BAZIQUE.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 521, 20 May 1869, Page 4

BAZIQUE.

♦ (From the London Daily Neios.) Bazique has suddenly sprung into fashion and popularity. It is impossible to take up a newspaper without seeing advertisements tempting to the purchase of one of the diversely elegant little boxes now said to be indispensable for the playing of bazique. However delightful it may be to be enabled to purchase, or to find oneself presented with one of these " bazique boxes" — containing two packs of "bazique cards," and a "bazique marking-board," with lovely red and white pegs, and a set of rules intended to enlighten or bewilder the public— it may nevertheless be consoling' to know that it is perfectly possible to do as well without them. Two ordinary packs of cards (the pattern on the backs of which should be identical), and from which all below the seven are carefully discarded, these rejected cards being cut up into some hundred counters, are all that is really necessary. Bazique is sometimes written besique, and sometimes bezique, and is said to have a French origin. We have always heard it spoken of as an old Spanish game, and the word "baza" would seem to justify this. Before attempting to play at bazique, certain important facts must be mastered and retained in the memory. The game is a thousand, or a hundred, as may be elected before commencing ; but the simpler number appears to us to be as much to be preferred as the simple machinery. Eight cards must always be kept in the hand during the whole game. The ten is of I greater value than the king, queen, !or knave, ranking next to the ace in-itn-portance. The bazique cards are the queen of spades and knave of diamonds. Single bazique is worth four. Should it recur again in the hand during the same deal, double bazique is worth fifty counters. Sequences can only be made in trumps. Single sequence is worth twenty-five,' '• and double sequence — a rare event — is valued at fifty. Marriages in ordinary suits are worth two ; in trumps they bring in four. Four aces are worth ten ; four kings, eight; four queens, six ; and four knaves, four counters for each declaration. Every trick consists of two cards. Tricks are; of' no value except while playing out the last eight cards of each deal, when the last trick always counts one. Never omit ' to take a fresh card off the pack after turning each trick. Whenever any declaration is made, it can only be done after takiiig a trick and before taking in a fresh card. Bearing these things in mind, the players may set to work at once, sitting opposite to, but near each other. The cards are cut— the lowest of course deals. Eight cards are dealt to each player by three, three, and two. A trump is then turned up, removed from the rest of the pack, and placed in a conspicuous position, perhaps reared up against the little basket into which you may have shred your counter^. The pack of cards is then placed longitudinally between the players on the table, and the game begins. If ,the turned-up trump card should chance to be an ace, ten, king, queen, or knave— and that either player finds himself possessed of (or draws in presently) the seven of trumps, he may after taking a trick say, " I count one," and substitute the seven of trumps for the turned up trump card, which he will insert into his own hand, leaving the seven to represent it. The reason of this is very clear — for-witliout this little exchange double sequence would be impossible to either player. The aces and tens of any suit should never be thrown away without due reflection and consideration, as at the end of every deal they are valued at one each in the counting up. Nevertheless, they must occasionally fall victims to some higher and more ambitious scheme, such as bazique orsequence. As each declaration is made, it is displayed upon the table, and there left exposed to view ; the cards, however, so exhibited remain, so to speak, in. the hand- of /the player, and may always be used for fresh declarations, or the taking of tricks if

needful. The intentions formed by the player may change with every fresh card he draws in. Now he has three aces in his hand, and hopes for "four aces," when suddenly he finds himself also possessed of two marriages, which he would like to declare and to profit by. So, on the principle of a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush, away goes one of his treasured aces to take a trick, and thus to enable him to declare his marriages. So it will be throughout the whole game ; the cards drawn in alone must regulate the plans and control the desires of the player. As the pack of cards grows small by degrees and beautifully less the chances of good cards diminish, and the anxiety to hasten any declaration increases. A small trump should therefore be kept in the hand, if practicable, in case of emergency. When the last card of all has been taken up, and the trump card taken in, the last eight cards are played out as if at whist. Here it is compulsory to follow suit — or if impossible, the card must be trumped. The last trick of the game counts one ; and, perhaps the most difficult part of the whole proceeding is the securing of this last trick, which requires no little tact and memory ; moreover, it will generally be found to be worth yet another one, as most likely it will prove to be some cherished ace or ten. Some authorities consider the "last trick" to be the one turned before the last card of the stock is taken up ; but we cannot understand how this can be, as at that part of the game it is generally pretty easy to take a trick, having plenty of cards at command. Moreover, it is absurd to give a value to the taking of the last trick after expressly stating that "tricks are of no , ■value." Of course luck has a great deal to do with it, but at the same time a careful observation of the cards upon the table, an accurate remembrance of those tricks which are turned, and the constant habit of taking advantage of small events, will tell with unerring effect upon the score at the end of the game. However, in Bazique, as in all tilings, practice alone I can make perfect.