This will win the trick as often as it will lose it; but it betrays the hand to the adversary, and enables him to finesse deeply if the suit is returned. It may be done in order to get the lead, and in trumps the practice is very common, and generally right. With Queen and only one small card, it can be demonstrated that it is useless to play the Queen Second Hand, except as an experiment, or to get the lead in desperate cases. With any combination weaker than J 10 x, it is useless to attempt to win the trick Second Hand, and only makes it difficult for the partner to place the cards correctly. _=The Fourchette.=_ When the Second Hand has cards immediately above and below the one led, he should cover. The beginner may have some difficulty in recognising the fact that he holds fourchette if the suit has been round once or twice, and the intermediate cards have been played. Such cards as a Queen and a Seven may be fourchette over a Nine, if Jack, Ten and Eight have been played. _=Second Hand Having None=_ of the suit led, on either first or second round, must decide whether or not to trump it. If the card led is the best of the suit, he should certainly do so; but if it is not, and there is any uncertainty as to who will win the trick, it is usual for the Second Hand to pass when he has four trumps.
Every checker player must know these four positions thoroughly, or he may abandon many a game as drawn which he could win, and may lose many a game which he could draw. These four positions are here given as they are usually found in the books, but the player must be able to recognize at once any position which resembles them, or can be made to lead up to them. The student will find many games marked as “won” in which he cannot see any winning position unless he is familiar with the four endings. The expert strives to exchange his men so as to bring about one of these positions, after which he knows he has a won game, although his less skilful adversary may be unconscious of his advantage. [Illustration: _=First Position.=_ Black to move and win. WHITE. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | ⛀ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | ⛂ | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | ⛂ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | ⛁ | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ BLACK. ] [Illustration: _=Second Position.=_ Black to move and win.
Thought you hated snakes, Lefty, he said. A guy could get used to almost anything, Grand Master, I said. I found a cobra under my pillow when I rolled out of the sack this morning. A coral snake fell out of the folds of my towel when I went to take a shower. Somebody stashed a bushmaster here in my locker to meet me when I dressed for surgery. I m getting almost fond of snakes. Maragon semaphored doubt by squeezing his eyebrows down in a scowl. Even _real_ snakes? he protested. It s the most artful hallucination I ve ever experienced, I granted. This snake has weight, a cold feel and a scratchy scaliness.
|young man. |prince. | | 25.| -- | -- | -- | | 26.| -- | -- | -- | | 27.|A young prince for | -- |For your ain sake. | | |your sake. | | | | 28.| -- | -- | -- | | 29.| -- | -- | -- | | 30.
In case of ties, the number of tricks won must decide. If the number of tricks taken by each side is a tie in any match, the score is marked zero, and each team counts half a match won. We give an illustration of the final score in a match between five teams. The _=c=_ and _=d=_ teams are tied for a second place in the number of matches; but the _=c=_ team takes third place, because it has lost one more trick than the _=d=_ team. The _=b=_ and _=c=_ teams score a half match; so do the _=c=_ and _=e=_ teams. [Illustration: +-----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+ |Teams| a | b | c | d | e ||Matches|Tricks| +-----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+ | a | \ | +5 | -1 | +1 | +4 || 3 | +9 | +-----+----+----+----+----|----++-------+------+ | b | -5 | \ | 0 | -1 | +2 || 1½ | -4 | +-----+----+----+----+----|----++-------+------+ | c | +1 | 0 | \ | -2 | 0 || 2 | -1 | +-----+----+----+----+----|----++-------+------+ | d | -1 | +1 | +2 | \ | -2 || 2 | 0 | +-----+----+----+----+----|----++-------+------+ | e | -4 | -2 | 0 | +2 | \ || 1½ | -4 | +-----+----+----+----+----+----++-------+------+ ] _=PAIR AGAINST PAIR.=_ This is the most interesting form of competition, especially for domestic parties, as the arrangement of the players will allow of great latitude in the number engaged, table after table being added as long as players offer to fill them. _=Two Pairs.=_ When only four players are engaged at a single table, the game is called Memory Duplicate; which is forbidden in all first-class clubs. The players retain their seats until they have played an agreed number of hands, which are laid aside one by one in trays.
27. If the striker pocket the white ball after contact with another, he shall be penalized in the value of the ball struck, unless the object ball so struck be out of order, in which case the penalty shall be governed by the ball of the higher value. 28. Should the striker give an intentional miss, he shall be penalized in the value of the black ball, and be compelled to play the stroke again. No score can accrue from such stroke, but the striker shall be subject to any further penalty he may incur. 29. If the striker pocket more than one ball, other than red balls, in one stroke, he cannot score, and is penalized in the value of the highest ball pocketed. 30. In the absence of a referee the marker of the room shall decide all disputes that may arise; and, if he does not know of the matter in dispute, the majority of the onlookers shall decide. ENGLISH POOL.
13. If the striker’s ball is touching another, such ball not being playable, and he disturb the ball touching his own, the stroke is foul. 14. Should the striker’s ball be so placed that he cannot play direct on the object ball, he is said to be “snookered.” FOUL STROKES AND PENALTIES. 15. Foul strokes are made or penalties incurred by (1) “Pushing” instead of striking the ball, or striking the ball more than once; (2) Playing out of turn; (3) Playing with both feet off the floor; (4) Playing before all the balls have become stationary, when off the table, or wrongly spotted; (5) Playing with the wrong ball; (6) Touching or moving any ball, except in the legitimate manner set forth in these rules; (7) Forcing any ball off the table; (8) Wilfully interfering with an opponent, or the run of the balls, and refusing to obey the referee’s decision; (9) Missing, running a coup, striking the wrong ball, or pocketing the white ball; (10) Playing at or pocketing any ball except in the proper rotation; (11) Striking two balls, other than two red balls, simultaneously; (12) Giving an intentional miss; (13) Pocketing more than one ball--other than red balls--by one stroke. 16. If the striker “push” his ball or strike it more than once, he cannot score, but is subject to any other penalty that he may incur by the stroke. 17.