May 15, 18S5.] 



KNOWLEDGE 



425 



l>v Five of Ci.Liis. 



THE following hand was played recently at Xow York, V's hand 

 being mine : — 



Thk Hands. 



pCS. Q,8, G. U. A, Kn. (!, 5, l. "^ 



i.D. 3. C. 7,0,4,3. j 



{ S. K, 9, 3, 2. 



,^ H. 8. 



■ ) C. 10. 2. 

 Cd. a, 10, 9,0, 5, 2 



10, Kn, A. S. ■) 



2, 3, 7, Q. H. ( , 



S, it, K, A. C. t ' 



7, Ku. D. ; 



.cs. 



Y 







+ ♦ 



I* + 



+ + 







*o* 



10 o o 



o% 



o o 

 o.o 



O 



5 9 





11 



12 



* Marks the signal for trumps 



Card underlined takes the trick 

 and card next below leads next. 



1. A leads correctly from his 

 longest suit. King is led in only 

 two cases (as an original lead), 

 viz., from Ace, King, and others, 

 and from King, Queen, and others. 

 1' holding six, and knowing A to 

 hold probably four, and certainly 

 three, sees that the suit will almost 

 certainly be trumped next round, 

 lie therefore rightly captures the 

 King. It is seldom good play to 

 pass the King, however, even 

 where there is no such risk of an 

 early ruff. 



2. Y having four trumps can 

 safely force his partner (should it 

 chance that Z has no Diamonds, Y 

 could not at this stage lead trumps, 

 his suit not being established ; if 

 B had been found with the Knave, 

 A would have retained his Queen). 

 Bat 



3. As soon as Q has fallen, the 

 time seems suitable for a signal. 

 Z would not regard this as more 

 than a suggestion, as Y had had a 

 lead and had not led trumps. A 

 rightly changes suit, and leads 

 perhaps from the safest three-card 

 suit, but he finds his partner with 

 no strength in Clubs. 



4. The signal is completed. 



5. Z responds to the signal with 

 his best trump. 



6. And rightly leads next the 

 highest of two, showing thereby 

 that he has not more th.an one left. 

 Y'b play of the small Spade is no 

 finesse. He (that is, I), knew 

 certainly that the Queen must lie 

 with B. 1' might have played 

 King on the chance of drawing the 

 Q. But the chance is small, as Z 

 holds certainly but one of the re- 

 maining trumps, y, however, is 

 playing for something better — the 

 chance, viz., of bringing in his 

 long Diamonds. 



7. B very properly forces T. 

 This is the sort of play that the 

 Bumblepuppist abuses as giving a 

 trick away ; it is just the play to 

 save the game here, if the game 

 can be saved. 



8. Unluckily for X-B, the trumps 

 are evenly divided. Y draws the 

 remaining trumps. 



9. Brings in his long suit, and 



10. 11, 12, 13. The rest of the 



game plays itself. I'-Z make four by cards (honours were not 

 counted, which, it appears, is a customary arrangement in 

 America). 



CAi.r-0t,.4TiON OK Cli.VNCEs. — To give an idea of the o|iporlunitie8 

 which whist affords for scientific research, I make the following 

 reniarks on any play in the first round of the above game, noting 

 in passing, that a player who lots his thoughts tlwell on such 

 matters in actual play is bound to play badly, just as a poker 

 jtlayer who becomes scietitific is bound to loose (so at least 1 am 

 told, but I have never played poker). Supposing A to have led 

 from four Diamonds, 1 holding six, then the chances are 7,-1 f, 702, 1)00 

 out of I), 570, 132,000 that the suit goes round once, aiul of course 

 lialf of this that Z, my partner, holds two cards and H one card, 

 half that B holds two and Z one. The ch.ances are 2,10r),42:),0l0 

 out of 9,570.132,000, that the suit does not go round oncc^ : half of 

 this that it is my partner who holds the other three of tho suit. 

 But those are only the chances on a certain assumption. Kour 

 other assumptions are possible, tliough less likely. First, my 

 opponent. A, may have held four trumps, and threo of (?ach of tho 

 remaining suits, and so have been ])ructlcally obligcMl to le;i(i from 

 a three-card suit; second, A may have led from live Uianionds ; 

 thirdly, from six ; fourthly, though this of courso is very unlikely, 

 he may have held, so far as 1 know when 1 follow suit, all tho 

 seven remaining Diamonds. The chances of all four cases can bo 

 readily calculated, as also the chance in each case that tho suit will 

 go round onco, or ray partner or .1 hold the rest. But 1 apprehend 

 that a player who should stop to make such calculations would not 

 be beloved as a Whist player, however otherwise estimable ho might 

 be. 



^ur CbfSS Column* 



By Mephisto. 



CENTRE GAMBIT. 



TUE moves given for White in the following variations have 

 been tried by some of the strongest players of tho Leeds 

 Club, those for Black by Mr. Millard. As the latter were played 

 entirely sans voir, Mr. M. thinks that they might in ail probability 

 be considerably strengthened. Lie claims no advantage for Black, 

 but is of opinion that his unscientific-looking fourth move should 

 lead to an equal game : — 



Centre G.\mbit. 



Wbite. 



1. P to K4 



2. P to Q4 



3. Q X P 



4. Q to K3 



Black. 

 P to K4 

 PxP 



Kt to QB3 

 B toQ3 



1 ^'t%^ ^M 

 tit I Jit 



kja_ 



Wj Wi 



/;i ^ rX 



Whith. 



G. 



7. 

 8. 



White. 

 P to KKt3 

 B to Q3 

 Q to KB3 



Black. 

 Q to K2 

 B to B4 

 Kt to KB3 



5. QKttoB3 (c) B to K4 



G. P to KB4 



7. B to Q3 



8. P to KKt3 



9. PxB 

 10. PxKt 



(0 

 5. QKt to B3 (d) B to K4 



QKt to Kt5 

 Q to 115 (ch) 

 B X Kt (ch) 

 KtxB (ch) 

 Q to KB3 



6. B to Q2 



7. P to KB4 



8. Q to KKt3 



9. PxP 

 (d) 



5. QKt to B3 



6. B to Q2 



7. Castles 



8. P to KB4 



9. Q to KKt3 



10. P to KB5 



11. Q to KKt5 



KKt to B3 

 B to Q5 

 P toQ4 

 QKt to Kt5 



B to K4 

 KKt to B3 

 Castles 

 B toQ5 

 P to Q3 

 B toK4 

 B toQ2 



J. W. 



if 5. KKttoB3(o) KKt to E3 



6. P to K5 Castles 



(a) 



5. P to KB4 (b) Q to R5 (ch) 



[Any original suggestion in the conduct of the attack or defence of 

 an opening will always command our fullest attention. The 

 defence given above, as practised by " Mr. Millard against some of 

 the strongest memljers of the Leeds Chess Club," is certainly 

 original ; at the same time it runs contrary to " first, principles," 

 and, therefore, cannot possibly be good. That which is wrong is 

 not less certainly so because it is indulged in from want of know- 

 ledge or perception. Chess players ought to follow the example of 

 the common mason, whose procedure contains the quintessence of 

 all philosophy. He lays every single stone or brick straight and 



