — 



Introduction. 



"Whist is a game of calculation, observation, and position." 



" Calculation teaches you to plan your game [at the outset] and 

 lead originally to advantage. Before a card is played you suppose 

 the dealer to have an honour and three other trumps; the others 

 each an honour and two other trumps. The least reflection will 

 show that as it is two to one that your partner has not a named 

 card " [that is any particular card not in your hand] " to lead on 

 the supposition that he has it, is to play against calculation. 

 Whereas, tlie odds being in favour of his having one of two named 

 cards, j'ou are justified in playiug accordingly. Calculation is also 

 of use on other occasions, which the maxims will elucidate. But 

 after a few leads have taken place, calculation is nearly superseded 

 by observation. Where the sets are really good players, they are as 

 well acquainted, before half the cards are played out, with the 

 material cards remainiog in each other's hands, as if they had 

 seen them. Where two regular players are matched against two 

 irregular ones, it is nearly the same advantage as if they were 

 permitted to see each other's cards, while the latter were denied 

 the same privilege. 



" It is an axiom that the nearer your play approaches to that of 

 dummy " [that is, the nearer your play is to what it would be if 

 your cards were exposed and you played what your partner asked 

 for] " the better." 



" Calculation and observation may be called the foundation of the 

 game, and are so nearly mechanical, that any one possessed of a 

 tolerable memory may attain them. The science of position or the 

 art of using calculation and observation with advantage is more 

 difficult. Without it it is evident they are of no use. Attentive 

 study and practice will in some degree ensure success ; but genius 

 must be added before the whole finesse of the game can be acquired. 

 However — 



Est quiddam prodire tenus, si non datur ultra. 



General Principles. 

 " Study all maxims with the cards placed before you in the situa- 

 tions mentioned. Abstract directions puzzle much oftener than they 

 assist the beginner. General maxims presuppose the game and 

 hand to be commencing. Material changes [during the progress of 

 the game] frequently require that a different mode of play should 



be adopted. Do not attempt to practise [strategic methods] until j'ou 

 have acquired a competent knowledge of the theory [that is, of the 

 theoretical considerations on which fhey are based]. Avoid as much 

 as possible sitting down with bad players, for it is more difficult to 

 eradicate erroneous than to acquire just ideas. Do not accustom 

 yourself to judge bj' consequences. Bad play sometimes succeeds 

 where good play would not. When you see an acknowledged judge of 

 the game play in a manner you do not comprehend, get him to explain 

 his reasons, and while [tlie case is] fresh en your memory, place the 

 same cards before }ou. When you can comprehend the case, you 

 will be able to adajit it to similar situations." 



" Do not at first puzzle yourself with many calculations. Those 

 hereafter mentioned will be sufficient even for a proficient." 



" Observe silently and attentively the different systems of those 

 with whom you commonly play. Few players have not their 

 favourite system, the knowledge of which will give you a constant 

 advantage. One leads by preference from an ace, another never but 

 through necessity. [This will often direct you in putting on king 

 second,] The players of the old school never lead from a single 

 card witliout six trumps; many do so from weakness [in trumps]. 

 Some have a trick of throwing down high cards to the adversary's 

 lead, and then, by way of deception, affect to consider, though they 

 have no alternative. [This, however, is not so much system as acted 

 falsehood.] Observation will enable you to counteract this, and 

 turn it to your own profit. ['Oh, 'tis the sport to see the engineer 

 hoist with his own petard 1 '] 



" At the commencement of a game, if 3'ou have a good hand, or 

 if 3-our adversaries are considerably advanced in the score, play a 

 bjld game ; otherwise, a more cautious one. The first object should 

 be to save the game if it appears in probable danger; the next to 

 win it, it you have a reasonable hope of success, by any mode of 

 play, even though hazardous. If neither of these is in question 

 you should play to the score." 



The more plainly you demonstrate your hand to your partner the 

 better. Be particularly cautious not to deceive him in his or your 

 own leads, or when he is likely to have the lead. When it is evident 

 the winning cards are between you and your adversaries play an 

 obscure game, but as clear a one as possible, if your partner has a 

 good hand. A concealed game may now and then succeed in the 

 suits of your adversaries ; but this should not be attempted before 

 you have attained considerable proficiency ; and then but seldom, as 

 its frequency would destroy the effect. 



Let the beginner rest assured that without comprehending the 

 leads, modes of playing sequences [and other points of regular 

 play] with an attentive observation of the table, it is as impossible to 

 make any progress in the science of whist as to learn to spell before 

 he knows the alphabet. He must accustom himself to reason by 

 analogy, as the only way of learning to vary his play according to 

 circumstances : he will find that the best play in some is the worst 

 in other situations of the game. 



Avoid equally undue daring and extreme caution. One may see 

 " even good players hazard the game merely to gain the applause of 

 ignorant bystanders, by making as much out of the cards as they 

 are capable of; but this pitiful ambition cannot be too luuch 

 guarded against. On the other hand, some players will never part 

 with a certain trick, though for the probability of making several ; 

 they ai-e like fencers who pany well the attack [but are good only 

 in defence]. No player of this kind can excel, though he may 

 reach mediocrity." 



" Lastly, I must repeat my advice to proficients, to vary their 

 play according to the set they are engaged with. Recollect that it 

 would be of no advantage to speak French like Voltaire, if you 

 lived with people who were ignorant of the language." 



Moihrn Wliisf, together trith the Lines of "Whist. By Clement 

 Davies,M.A. (London: Sampson Low, Marston, & Co. 1886.)— This 

 little treatise might better be called " The Laws of Whist, together 

 with Modern Whist," for it is more than half taken up with the laws 

 (without note or comment). Turning to the very limited amount of 

 matter relating to modern whist, about 7,000 words (or four jiages 

 of whist matter in Knowledge), for which Mr. Davies has the 

 conscience to ask four shillings, we find a good deal of this also to be 

 very far from original. Of the preliminary advice sections 1, 2, and 

 3 are simply naught — and there are only three sections. The 

 matter on playing to the .score is as old as short whist itself, and 

 much of it as old as Hoyle. Mr. Davies has here missed, by the 

 way, an o]iporlunity of saying something original ; for, oddly 

 enough, while Cavendish, Pole, Drayson, Clay, Ctclebs, Major A., and 

 most other writers have called attention to the adrisability of refrain- 

 ing leading trumps when playing for the odd trick, it has not been 

 properly pointed out that the very reason which suggests caution in 

 leading trumps under such circumstances points to an immediate 

 trump lead in many cases under those selfsame circumstances. I 



