WHIST. 



v.'ilh ihe knave. If he has no fequences, he is inftruAed to 

 lead from his moll numerous fuit ; if ftrong in trumps, to 

 lead rather from one headed by a king- than a queen ; but 

 with three or four fmall trumps, Mr. Matthews prefers 

 leading from a fingle card to a lung weak fuit. But the 

 players of the old fchool never lead from a fingle card with- 

 out fix trumps. In fome cafes, Mr. M. obferves, this may 

 be occafionally done with very great, though not certain, 

 advantage ; e. g. when A has four fmall trumps, ace, queen, 

 &c. of the fecond fuit ; king, knave, &c. of a third ; and a 

 fingle card of the fourth. To lead from three cards, unlefs in 

 fequences, is bad play, and only proper when you have 

 reafon to think it is your partner's fuit, and then lead off the 

 highell. Unlefs, fays Mr. M., you have a ftrong fuit your- 

 felf, or have reafon to fuppofe that your partner has one, do 

 not trump out unlefs you have fix trumps. It is generally 

 right to return your partner's lead in trumps, unlefs he 

 leads a nine or ten, called an equivocal card, becaufe it is 

 led with propriety, both from ftrong and weak fuits. 



2. With ace, king, knave, and three fmall trumps, play 

 the ace and king ; with only two, the king, and wait for the 

 fineffe of the knave. In other fuits, without great ftrength 

 in trumps, or with the hopes of a particular point, do not 

 wait for the fineife. 



3. Ace, king, and five others, lead the ace in all fuits. 

 With four or lefs, the loweft, if trumps. In other fuits 

 always the ace, unlefs all the trumps remaining are with you 

 and your partner ; in this cafe, a fmall one. 



Mr. M. advifes not to lead trumps merely becaufe an 

 honour is turned up on your left, nor to be deterred from 

 it if on your right-hand ; either, he fays, is proper, if the 

 circumftances of your hand require trumps to be led ; but 

 neither olherwife. 



It is equally advantageous to lead up to an ace as through 

 an ace ; not fo much fo to a king, and difadvantageous to 

 the queen turned up. 



When cards are nearly equal, fays this author, the point 

 to which all the manoeuvres of good whift players tend, is to 

 eftabUfti a long fuit, and to preferve the laft trump, to bring 

 it into play, and to fruftrate the fame play of their adverfa- 

 ries. With an honour (or even a ten), with three other 

 trumps, by well managing them, you have a right to expeft 

 fuccefs. In this cafe, do not over-trump your right-hand 

 adverfary early in the hand ; but throw away a lofing card, 

 by which, there remaining but twelve trumps, your own 

 hand is ftrengthened, and your partner has the tenace, in 

 any fuit that is led; whereas, had you ' over-ruffed, you 

 would have given up the whole game, to fecure one trick. 

 But there are reafons for breaking this rule : — ift. If your 

 left-hand adverfary has (hewn a decided great hand m 

 trumps, (in which cafe make your tricks while you can,) or 

 2d. If your partner decidedly means to force you, — to uii- 

 derftand if this is the cafe, you are to obferve, if your part- 

 ner pbys the winning or lofing card of the fuit you have re- 

 fufed. If the former, it is by no means clear he means to 

 force you, and you play your own game. If the latter, 

 you are to fuppofe him ftrong in trumps, and depend on 

 this, to protcA your long fuit : a due refleftion on this will 

 convince you of the value of that maxim, which enjoins you 

 never to play a ftrong game with a weak hand, or -uice 

 verfa. 



It is difficult to judge when to lead trumps. The fol- 

 lowing fituations will affift the beginner to reafon, and in 

 general direft him properly : 



I ft. With fix trumps, on fuppofition your partner has a 

 llrong fuit. 



yo 



2d. If ftrong in other fuits, though weak in trumps 

 urfelf. 



3d. If your adverfaries are playing from weak fuits. 

 4th. If your adverfaries are at the point of eight, and 

 you have no honour, or probability of making a trump by a 

 ruff. 



With king, queen, ten, &c. in all fuits, lead the king j 

 but if it paffes, do not purfue the lead, as certain the ace 

 is in your partner's hand, as it is often kept up, but change 

 your lead, and wait for the return from your partner when 

 you have the fineffe of the ten, if neceffary. 



King, queen, and five others, in all fuits, the king. 

 With four or lefs in trumps, lead the loweft. In other 

 fuits, always the king, unlefs you have the two only re- 

 maining trumps, if fo you may play a fmall one. 



King, knave, ten, &c. in all fuits, lead the ten. King, 

 knave, and two or more fmall ones, the loweft. 



You fhould not lead from king, knave, and a fmall one, 

 unlefs it is clearly your partner's fuit, in which cafes 

 play off your king and knave. 



Queen, knave, nine, and others, lead the queen. Queen, 

 knave, with one other, the queen. Queen, knave, with two 

 more, tlie loweft. Queen, ten, and two others, the loweft. 

 Queen, and three fmall ones, the loweft. Queen, or knave, 

 with only two, the queen, or knave. 



The trump card fometimes occafions a deviation from 

 thefe rules. A has the ace or king, with fequence from the 

 ten downwards, of the fuit of which his left-hand adverfary 

 turns up knave, or queen — A fhould lead the ten. If the 

 knave or queen be put on, you have a fineffe on the return 

 with the nine ; if not, your partner, with an honour, wfill pafs 

 it, and it is either way advantageous. 



That which is denominated under-play, is returning the 

 loweft of your left-hand adverfary's lead, though you have 

 the higheft in your hand, with a view of your partner's 

 making the third beft, if he has it, and ftill retaining the 

 commanding card in your hand. 



To explain this further, fuppofe A fourth player, has ace 

 and king of his left-hand adverfary's lead ; to under-play, 

 he wins the trick with the ace, and returns the fmall one, 

 which will generally fucceed, if the leader has not the fecond 

 and third in his own hand. You will fee by this, if you 

 lead from a king, &c. and your right-hand adverfary, after 

 winning with a ten or knave, return it, you have no chance 

 to make your king, but by putting it on. 



The following is another fituation to under-play ; A re- 

 mains with the firll, third, and fourth cards of a fuit, of 

 which he has reafon to fuppofe his left-hand adverfary has 

 the fecond guarded ; by playing the fourth, it is often paffed, 

 and A makes every trick in the fuit. 



When it is at your option to be 8 or 9, it is material 

 always to choofe the former fcore. When at eight, with 

 two honours, look at your adverfar)''s fcore, and confider if 

 there is a probabil'ty they fhould fave their lurch, or win 

 the game, notwithftanding your partner holds a third 

 honour ; if not you fhould not call, as it gives a decided 

 advantage againft you in playing for tricks. 



Laws of Whijl. — I. If a card is turned up in dealing, 

 the adverfe party on naming it may call a new deal, unlefs 

 they have looked at or touched the cards, fo as to have oc- 

 cafioned it ; but if any card except the laft is faced, it is 

 undoubtedly a new deal. 



2. Should any card-player have but twelve cards, and 

 the others their proper number, the deal is good, and he 

 who has the twelve cards pays for any renounce he may 



have 



