” The most common odds between nearly equal players is _=Pawn and Move=_; and with a player not strong enough to give a Knight, _=Pawn and Two Moves=_. The Pawn removed in each instance is Black’s K B P, and the Knight is usually the Q Kt. Here are a few examples of the openings in games at odds:-- Pawn and Move:-- P-K4 P-Q4 Q-R5 ch Q-K5 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-K3 P-Q4 P-KKt3 Kt-KB3 P-K4 P-Q4 Kt-QB3 P-Q5 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-Q3 Kt-KB3 Kt-B3 Kt-K4 P-K4 P-Q4 P-K5 B-QKt5 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- Kt-QB3 P-Q4 B-B4 Q-Q2 P-K4 P-Q4 PxP P-KB4 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- Kt-QB3 P-Q4 KtxP Kt-B2 Pawn and Two Moves:-- P-K4 P-Q4 B-Q3 P-Q5 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-K3 P-B4 P-Q3 P-K4 P-Q4 P-QB4 P-Q5 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-K3 P-B4 P-Q3 P-K4 P-Q4 P-KB4 B-Q3 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-Q3 P-K3 Kt-K2 P-K4 P-Q4 P-Q5 P-KB4 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- Kt-QB3 Kt-K4 Kt-B2 Odds of Queen’s Knight:-- P-K4 Kt-B3 PxP Kt-K5 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-K4 P-Q4 P-K5 QxP P-K4 P-KB4 PxQP Kt-B3 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-K4 P-Q4 QxP P-K5 Odds of King’s Knight:-- P-K4 B-B4 Kt-B3 P-Q4 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-K4 P-QB3 Kt-B3 P-Q4 P-K4 B-B2 P-Q2 0-0 1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------- 4 ------- P-K4 Kt-KB3 B-B4 0-0 In order to give the student an idea of the value and popularity of the various openings, the following table of the results of 1500 games may be useful. It is from the chess columns of the New York _Sun_:-- ---------------------+----------------+--------+---------+--------- | FIRST | TOTAL |PER CENT.|PER CENT. OPENINGS. | PLAYER. | PLAYED.| WON BY | TOTAL +----+-----+-----+ | FIRST | GAMES |WON.|LOST.
_=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ Chinese Whist very closely resembles Dummy, and the chief element of success is the skilful use of tenace. Memory also plays an important part, it being especially necessary to remember what cards are still unplayed in each suit. While the down cards are held a player cannot be sure of taking a trick by leading a card higher than any his adversary has exposed, because one of the down cards may be better. If a player is short of trumps, but has as many and better than those of his adversary, it is often good play to lead and draw the weaker trumps before the adversary turns up higher ones to protect them. For instance: one player may have 10 8, and his adversary the 9 alone. If the 10 is led the 9 will probably be caught, unless one of the adverse down cards is better. If the 10 is not led the adversary may turn up an honour, and will then have major tenace over the 10 and 8. The end game always offers some interesting problems for solution by the expert in tenace position, and in placing the lead. WHIST FAMILY LAWS.
If the person standing in the centre can find out in whose hand the ring is, he sits down, and his place is taken by the one who had the ring. The game is sometimes played round a haycock in the hayfield. Miss Dendy sends a similar rhyme from Monton, Lancashire, where it is known simply as a marching game. For similar rhymes, see Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 3. See Paddy from Home, Tip it. Fippeny Morrell Twice three stones, set in a crossed square, where he wins the game that can set his three along in a row, and that is fippeny morrell I trow. --_Apollo Shroving_, 1626. See Nine Men s Morice, Noughts and Crosses. Fire, Air, and Water The players seat themselves in a circle.
Any sequence of five, containing K Q J, 250 Any sequence of four, containing K Q J, 40 Any sequence of K Q J, 30 King and Queen of any suit, 20 Queen and Jack of any suit, 20 Any flush of five cards, containing K Q J, 50 CLASS C. PENCHANTS. Any Queen and Jack of different suits, 10 The sequences and flushes in class B must all be of the same suit; penchant cards must be of different suits. If the winner of any trick has no declaration to make, he signifies it by drawing the top card from the stock. His adversary, before drawing his card from the stock, may then declare a penchant, if he has one; but no other combination can be declared by the player who does not win the trick. If the winner of the trick makes any declaration, the loser cannot declare. The Jack of the first penchant declared makes the _=trump suit=_ for that deal, no matter which player announces it. Trumps do not increase the value of any combination, and are only useful to win plain-suit tricks. All declarations are scored immediately, either on a marker or with counters. It will be observed that with the exception of sequences of five cards, fours, and penchants, the count is ten points for each card in the combination.
=_ Scotch Whist is played with a pack of 36 cards, which rank in plain suits, A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6; the Ace being highest both in play and in cutting. In the trump suit the Jack is the best card, the order being, J A K Q 10 9 8 7 6. _=MARKERS.=_ There are no suitable counters for Scotch Whist, and the score is usually kept on a sheet of paper. _=PLAYERS.=_ Any number from two to eight may play. When there are five or seven players, the spade 6 must be removed from the pack. In some places this is not done; the thirty-fifth card being turned up for the trump, the thirty-sixth shown to the table, and then laid aside. _=CUTTING.=_ Whatever the number of persons offering for play, the table is formed by cutting from the outspread pack for partners, seats, and deal.
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The mention of washing-tubs calls to mind the large wooden tubs formerly always used for the family wash. Before the era of laundresses washing-tubs must have constituted an important part of the family plenishing. Washing in the rivers and streams was also a thing of frequent occurrence, hot water for the purpose of cleansing clothes not being considered necessary, or in many cases desirable. Chambers gives a version of the game (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 36) and also Newell (_Games_, p. 166). Another version from Buckingham is given by Thomas Baker in the _Midland Garner_, 1st ser., ii. 32, in which the mother desires the daughter to milk in the washing-tub, and the words also appear very curiously tacked on to the Three Dukes a-riding game from Berkshire (_Antiquary_, xxvii. 195), where they are very much out of place.
1. Each player when it is his turn to play, must place his card face up before him and towards the center of the table and allow it to remain in this position until all have played to the trick, when he must turn it over and place its face down and nearer to himself, placing each successive card as he turns it, so that it overlaps the last card played by him and with the ends towards the winners of the trick. After he has played his card and also after he has turned it, he must quit it by removing his hand. SEC. 2. The cards must be left in the order in which they were played and quitted until the scores for the deal are recorded. SEC. 3. During the play of a deal a player must not pick up or turn another player’s card. SEC.
Suppose five play, and A observes that B and C constantly draw to small pairs, while D and E never come in on less than tens. If A has the age, B, D, and E having anted, A may be sure that there are at least two good hands against him, and will guide himself accordingly. But if B and C are the only players in, A may safely draw to a small pair. It can be mathematically demonstrated that what is called an _=average go-in hand=_ should be at least a pair of tens; but a player who waits for tens in a liberal game, in which others are drawing to ace high, will ante himself away if there are many jack pots, and will get no calls when he gets a hand. _=BETTING.=_ Good players are guided by the general character of the game in which they take part. Some parties play a very liberal game, and the players bet high on medium hands, and give every one a good fight. It is best to have liberal or lucky players on your right; because if they sit behind you, they will continually raise you, and you will be forced either to overbid your hand on the same liberal scale that they adopt, or lose what you have already put up. If a liberal player sits on your right you will often be able to make large winnings on moderate hands. In a close game, when the players bet in a niggardly manner, the liberal player is at a great disadvantage; for he can win little or nothing on his good hands, but will lose large amounts when he runs up the betting on a good hand which is opposed to one that is better.
The player cutting the lowest card has the choice of seats, and must deal the first hand. The player cutting the next lowest has the next choice, and so on, until all are seated. _=TIES.=_ If the first cut does not decide, those tying must cut again. Should two or more players cut cards of equal value, the new cut will decide nothing but the tie; for even should one of those cutting to decide a tie draw a card lower than one previously cut by another player, the original low cannot be deprived of his right. For instance: there are six players. [Illustration: First cut is:-- 🂥 🃘 🃋 🂷 🃞 🃈 Second cut is:-- 🂴 🃒 ] The 5 and 7 have the first and second choice of seats; the 2 and 4 the third and fourth choice. _=PLAYERS’ POSITIONS.=_ There are only three distinctive positions at the poker table: the _=dealer=_; the _=pone=_; and the _=age=_. The pone is the player on the dealer’s right, and the age is the one on his left.
The cards in hand that do not fit any combination of three or more are deadwood, and the object is to reduce this deadwood to less than fifteen. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ Each player in turn to the left of the dealer draws a card from the stock or the discard pile and discards one in its place, face up. No player is allowed to lay down anything until he can show his whole hand, and then only when his deadwood is fifteen or less, and he is not obliged to lay down even then if he prefers to wait until he can reduce his deadwood still further. _=THE SHOW-DOWN.=_ As soon as any player can show down his hand, the game is at an end. He lays out his combinations and pushes them aside. Then he announces the pip value of his deadwood, after discarding a card in place of the one drawn. Suppose he draws the seven of hearts, and lays down the 6 7 8 9 of that suit; J Q K of clubs; discards the king of spades and leaves two deuces and a five for his deadwood. That is nine points.
D. Sweeting). (_b_) One girl is chosen to act as Mother, the rest of the players pretend to be her children, and stand in front of her, not in a line, but in a group. One of them, very frequently all the children ask her the first question, and the Mother answers. When she gives permission for the children to go out they all curtsey three times, and run off and pretend to play. They then return, and the rest of the dialogue is said, the Mother asking the questions and the children replying. At the end of the dialogue the Mother chases and catches them, one after the other, pretending to beat and punish them. In the Northants and Hurstmonceux games there appears to be no chasing. In the London version (Miss Dendy) only two children are mentioned as playing. When the Mother is chasing the girl she keeps asking, Where s my share of the silver penny? to which the girl replies, You may have the nut-shells.
RED BALL plays upon WHITE. YELLOW ” RED. GREEN ” YELLOW. BROWN ” GREEN. BLUE ” BROWN. PINK ” BLUE. SPOT-WHITE ” PINK. SPOT-RED ” SPOT-WHITE. SPOT-YELLOW ” SPOT-RED. SPOT-GREEN ” SPOT-YELLOW.
One child stands in the centre--she represents the Mother. The ring of children say the first, third, and every alternate verse. The child in the centre says the second, fourth, and alternate verses, and the game is played as above, except that when the Mother has said the last verse the children call out, Good job, too, and run off, the Mother chasing them as above. The game does not appear to be sung. (_c_) This game is somewhat of a cumulative story, having for its finish the making angry and tormenting of a mother. All the versions point to this. One interesting point, that of milk-pails, is, it will be seen, gradually losing ground in the rhymes. Milk-pails were pails of wood suspended from a yoke worn on the milkmaid s shoulders, and these have been giving place to present-day milk-cans. Consequently we find in the rhymes only four versions in which milk-pails are used. In two versions even the sense of milking-can has been lost, and the South Shields version, sent me by little Miss Blair, has degenerated into male-scales, a thoroughly meaningless phrase.
) Gifts to the well [the silver pin, gold ring, and probably the garter]. (6.) Command of silence. (7.) The presence of the devotee at the sacred bush. All these are incidents of primitive well-worship (see Gomme s _Ethnology and Folk-lore_, pp. 82-103). Garland dressing is very general; cakes were eaten at Rorrington well, Shropshire (Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 433); pins and portions of the dress are very general offerings; silence is strictly enforced in many instances, and a sacred tree or bush is very frequently found near the well. The tune of the Hampshire game (Miss Mendham s version) is practically the same as that of the Mulberry Bush.
Build it up with stone so strong, Dance o er my lady lee, Huzza! twill last for ages long, With a gay lady. --[London][5] (Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, clii.). III. London Bridge is broaken down, Is broaken down, is broaken down, London Bridge is broaken down, My fair lady. Build it up with bricks and mortar, Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar, Build it up with bricks and mortar, My fair lady. Bricks and mortar will not stay, Will not stay, will not stay, Bricks and mortar will not stay, My fair lady. Build it up with penny loaves, Penny loaves, penny loaves, Build it up with penny loaves, My fair lady. Penny loaves will mould away, Mould away, mould away, Penny loaves will mould away, My fair lady. What have this poor prisoner done, Prisoner done, prisoner done, What have this poor prisoner done? My fair lady.
If the dealer has only one suit guarded, and one trump, he must take into account the risk of being forced, and having to lead away from his guarded suit. There are eight recognized hands on which the dealer should refuse. The full details of the calculations can be found in the ninth volume of the “_Westminster Papers_.” As in the case of the player, the weakest trumps have been taken for the examples, and the weakest holdings in plain suits. If the dealer has better plain suits, or stronger trumps, he has of course so much more in his favour if he refuses. The first column of figures gives the number of times in 65,780 that there will be no proposal, so that the dealer has no choice but to play. The other columns give the number of times the dealer or the player will win if the player proposes and the dealer refuses. The first suit given in each instance is the trump. NO DEALER PLAYER PROPOSAL. WINS.