Page:EB1911 - Volume 28.djvu/615

Rh called a " forced " lead, and from three cards the highest should invariably be led, and, if the opportunity occurs, the second best at the second lead, but from four the lowest should be led. This lead of the highest from three applies to all forced leads, whether they are due to a " call, " or to the fall of the cards already played. As a broad rule an ace is led always when five or more are held in the suit, but if you have the king also, lead it first, from a five suit without the ace lead the worst but one. With ace and two or three small ones, lead a small one; with ace and one small one, the ace. The second

hand generally plays his worst card, but if an honour is led and he holds the ace, he should play the ace; also holding queen and king he should play the queen, or with knave, queen and king, the knave. If queen is led it is usually unwise to put on the king, but it is generally sound play to put the knave on the ten. With king and one other, or queen and one other, most players advocate the play of the small card; some would play the king under these conditions, but not the queen; many play the queen and not the king; but the state of the score may affect the play

If it is important to get the

lead, so as to lead trumps, the honour should be played, but as a rule the second hand reserves his strength. The third hand should win the trick if he can, unless he knows that his partner's card is a winning one; consequently he generally plays his highest card. The fourth hand should win the trick if he can, as a player is justified in passing a trick only if by so doing he is absolutely sure of winning two. Returned Leads. — A partner's lead should be returned at once, unless one has a strong suit of one's own, in which event it is advisable to lead a card of it, to guide one's partner as to his future lead, but a lead of trumps must be returned as soon as possible. If

a player holds three cards originally in his partner's suit he should invariably return the higher of the two left in his hand after the first round. Thus holding ace, three, two only, he should win with the ace and return the three; when the two falls afterwards, his partner will know that he holds no more. So, with ace, knave, ten only, win with the ace and return the knave, though from a scoring point of view the knave and ten are of equal value. With four originally, return the lowest, but a winning card should always be led or played in the second round, unless there is any special reason for retaining it. If your partner has called for trumps and you get the lead, with four trumps lead the smallest, with three lead the highest, and, if it wins, go in with the next highest.-This

law is universal in trumps (and also

applies to forced leads from three-card suits) even if ace, king and another be held, from which the ordinary lead would be the king. If, however, one adversary has obviously played his last trump, a third round is not always advisable, as two trumps will fall from the leader and his partner, and only one from the adversaries. On the other hand it is generally good play to draw two opposing trumps for one, so that they may not make separately. In the play of a hand never play an unnecessarily high card —

unless you are " calling."

Thus, holding ten and knave, play the

ten; your partner will infer that you do not hold the nine, but may hold the knave, and even the queen as well, though all the cards are of equal value for making tricks. Similar inferences should be drawn from all cards played, and should be drawn at the moment. Never play false cards unless you see your partner is so weak that it can do no harm to deceive him; in such a case, with knave and ten, the knave may be played.

It is a maxim that information given by play is more valuable to the partner than it is to the two adversaries. Trumpingor" Ruffing

" and Discarding. The second player should

not trump a doubtful card (i.e . a card that his partner might be able to beat), if he is strong in trumps; if weak, he should trump. A winning card from an adversary should be trumped in any case. With weak trumps, it is bad play to " force " one's partner, i.e. invite him to trump; but with strong trumps force him. If your partner refuse to trump an adverse winning card, lead a trump at the first opportunity.

If you have a " cross-ruff " (i.e . if you and your partner can trump different suits), those suits should be led alternately, and not trumps. Force an adversary who is known to be strong in trumps. A weak suit in trumps (three only) should be led if the adversaries have a cross-ruff, or if the game is hopeless unless partner is strong, or if winning cards are held in all plain suits, which might be trumped.

It is usual to discard originally from the weakest suit, but if the adversaries are shown to have strength in trumps, from the strongest, i.e. the longest, so as to guard the weak suits. With absolute command

of a suit, if you are compelled to discard from it, discard the winning card to inform your partner that you have command; e.g. with king, knave, ten — ace and queen being out —discard the king. The " call " for trumps, an artifice, which is also known as to " ask, " to " signal, ' to " hang out blue-I'eter " or to " peter, " for trumps, consists in playing an unnecessarily high card, followed later by a lower one, e.g. by playing the three before the two, or the ten before the nine. As the " call " is an imperious command, equivalent to "sacrifice everything, partner, for the sake of leading trumps, " it is only justified by great strength in the trump suit. The echo: To your partner's call you should " echo, " if you hold four or more, by calling yourself, however low your trumps are. Similarly four trumps may be shown in partner's lead of trumps by playing a high card followed by a lower one.

General Maxims. Play to the score.

If winning the odd trick

eaves or wins the game, do not try risky combinations for the sake of "getting two or three tricks.

Count your cards before playing.

If your partner " renounces, " i.e. discards or trumps, always ask him if he has a card of the suit led. to save the revoke. Announce the score when you mark it.

Watch the fall of every card.

Study the rules, especially those about penalties and consultation with partner.

If the winning of one more trick wins or saves the game, and you hold the winning card, 4>lay it, unless it be the winning trump, which is good at any time. Retain the trump-card if you can play others of equal trick-making value; your partner then knows the position of one trump; e.g. with nine and ten in addition to the eight, the turn-up, play them before parting with the eight. Keep command of adversaries' suits as long as is judicious; get rid of the command of partner's strong suit. Do not finesse (i.e. play a lower card than your highest in the third hand) in partner's suit, unless he leads a high card in an obviously forced lead. Lead through a known strong suit on your left, and (especially) up to a known weak suit on yotir right. If you have to lead from a suit of two lead the highest. Leading from a " singleton " (your only card in one suit), in order to be able to trump— sometimes disparagingly called " Whitechapelling

"

— is not generally good play, and results

badly unless the side is strong in trum.ps, but in some circumstances it is useful. Do not lead from a " tenace " (i.e. best and third best of a suit) if you have another equally good suit. Remember that whist is a game of combination, and that tricks made by your partner are just as valuable to you as tricks made by yourself. Sort your hand so as to keep the suits separate, red and black alternately, keeping the cards each in order of their value.

For Long Whist the play of the hands and the laws of the game are practically the same as at ordinary or " short " whirt. but a more venturesome style of play may be adopted in view of the number of points required, i.e. a certain amount of risk may be taken when the odd trick is a certainty in the hope of getting two or three tricks instead. With the score at nine, honours cannot be secured, but at eight a player who holds two honours may ask his partner before playing if he too holds an honour, the formula being " Can you one, partner? " If the answer is

"

Yes, " the honours are scored and the

game ends. There is no " treble " at long whist. A double is scored when the losers are less than five, a single if they have mad; five or more. The game, however, is almost obsolete. Progressive Whist. — This form of the game is social rather than scientific, but is a pleasant variety on the ordinary round game. The host provides prizes, as a rule— first, second and " booby "

prizes for both ladies and gentlemen, the " booby " prizes going to the players who make the fewest points.

Any number of tables

may be formed. Partners are selected by lot, two ladies and two gentlemen never being partners. This can be done by means of two sets of tickets of different colours, numbered identically, No. I pairing with No. I and so on.

After the first round there is no

drawing for partners, as will be seen.

The holders of all tickets

numbered I and 2 form the first table, of 3 and 4 the second table. Only one pack of cards is needed at each table, but everj' player should be provided with a scoring card and pencil. The players at all the tables cut for deal, but no dealing is begun before a signal given by the master of the ceremonies. At each table one hand only is played. Honours are not counted. The score is marked by the number of tricks made, or the winner may mark all tricks above six. The w'inners remain at their original tables. The losers move on, fromNo.ItabletoNo.2, fromNo.2toNo.3and from the last table to No. I.

Partners are formed afresh, the gentleman who has just won playing with the lady who has just lost, and vice versa. Play may last for one or more complete rounds, or for a given time, indicated by a signal, after which no fresh hand is begun. The scores are then added up and the prizes awarded. In playing the ordinary rules of whist are observed.

A printed existence was first given to the laws of whist by Hoyle in 1743. The fourteen laws then issued were. subsequently increased to twenty-four.

These laws were the authority until 1760, when the members of White's and Saunders's Chocolate Houses revised them. The revised laws (nearly all Hoyle) were accepted by whist players for over a century, notwithstanding that they were very incomplete. The laws of short whist, a more comprehensive code approved by the Portland and Arlington clubs, were brought out in 1864. and became the accepted standard, small modifications only having been introduced since. The latest editio'n of the rules should be consulted for what is not indicated in the text.

See Principles of Whist, Slated and Explained, by "Cavendish" (London, 1902), the most authoritative work.

WHISTLE, the shrill warbling sound made by forcing the breath through the lips, contracted to form a small orifice, or produced by means of an instrument of the whistle type; also, generally, any similar shrill, hissing or warbling sound, as of a bird's note, of wind through trees, ropes, &amp;c. The O. Eng. hwistlian, to whistle, and hwistlere, whistler, piper, are closely allied to hwisprian or hwœstrian, to whisper, to speak softly or under one's breath; and both are imitative words, representing a shrill hissing sound, cf. Ger. wispeln, to whisper, Dan. hvisle, to whistle. The instrument known as a &ldquo;whistle&rdquo; takes many forms, from