king-should A lead a small card of that suit again, if you have the ten put it on. It is probable, by doing this, you keep the commanding card in your partner's hand, and prevent the second best from making.

If weak in trumps, keep guard on your adversary's suits. If strong, throw away from them, and discard as much as possible from your partner's strong suits, in either case.

Should your left-hand adversary lead the king, to have the finesse of the knave, and it comes to your lead, if you have queen and one more, it is evident the finesse will succeed. In this case, play the small one through him, which frequently will prevent him from making the finesse, though he has originally played for it.

If your partner shows a weak game, force him, whether or not you are otherwise entitled to do it.

When you are at the score of four or nine, and your adversaries, though eight, do not call, if you have no honour, it is evident your partner has two at least. It is equally so if you have one, that he has at least another. If both parties are at eight, and neither calls, each must have one.

A little reflection will enable the beginner to make a proper advantage of these data.

When your partner leads a card, of which you have the best and third, and your right-hand adversary puts on the fourth, the second only remaining-it is a commonly-received, but erroneous opinion, that the chance of succeeding in the finesse is equal; but here calculation will show, that as the last player has one card more than his partner, it is that proportion in favour of his having it. With three cards, it will be three to two against making the finesse.

Moderate players have generally a decided aversion to part with the best trump, though single; thinking that as they cannot lose it, and it can make but one trick, it is immaterial when it does so this is a dangerous fault.-When your adversary plays out his strong suit, ruff it immediately, before you give his partner an opportunity to throw off his losing cards. Do not, however, go into the contrary extreme, or trump with the best trump, with small ones in your hand, for fear of being over-trumped. This is a nice part of the game, and can only be understood by practice and attentive

reasoning.

It frequently happens that your partner has an opportunity to shew his strong suit, by renouncing to a lead. If you have a single card in this, play it before you force him, let your strength in trumps be what it may; as it is the way to establish the saw, which is almost always advantageous, should the second player put on the ace to prevent it; still it is of great utility by establishing your partner's suit.

A has ace, knave, ten, and a small card of the suit led by his right-hand adversary.-Query-Which is he to play? Answer-In trumps the ten; in other suits, the small ones, For this reason-In trumps, a good player, with king, queen. &c. leads the lowest; in other suits the king: and in the latter case, of course an honour must be behind you; and be it in either hand you can do no good by putting on the ten; by keeping the three together you render it impossible for your adversary to make one trick in the suit.

It often happens that with only three cards remaining in his hand, the leader has the worst trump, and ace, queen, or some tenace of another suit. In this case he should lead the trump, to put it into his adversary's hand to play. By these means, he preserves the tenace. This, though self-evident on proper consideration, is what none but good players ever think of.

Though it is certainly more regular to win your adversary's as well as partner's lead with the lowest of a sequence, still I recommend occasional deviations from that maxim; as it is of the greatest advantage to give your partner every information in his, or your own, so it is often to deceive your adversaries in their suits. It will now and then deceive your partner also; but if done with judgment, it is, I think, oftener attended with good than bad effect.

There are also other situations, where it is highly necessary to deceive the adversary. A, last player, has a tierce. major and a small trump; a tierce-major with two others of a second suit; king, and a small one of a third; with queen or knave, and a small one of the fourth; of which his adversary leads the ace. It is so very material for A to get the lead, before he is forced, that he should without hesitation throw down the queen, as the most likely method to induce his adversary to change his lead. But this mode of play should be reserved for material occasions, and not by its frequency give cause for its being suspected.

Beginners find it difficult to distinguish between original and forced leads. When a player changes his original suit, he commonly leads his strongest card of another, to give his partner the advantage of a finesse. In this case you are to play this, as if it was your own or adversary's lead-keep the commanding card, tenace, &c., and do not return it, as if it was an original lead.

There is nothing more necessary to be explained to the beginner, than what is usually denominated under-play, as it is a constant engine in the hands of the experienced, to use successfully against the inexperienced player. In other words, it is to return the lowest of your left-hand adversary's lead, though you have the highest in your hand, with a view of your partner's making the third best, if he has it, and still retaining the commanding card in your hand.

To explain this farther, suppose A, fourth player, has ace and king of his left-hand adversary's lead; to under-play, he wins the trick with the ace, and returns the small one, which will generally succeed, if the leader has not the second and third in his own hand. You will see bv this, if you lead from a king, &c. and your right-hand adversary, 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 situation to under play; A remains with the first, third, and fourth cards of a suit, of which he has reason to suppose his left-hand adversary has the second guarded; by playing the fourth, it is often passed, and A makes every trick in the suit.

N.B. This sort of play is always right in trumps; but if weak in them, it is generally the best play to make your certain tricks as fast as you can; for if you have not your share of them, somebody must have more than their own, and of consequence be weak in some other suit, which probably is your strong one.

Keep the trump card as long as you can, if your partner leads trumps; the contrary, if your adversary leads them. In the former instance, supposing the eight turned up, and you have the nine, throw away the latter; in the last (though you have the seven or six) play the card you turned up.

When your partner is to lead, and you call before he plays, it is to direct him, if he has no honour, to play off the best trump he has.

Though according to the strict laws of Whist, all words and gestures are prohibited; yet, like all other laws not enforced by penalties, they are continually violated. There are, indeed, few players who do not discover, in some degree, the strength of their game, or their approbation or disapprobation of their partner's play, &c. As this is on one side often a material advantage to the party transgressing, so it is quite allowable for the adversaries to make use of it. Attentive and silent observation will frequently give an early insight into the game, and enable you to play your hand to more advantage than by adhering to more regular maxims.

Though tenace, or the advantage of position, cannot be reduced to a certainty, as at piquet; and that it is often necessary to relinquish it for more certain advantages; still no man can be a whist player who does not fully understand it. The principle is simple, but the combinations are various. It is easily conceived, that if A has ace, queen, and a small card of a suit, of which B has king, knave, and another; if A leads the small card, he remains tenace, and wins two tricks; whereas, if he plays the ace, he gives it up and makes but one. But if B is to lead, he has no tenace, and lead which card he will, he must make one trick, and can make no more. This easy instance, well considered, will enable the player, with some practice, to adapt it to more apparently intricate situations.

The following cases, which happen frequently, will further explain this: A is left with four cards and the lead, viz. the second and fourth trump, and the ace and a small card of a suit not played. Nine trumps being out, B, his left-hand adversary, has the first and third trump, king and a small one of the suit of which A leads the ace. Query, what card should B play? Answer, the king; by which he brings it to an equal chance whether he wins three tricks or two, but if he keeps the king he cannot possibly win three.

By placing the cards you will perceive, that if B's partner has a better card than A's, it prevents A from making either of his trumps, which, had B retained the king, he must have done.

A has three cards of a suit not played, (the last remaining] viz. king, queen, and ten; B, ace, knave, and another; A leads the king; if B wins it he gives up the tenace, and gets

but one trick; whereas if he does not, he makes his ace and knave by preserving it.

A has ace, knave, and ten, of a suit which his partner leads. Query, which should he put on? Answer, the ten, particularly if it is a forced lead; by this he probably wins two tricks. If he puts on the ace, and his partner has no honour in the suit, he gives up the tenace, and can only win one.

Tenace is easily kept against your right-hand, but impossible, without great superiority of skill, against your left-hand adversary.

To explain what is meant by playing to points, place the following hand before you: A has the two lowest trumps, and two forcing cards, with the lead. The two best demonstrably in the adversary's hands; though uncertain if in the same or divided. Nine cards being played, and no trump remaining -Query, what is A to play? Answer,-this can only be decided by the situation of the score, and whether or no it justifies the hazarding two tricks for one. The least consideration will convince the player, that before the score is much advanced, it would be highly improper for A to play a trump, because he manifestly ventured two tricks for one; of course he should secure two tricks by playing a forcing card. But suppose A to be at the score of seven, and that he has won six tricks, he should then as clearly venture to play the trump, because if the trumps are divided, he wins the game, or otherwise remains at seven, which is preferable to the certainty of scoring nine. But if the adversary is at nine, this should not be done, as by hazarding the odd trick, you hazard the game.

N.B. This mode of reasoning will in general direct you where and when finesses are proper or improper. For there is scarcely one, though ever so right in general, but what the different situations of the score and hand may render dangerous and indefensible.

The following critical stroke decided one of the most ma erial rubbers that ever was played, and is recommended to the attentive perusal even of proficients.

The parties were each at nine. A had won six tricks, nd remained with knave, and a small trump, and two diamo ds with the lead. B, his left-hand adversary, with the que n and ten of trumps, and two clubs. C, his partner, with two small trumps, and two diamonds. D, last player, with ace