For instance: A B C D E are playing. C bids 8 and names clubs. After the draw he finds he holds A J 10 5 2 of trumps. He calls for the club King as his partner, and leads his Pedro at once for the King to take it in. He is then certain to catch the other Pedro, or to save three of the four points for High, Low, Jack, and the Game. Those who have played Seven-handed Euchre will at once recognize the similarity of the two games. Both are excellent round games for the family circle. _=Progressive Cinch=_ is played by dealing one round at each table; that is, four deals, each player having the deal once only. The ordinary game of Cinch is played, and the pair having the fewest points to go at the end of the four deals progress to the next higher table. Ties cut to decide, high going up.
The others must follow suit if they can, but they are not obliged to head the trick. If a player cannot follow suit, he must trump, and if the third player cannot follow suit either, he must play a trump, but he is not obliged to over-trump unless he likes. The eleven tricks played, each side turns over the cards taken in and counts the points. For every point the single player gets over 60 he must be paid a counter by each of the others who held cards. But if he does not get 60, he must pay each of the others at the table, including those who held no cards, if any, a counter for every point his adversaries get over 60. _=Chico=_ outbids Frog. The player offering this game can name any suit for the trump except hearts, but he must not touch the widow, although the points in it will count for him at the end. Each point under or over 60 is worth two counters in Chico. _=Grand=_ outbids Chico, and is the highest bid possible. Hearts must be trumps, and the player offering this game must not touch the widow until the play is finished.
If we suppose the winning declaration to be three hearts, and the declarer makes the odd trick only, holding simple honours, he scores 16 above the line, while the other side scores 100 points above the line for defeating the contract by two tricks, worth 50 each. If the dealer is left in with one spade, he cannot lose more than 100 points, even if he is doubled, provided neither he nor his partner redouble. If the adversaries set the contract for one trick, the declarer loses 50 only, and even if he is set for six tricks, he can lose only the 100. If any other declaration is doubled and fails, the adversaries score 100 points, instead of 50, for every trick by which they defeat the contract. If it is redoubled, they score 200. But if the declarer succeeds after being doubled, he not only scores double value for the tricks toward game, but he gets 50 points for fulfilling a doubled contract and 50 more for any tricks over his contract if he makes them. These figures are 100 in each case if he redoubles. Suppose the declaration is three no trumps, doubled, and the declarer makes five by cards. He scores 5 times 20 toward game, aces as held, and then 150 in penalties, 50 of which is for fulfilling his contract and twice 50 for the two tricks over his contract. _=KEEPING SCORE.
Suppose third hand holds the J 5. He plays the 5 to the first round, because one of his two cards is an honour. The leader goes on with the Ace, and the Jack falls. Now the third hand must have the Queen or no more, and no matter which it is he can win the third round, with the Queen or with a trump. _=Against No-Trumpers.=_ When there is no trump, the third hand uses what is called the _=Foster echo=_. This consists in playing always the _=second-best=_ of the suit, when no attempt is made to win the trick. Suppose the leader begins with the King. Third hand holds 10 8 7 4, and plays the 8. This marks him with only one card higher than the 8, and is a great exposer of false cards played by the declarer.
=_ At the end of a rubber the players cut to decide which shall give way to those awaiting their turn to play. After the second rubber, those who have played the greatest number of consecutive games give way; ties being decided by cutting. _=7.=_ _=Cutting.=_ In cutting, the ace is low, the other cards ranking, K Q J 10 9 8 7, the King being the highest. A player exposing more than one card, or cutting the Joker, must cut again. _=8.=_ _=SHUFFLING.=_ Every player has a right to shuffle the cards, the dealer last. _=9.
87. In all cases where a penalty has been incurred, the offender is bound to give reasonable time for the decision of his adversaries. 88. If a bystander make any remark which calls the attention of a player or players to an oversight affecting the score, he is liable to be called on, by the players only, to pay the stakes and all bets on that game or rubber. 89. A bystander, by agreement among the players, may decide any question. 90. A card or cards torn or marked must be either replaced by agreement, or new cards called at the expense of the table. 91. Any player may demand to see the last trick turned, and no more.
-+---+-.-+ | ⛀ | . | | . | | . | | . | +---+-.-+---+-.-+---+-.-+---+-.-+ | | .
11 would be as follows, supposing the white Queen to arrive from K8 in the first place:-- _White._ _Black._ 1. Q-B 6, ch Q-Kt 2 Q-B 6, ch Or this; 1. --------- 2. Q-K 8, ch Q-Kt’s Q-Kt 2 When the abbreviation “ch.” is placed after a move, it means “check.” If it is a mate, or a drawn game, or the player resigns, the word follows the move. When the King castles with the King’s Rook, which is the shorter move for the Rook, it is indicated by the sign O-O. When the King is castled with the Queen’s Rook, which is the longer move for the Rook, the sign O-O-O is used.
=_ The successful bidder having disposed of the skat cards and announced his game, the Vorhand leads any card he pleases for the first trick. Vorhand should be careful not to lead until the player has laid out or discarded for the Skat in a Gucki or a Tourné. Players must follow suit if they can, but are not obliged to win the trick. Having none of the suit led, they may trump or discard at pleasure. The highest card played, if of the suit led, wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. The winner of the first trick leads for the next, and so on, until all the cards have been played, or the game is acknowledged as won or lost, and abandoned. In a Grand, if a Jack is led, players must follow suit with the other Jacks, they being trumps. _=Abandoned Hands.=_ If the single player finds he has overbid himself, or sees that he cannot make as good a game as bid, he may abandon his hand to save himself from being made schneider or schwarz, provided he does so before he plays to the second trick. A Solo cannot be abandoned in this manner, as the rule is made only to allow a player to get off cheaply who has been unlucky in finding nothing in the Skat to suit his hand.
This rhyme is also given by Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 122). Halliwell gives the rhyme as-- Hitty titty indoors, Hitty titty out, You touch Hitty titty, And Hitty titty will bite you. --_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 213. At Ashford-in-the-Water the words used were-- One a bin, two a bin, three a bin, four, Five a bin, six a bin, seven, gie o er; A bunch of pins, come prick my shins, A loaf brown bread, come knock me down. I m coming! --_Reliquary_, viii. 57. The words are said by the one who has to find the person hidden. In Scotland the game is called Hospy, and is played by boys only, and it can be played only in a village or hamlet in which there is the means of hiding.
It has completely superseded all the spiral-spring and other makes of gun hitherto used in playroom warfare. These spring breechloaders are made in various sizes and patterns, but the one used in our game is that known in England as the four-point-seven gun. It fires a wooden cylinder about an inch long, and has a screw adjustment for elevation and depression. It is an altogether elegant weapon. It was with one of these guns that the beginning of our war game was made. It was at Sandgate--in England. [Illustration: Showing a country prepared for the war game] [Illustration: Showing countries prepared for the war game] The present writer had been lunching with a friend--let me veil his identity under the initials J. K. J.--in a room littered with the irrepressible debris of a small boy s pleasures.
The highest card played of the suit led wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. The Five of trumps, or any higher, will win the Left Pedro; but the Left Pedro will win the Four of trumps, or any lower. The winner of the trick gathers it in, turning it face down, and leads for the next trick, and so on, until all six tricks have been played. The tricks themselves have no value, and need not be kept separate. The last trick turned and quitted may be seen, but no other. _=Irregularities in Playing.=_ If, during the play of a hand, any person is found to have too many cards, his hand is foul, and neither he nor his partner can score any points for that deal, but they may play the hand out to prevent the adversaries from scoring everything. If he has too few cards there is no penalty. If a player leads out of turn, and the three others follow him, the trick stands good. If all have not followed the false lead, their cards must be taken back, but only the leader’s card is liable to be called.
When this amount is reached it is useless to place further bets, as they may not be paid. For this reason Baccara is a very slow game when there is not much money in the bank. After all the players have made what bets they wish, outsiders may place bets on the result if they choose to do so. Either the players or the gallery may bet on either side of the table, which is divided down the middle by a line dividing it into two parts, right and left; hence the name, Baccara a deux tableaux. A person wishing to bet on both sides at once places his money _=à cheval=_; that is, across the line. If one side wins and the other loses, a bet placed in this manner is a stand-off; if both sides lose, the bet is lost, and if both win the bet is won. A common form of dishonesty at Baccara, and one for which a distinguished Englishman was recently tried, is to place a stake very close to the line, and if it is seen that the side on which it is placed has probably lost, to push the stake onto the line, so that it may be saved if the other side wins. The Englishman in question worked this little game on the Prince of Wales for some time before he was detected. When the banker loses, he pays the players in their order, right and left alternately, beginning with those who hold cards, until his capital is exhausted. Any further bets are disregarded.
The other balls should have their places in the triangle so that the highest numbers shall be nearest the apex, the lowest numbers forming the base. _=2.=_ The player who makes the opening stroke must play from within the string from the head of the table and must strike the pyramid of object-balls with such force as to make at least two of the object-balls strike a cushion, or at least one object-ball go into a pocket. Should he fail to do either he forfeits three points and the next player plays. All balls pocketed on the opening stroke count for the player, and it is not necessary for him to call the numbers of the balls he intends pocketing before making the opening stroke. _=3.=_ Before making any other stroke except the opening stroke the player must _distinctly_ call the number of the ball he intends to pocket, but he need not designate the particular pocket into which he intends to put it. Unless he calls the ball pocketed it does not count for him, and must be placed on the deep-red spot, or if that be occupied, as nearly below it as possible. The player loses his hand but does not forfeit any points, and the next player plays. Should he call more than one ball he must pocket all the balls he calls, otherwise none of them can be counted for him.
At Asborne the struggle was between the up ards and down ards. At Dorking the divisions were between the east and west ends of the town, and there was first a perambulation of the streets by the football retinue composed of grotesquely dressed persons. At Alnwick the divisions were the parishes of St. Michael s and St. Paul s. At Kirkwall the contest was on New Year s Day, and was between up the gates and down the gates, the ball being thrown up at the Cross. At Scarborough, on the morning of Shrove Tuesday, hawkers paraded the streets with parti-coloured balls, which were purchased by all ranks of the community. With these, and armed with sticks, men, women, and children repaired to the sands below the old town and indiscriminately commenced a contest. The following graphic account of Welsh customs was printed in the _Oswestry Observer_ of March 2, 1887: In South Cardiganshire it seems that about eighty years ago the population, rich and poor, male and female, of opposing parishes, turned out on Christmas Day and indulged in the game of Football with such vigour that it became little short of a serious fight. The parishioners of Cellan and Pencarreg were particularly bitter in their conflicts; men threw off their coats and waistcoats and women their gowns, and sometimes their petticoats.