BRIDGE AND WHIST

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 January 1932, Page 6

BRIDGE AND WHIST

CARDS ORIGINALLY INVENTED FOR AMUSEMENT OF AN IDIOT. CONTRACT'S ADDED WOE. It is generally assumed that cards were invented to amuse an idiot, Charles VI of France; and this fact is often quoted by indifferent players who have been called to account by their partners over their bad play — a negative form of excuse in my humble opinion, says a writer in a London paper. As much and more has been written in the past about Whist as is now written about Bridge. Endless, apparently, were the treaties and maxibs and advice — in every conceivable lan- | guage; — for ^playing this game; while, j -n 1791, a gentleman named Thomson | produced a poem entitled "Whist" in cwelve cantos! No one has yet, I j taney, been inspired to write an epic

poem on the subject of Auction or Oontract. "Whist," says Charles Cotton, is so lalled "from the silence that is to be observed during the play"; and he j landidly adds: "He that can by craft 3verlook his adversary's game hath a great advantage!" Introduction of Bridge. Just before the South African War, Bridge of the old-fashioned type began to worm its way into the cardrooms of clubs, messes, and private houses, and Whist, the oldest fourPanded game known, (its prototype | Trionfi is mentioned as early as 1526), was relegated to villages, where it con.inues to exist precariously, nourished oy "whist-drives." Then came the original Auction Bridge, which flourished until, a few years later, some bright individual .nvented what he called "Royal Auccion," and spades, hitherto the Cinderella among the suits, was suddenly promoted to supreme power among jhem, though the ruling force to which all suits bowed was still "No Trumps." Whist is a comparatively peaceful ?ame, but directly Bridge made its appearance players started to squabile. The late General Sir Lawrence Oliphant, known to his friends as 'Bully," was no exception to this -ule. He even went so far as to oandy words at a well known club with a distinguished foreign diplomat,

whose face, it must be admitted, was rather like a swarthy sheep's, When che latter did not respond to the Geaeral's expostulations concerning his play, "Bully," shouted: 'What's the good of sitting there saying nothing, like a Southdown tup munching turnips ? " Another card-game, two-handed, which has lately become popular is I Chinese 6-pack Bezique. This has quite superseded the older game played with two or four packs. The origin of the word "bezique" is rather curious coming from the Spanish "besi30," a little kiss; presumably an illusion to the meeting of the queen of spades and the knave of diamonds, the most important feature of the game. Contract Bridge. j If Auction Bridge was the cause of people getting periekety when playing, Contract has made them far worse. There are so many schools of thought as to what declarations should be made and the various conventions to be agreed upon that the results, to put it mildly, are confusing and very often unfortunate. A large seetion of society nowadays seems to have gone mad about Bridge, they think and talk of nothing else. One wonders if they ever find time to read a book of any description. Possibly it is one of the results of the formation of so many mixed card clubs in London nowadays that at dinner parties one so seldom hears anything but Bridge and gossip, and any tendency to impersonal, let alone intellectual, conversation is nipped in the bud. Altercation over cards is unfortunate in clubs, but in private houses it is lamentable; and it is largely for this reason I maintain that the old and generally known form of Bridge is a more peaceful after-dinner game than the modern Contract, albeit the latter, as a card game, is the more scientific — when the players really know how to play it.