104 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[July 7, 1882. 



whereupon Wliito vroald win a piece by B to Kt(>(i-li'). IIo could, 

 however, no niorv protect the P ; if B to KtG, Illack could ndvauco 

 I'toQl. 



(•j) Black has it :U1 his own wnv nftor this, niid rests cney. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESrONDENTS. 

 •»• Please addrets Chesf-Editor. 



T. Gillespy.— Prohlom 4o. If 1. R to U3, 1. 1' tjikcs B, and there 

 la no mate. 



A. A. B. — Game received : will apjvcnr n? soon as possible. 



Problem 45 correctly solred by Moleqne, Scncx Solitarius, 

 Francis J. Drake. 



^ur 22H()idt Column. 



Bv " Five of Clubs." 



RETURNING PARTNER'S LEAD. 



TnERE is scarcely any more obnoxious rule nt Whist than that 

 which many good players of their own hands insist upon, 

 that partner's lead should almost always bo at onco returned. The 

 player who always returns your lead nt onco is more nnnoyinp; 

 even than the one who, when the right time has come for returning 

 it, insists on keeping to his own suit. I would oven take exception 

 to Cavendish's rule that "with only moderately strong suits, which 

 you open to a disadvantage, you do better to return your partner's 

 original suit, or to lead up to the weak suit of yuur right-hand 

 adversary, or through the strong suit of your left-hand adversnry," 

 than to open yonr best suit, — unless by the words, " which 

 you open to a disadvantage," he means to qualify the ex- 

 pression, "moderately strong suits," and not (as it seems) 

 to make a stntement respecting sKch suits. It is clear that, 

 with only weak thrcocard suits outride trumps, yon do better to 

 return your partner's suit than to lead one of your O'vn. On the 

 other hand, with a tolerably strong three-card suit, headed by a 

 senoence, you do better to lead your own suit. With a four-card 

 suit headed by anything bolow a Knave, you might return him his 

 suit ; but with such a suit as Knave, nine, eight, three, you ought 

 in my opinion, to show your own suit before returning his — esjic- 

 cially if j-ou have good cards in your short suits, so as to have a 

 good chance of an opportunity to lead again to him. This is always 

 to be considered ; for if you have only a moderately good long 

 anit, and weak cards in the other suits, you may have but one 

 chauce of returning his lead, while it may he of preat importance 

 that he should bo led to, and not have to load himself. Besides, ho 

 may h.ivo a strong suit, which may bo ostablis'hcd if ho gets a 

 return lead, and ho may then lead trun-.ps, and make a great 

 game ; whereas, if you lead your own moderately strong suit, you 

 almost certainly throw the play into the adversaries' hands. 



There are some casei-, however, where, even when you have a 

 strong suit, yt,u should at onco return your partner's lead. Thns, 

 if after taking the trick yon remain with tho leading card in hi.s 

 suit (which tiie play shows to bo strong), you should play out that 

 card in order to clear his suit. Again, if you held originally only 

 two in his suit, and are weak in trumps, you should return his Ica<l, 

 i-o that, if he can, ho may load the suit a third timo for you to trump 

 it; for in this way you help him to clear his suit, w"hilo using a 

 trump which ot hi r«i«o would probably fall uselessly. 



When the adversary to yonr left has shown great weakness in 

 your partner's suit, as by failing to head a nine, ten, or Knave of 

 your own nt the lirst round, it is generally unsafe to return tho 

 lead ; for the strength must lie between your partner and tho player 

 to your right, so that you are probably leading up to strength. 

 ^ oar inrtner will, indeed, lead nnder not very favourable conditions, 

 fti you al«o havo shown wcnkneRg, so that tlie player to your right 

 will stand to your partner (leading) much as fourth pl.iyer usually 

 stands to third. But ho will not be quite so badly off as when you 

 load to him ; for the card first played by you third in hand may bo 

 the lowest of a sequence, for aught the player to your right can 

 generally know. 



Tho mo>»t imimrtant rule, in returning partner's lead, and one of 

 the most important general rules at Whist, is to return the highest 

 of two remaining cards, the lowest of three or more. Tho only 

 exceptions to this rule are that (1) with the winning card and two 

 other* (left after firnt round) you lead the winning card, and (a), 

 with second anri third Ijest and another (after lirht round), you 

 lead tho iccond Uit, not tho small one. With these exceptions 

 (and an «ca«ion or two, perhaps, where your partner is nttcrly 

 wf«k, and you wish to deceive tho enemy), this rule is im- 

 (>crmtiva, and extends Ibroughoat the whole range of the suit. 



Thus, with •!■, 3, left after first round, tho return of tho 3 would 

 be a gross Whist blunder, as would bo tho play of tho 4, if, 

 besiiles tho <1 and 3, you hold tho 2 also. In those cases 

 nothing is directly gained or lost by tho load of l or 3. Yet 

 tho rule had its origin in considerations of play. For with 

 such cards as Queen and a small one, or Knavo and a small 

 one (lifter first round), tho lead of Queen or Knavo is manifestly 

 good policy ; for thereby you strengthen your partner : yon ars 

 numerically weak in tho suit, and most jirobably lose nothing your- 

 self; whereas with Queen and two small ones, or Knavo and two 

 small ones (after first round), you do well to keep back tho Quocn 

 or Knave, being numerically strong, and having a fair clinnco of not 

 only mnkinv! tlio honour, but remaining with tho best card in tho 

 suit after three rounds. 



In trumps, this rule is even more important than in plain snits. 

 Tho whole strategy of the game may bo ruined by your telling your 

 partner (as you do in returning his lead wrongly) that you hold 

 originally only three trumps when you really held four, or that yon 

 held four when in reality you only held three. 



A player who neglects this general rule, of which, of coarse, no 

 Whist player is ignorant, can only bo regarded as a very poor 

 player indeed. Scarcely inferior is tho ])Iaycr who, when this 

 signal is given him, fails to notice it, or who overlooks it when it 

 occurs in tho play of his adversaries. Omitting to notice tho signal 

 for trumps either in partner's or adversaries' play is in compariflOB 

 a small offence. 



DoL-iiLK Dlmmv Peoblkm. — Lieutenant-Colonel Drayson gives the 

 following ingenious little double dummy puzzio : — Givo tho adver- 

 saries four by honours in every suit ; givo yourself and partner any 

 of tho othor cards you choose, and win five by cards against them, 

 you to havo tho lead. 



Valuk or Goon Play. — A correspondent, as a further proof 

 that good play must tell, gives ns his oxpcrience, which was care- 

 fully taken down. In two years' play, he tells us that the first 

 year ho played 2,0G0 rubbers, winning 1,0117 and losing 072, leaving 

 a balance of 12j to the good, and, counting points, ho won 5,893 

 and lost 5,233 — a balance of GOO to tho good. And in tho next 

 year he played 1,G2G rubbers, winning 855 and losing 771, or u 

 credit of 8i ruhbers, tho points being 4,701 wins, 4,15!) losses — 

 showing balance of 652 to the good. In tho jjrovious year ho 

 l)layed 2,029 rubbers, winning 1,107 and losing 922, leaving ISo 

 balance on tho winning ; but that year ho did not koop a record of 

 points. This is, of course, a much higher winning average than 

 Cavendish's ; but, as our correspondent admits tho inferiority of his 

 player compared to Cavendish, probably the element of luck stops 

 in hero, lie adds that, in his long exjiorionoo of )ilay, thoro was 

 never a week, scarcely even a sitting, that ho did not see at least 

 one rubber lost by bad j)lay or won by good. 



NOTICES. 



The Back Numbers of Khowixdok, wilh the exception of No«. 1 to 7, »r» 

 in print, uud cud tto obtained from uli bookHellopH and uewMaffenlfi, or direct from 

 the PiitiliftherH. Rhnnid any diflictilty ari«e in ot)taiDiii|; the puper, an application 

 to the PiitdishprB i« recpectftilly rc-quented. 



The FirKl Volume of Knowi.kdoii i« now to„Ay, bound in red cloth, cilt 

 lettered. Price lll». 6d. Vol. I. rnnlniiin the iiuiiilwrH frnm the rollimence. 

 ment (Not. 4, 1S81) to No. 30 (May nil, 1HS2). An ihero in only a Umitcd 

 number of copies, the Publinhera advise that orders should be sent ia without 

 delay, to prevent disappointment. 



The T lie Paije and Index to Volume I. is al".. ready, price ?d., post-free 2\A. 



Bindinf; Ca>es for Volume I., price Is. «d. eacli. Complete copies twiuul 

 (includinK Title, Index, and Case) for 2h. ij.l. emh. 



The PoHt-otiice regulations prevent thi* transmission of volumes and cases through 

 the post. 



The following Monthly Part* of Kkowledoe are now to be had (Paris I. and 

 IT. beini! out of print) : — 



Pa>T III.- (Jan., 1882.) Containing fournnmhers. 

 PiaT IV.— (Feb., 18-2.) Containing four numbers. 

 Pi«T v.— (March, 1SM2.) Containing live numbers. 

 Pakt VI.— (April, 189!.) Containinu four numbers. 

 P»BT VII.— (May, 1882.) Contttininc four numbers. 

 Part VIII.— (.lime, 1882.) Conlaining live numbers. 



) the Publishers, as no further reprints will be ordered, 



Price ind. Post-free, Is. 

 Price led. Post-free, Is. 

 Price Is. Post free. Is. 2d. 

 Price ind. Post-free, Is. 

 Price liid. Post-free, la. 

 Price Is, Post-free, Is. ad. 

 make eutly applieatiOB 



TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. 



The terms of Annual Hubscription to tho weekly numbers of Khowi.bi 

 follo«s:- 



To any address in the United Kingdnm 



To the Continent, Austrolia, New Zeaknd, South Africa 4 Csnoda 



To the Uniled States of America J3.Z6. or 



To the East Indies, China, 4o. (wd Brindisi) 



All sabscriptioDS are payable in advaoco. 



P. O. Orders and cheques should be made payable to the Publishers 

 Wmili * Boss. London, al the Uigh Uolbom District Posl-olllne. 



Acent for Americn— C. 8. Carter, American Literary Bureau, Tribune I 

 New York, to whom subscriptions can be forwarded. 



OFFICE: 74 4 76, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LONDON, W.C. 



