and a small trump, a club, and a heart. A led a diamond, which being passed by B, was to be won by D. Query-How is he to play, to make it possible to win the odd trick? Answer-D saw it was not possible, unless his partner had either the two best trumps, or the first and third, with a successful finesse. He therefore trumped with the ace, led the small one, and won the game.

N.B. In another score of the game, this would not be justifiable, as the chance of losing a trick is greater than that of gaining one by it.

The attentive perusal (in the mode prescribed) of these maxims, will, I think, with a little practice, enable a beginner to play with very good cards to advantage. The difficulty of the game does not consist in this; for aces and kings will make tricks, and no skill can make a ten win a knave. But there are hands which frequently occur when skilful players win, where bunglers lose points; and (unless when the cards run very high) it is on the playing of such, success depends, viz. ace or king, and three other trumps, a tierce-major, with others of a second suit with a probable trick in a third-the player's plan should be to remain either with the last trump, or with the last but one, with the lead: and to accomplish this last, he must not win the second lead with the commanding trump, but reserve it for the third. Nothing then but five trumps in one hand can probably prevent his establishing his long suit, for he forces out the best trump, and the thirteenth brings in his suit again, which (without the lead after the third round of trumps) would be impossible.

As this maxim is of the utmost consequence, the following cases, which happen frequently, are added, to make it more clearly understood:

A has ace and three trumps, a strong suit, headed by a tierce-major, and a probable trick in a third, and lead. Query-How should this hand be played? Answer-A should lead a trump; but if his partner wins and returns it, A should not put on his ace, but suffer it to be won by his adversary. When either A or his partner gets the lead, he of course plays a trump, which being won by A, he remains with the lead, and one, but not the best trump, though they should not be equally divided. This (his strong suit having forced out the best) establishes it again, notwithstanding the

adversary may command the other suits, which are by these means prevented from making.

N.B. Had the ace been put on the second lead, the force would have been on A, and his strong suit entirely useless.

A, with a similar hand, has ace, king, and two small trumps. If the adversaries lead trumps, he should not win the first trick, even if last player. By this, after, the second lead, he still retains the best for the third, according to the maxim, and establishes his suit (though the best trump keeps up against him) unless there are five in one hand originally.

With ace, queen, and two small trumps, do not win the knave led on your left-hand, but let it be played again, according to the same maxim.

As the following, or nearly similar situations frequently occur, I recommend them to the attentive perusal of those students who, feeling within themselves that they comprehend what I have called the alphabet, wish to procure a gradual insight into the game, the whole combinations of which, I cannot too often repeat, proceed from very plain and simple principles; but it requires much reflection to comprehend the same maxim, when applied to inferior cards, that appears self-evident in the superiors. There is scarcely a player, who if he has the ace, king, and knave of the suit of which his right-hand adversary turns up the queen, but will lead the king, and wait for the return to the finesse his knave. But with ace, queen, and ten, (the knave being turned up on his right-hand) the same player will not see that his lead, if he plays a trump, is the queen, and that one and the same principle actuates the players on both occasions, and so through the suit.

It constantly happens that the adversary on the right-hand having won his partner's lead with the ace or king, returns the knave. In this case do not put on the queen, as the probability is against its being finessed. But on all these occasions, play without hesitation, which constantly directs a skilful adversary where to finesse to advantage.

It frequently happens when you have led from six trumps, that after your second lead you remain with three or four trumps, the best in your adversary's hand, in these situations play a small trump, which has these two advantages.-1st. To prevent the stopping of your partner's suit-and 2d, to

give you the tenace, in whatever suit is led by the adversary. This, mutatis mutandis, will shew that it is bad play to put out the best trump, leaving others in the hand of one of your adversaries. It may do good to keep it up, by stopping a suit, and can answer no good purpose whatever to play it out. A remains with the best trump (say the ten) and a small one, with some losing cards, B, his partner, having clearly the second best, (say the nine) with some winning cards; the adversaries having one small trump and winning cards of the other two suits. A is forced. Query-How is he to play? Answer-A is to ruff with his best, and lead out his smali trump, by which he puts it into his partner's hand to make his winning cards, and renders those of his adversaries of no use whatever. This mode of play would sometimes be right, even when it was not certain whether the second best trump were in his partner's or his adversary's hand; but the fine player alone can be expected to distinguish on so nice an occasion.

There are points where good players disagree. Some play what is called a forward-others a more timid game. Some commonly put on a king, second; others but rarely. In these cases a man may play either way, without committing error; but where all good players are of the same opinion, it should be received as an axiom-no good player puts on a queen, knave, or ten, second; of course, it should on all occasions be carefully avoided.

The possession of the last trump is of most material advantage in the hands of a good player. A has the thirteenth trump, with the ace and four small ones of a suit not played, of which the adversary leads the king and queen; by passing them both, A probably makes three tricks in the suit; but had he won the king, he could not possibly make more than one.

When it is at your option to be eight or nine, it is material always to choose the former score.

Observe carefully what is originally discarded by each player, and whether at the time, the lead is with the partner or adversary. If with the former, it is invariably meant to direct the partner-if with the latter, it is frequently intended to deceive the adversary, and induce him to lead to his strong suit. You are not only to take every method to preserve the

tenace or advantage of the position to yourself, when it is evident that the winning cards lie between you and your adversary, but also to give it as much as possible to your partner, when you perceive the strength in any suit is in the hands of him and your left-hand adversary; always keeping in your mind, that when the latter or you lead, the tenace is against, if your partner lead, it is for the adversary. It frequently happens, that by winning your partner's trick, when last player, you accomplish this. A has king, knave (or any other second and fourth card), with a small one of a suit, that B. his left-hand adversary, has the first and third, and another with the lead. If A leads his card, and B, your partner, wins it; you, last player, should, if possible, win the trick, though it is your partner's. By which means you prevent A from making a trick, which he must have done, had the lead remained with B.

As I have ventured to recommend occasional deviations from what is considered as one of the most classic maxims; i. e. leading from single cards, without that strength in trumps, hitherto judged indispensably necessary to justify it; I give the reasons that influence my opinion, in favour of this practice, with those generally alleged against it, leaving the reader to determine between them. Two objections are made, which, it cannot be denied, may and do happen. The first, that if your partner has the king of the suit guarded, and the ace behind it, he loses it; which would not be the case, if the lead came from the adversary. The second, and most material, is, that your partner, if he wins the trick, may lead out trumps, on the supposition it is your strong suit, or the adversaries from suspecting your intention. On the contrary, the constant and certain advantages are the preservation of the tenace in the other two suits, which I suppose you to have. and the probable one of making your small trumps, which you could not otherwise do. A has four small trumps, ace, queen, &c. of the second suit; king, knave, &c. of a third: and a single card of the fourth. In these sort of hands, I am opinion, that the chance of winning, by leading the single card, is much greater than of losing tricks; and I appeal to those who are in the habit of attending whist tables, whether they do not frequently see the players who proceed more exactly according to the maxims of Hoyle, &c. after

losing the game, trying to demonstrate that this ought not to have happened, and that they have been vanquished, by the bad, not good play of their adversaries. I do not recommend in general leading from single cards, unless very strong in trumps; but with such hands as I have mentioned, I am convinced it may be occasionally done with very great, though not certain advantage. It may not be unnecessary to inform the reader, that most of Hoyle's maxims were collected during what may be called the infancy of Whist; and that he himself, so far from being able to teach the game, was not fit to sit down even with the third-rate players of the present day.

I shall conclude these maxims by a short recapitulation of the most material ones, by way of fixing them in the minds of the readers.

Let them be assured that without comprehending the leads, modes of playing sequences, and an attentive observation of the board, it is as impossible to make any progress in the science of Whist, as to learn to spell before they know their alphabet.

That accustoming themselves to reason by analogy, will alone teach them to vary their play according to circumstances; and shew them, that the best play in some, is the worst in different situations of the game. It is common to see even good players hazard the game, merely to gain the applause of ignorant by-standers, by making as much of their cards as they are capable of; but this pitiful ambition cannot be too much guarded against. Avoid also the contrary extreme, the faults of the old, and many of the imitators, of the new school. These never part with a tenace, or certain trick, though for the probability of making several, and are like fences who parry well the attack. No player of this kind can ever excel, though he may reach mediocrity.

I must also repeat my advice to proficients, to vary their play according to the set they are engaged with; and recollect that it would be of no advantage to speak French like Voltaire, if you lived with people who are ignorant of the language.

ON LEADS.

The safest leads are, from sequences of three or more cards