Counter (game)

“ Here is an extension of the last game of solitaire. All you need is a chessboard and the thirty-two pieces, or the same number of draughts or counters. In the illustration numbered counters are used. The puzzle is to remove all the counters except two, and these two must have originally been on the same side of the board; that is, the two left must either belong to the group 1 to 16 or to the other group, 17 to 32. You remove a counter by jumping over it with another counter to the next square beyond, if that square is vacant, but you cannot make a leap in a diagonal direction. ”

“ Attacks which depend on pawn moves are only justified if overwhelming forces can be accumulated in support, as the advanced pawns might become the object of a counter attack.
5. As pawn moves have very generally some drawbacks, the middle game is the pieces’ own hunting ground. As in the opening, the first consideration of sound play in the middle game is to make only such moves as do not reduce the mobility of the pieces. ”

“ You will need a pill-box for a counter. Glue its cover on tight, and put a number one on its top and a number two on its base.
Play in turn, and toss the counter to see how far you can move. When the counter falls, take the number that is on its top and move as many triangles in either direction as the counter indicates.
Each player takes a different colored button to begin the game. Each button is placed in an opposite corner of the board. Each player must try to catch the other player by getting onto his triangle. The first to catch the other player three times is winner. ”

“ But if an impromptu game is desired, your counters may be pushed off with a common ruler, with a long lead-pencil, or even snapped with the finger nail, though this is apt to hurt. Each player has six counters which he plays by three's, thus one person begins by shoving off three of his counters toward the board on the end, trying to make them fall on the places that count the highest. The next player then shoots three of his counters, trying not only to place his own men well but to dislodge his adversary's men if they are in good places. ”

“ It is an advantage to a player to get his counters singled as soon as possible, unless he sees that his opponent is doing the same thing, when a different policy is wise.
If he wishes to cover two or three vacant spaces in order to effect a capture, it can often be done, provided he begins his move far enough back from those vacant pockets.
The loss of counters during the earlier part of the game is not necessarily as great a disadvantage as in most games, because so much depends on the final move, in which there is the chance for a brilliant display of skill. ”

“ His antagonist endeavors to imitate the movements, but if he can succeed in making five without being imitated, he wins a point, and marks it by laying down a little piece of stick. Should the antagonist be successful, he asks of the other player what were the preceding movements, their order and the reason for each of them. If his opponent should fail to give the correct answer, he loses a point, but if he succeeds, the game is continued. ”

“ When one of the enemy is completely in your power, do not be too eager to make the capture—there may perhaps be a move of importance which you can make before you take him. Beware also of snatching hastily a proffered man, it may be only given as a bait to catch a more important advantage from you.
If at the end of a game you remain with Pawns against a Knight and find it difficult to evade his repeated checks, recollect that by placing your King on the same diagonal as the Knight, with but one intervening square between them, you cannot again be checked under three moves. ”

“ If he guesses right for both players, they simply toss the bones over to him and his partner, and nothing is scored on either side. If he guesses right for one and wrong for the other, the one for whom he guessed right is 'out', but his partner rolls up the bones for another trial, and the guesser forfeits to them one of his twelve counters. If he guesses wrong for both, they still keep on and he forfeits two counters. There are only twelve counters and when they have been all won over to one side or the other, the game is ended. ”

“ When near the close, take notice of the position of your adversary’s pawns, and if you find that you can queen before him, make all haste to do so; if not, attack his pawns so as to prevent him from queening. If your adversary possesses a decided advantage, look out for a means of drawing the game.
Do not stick to one opening, but learn as many as you can. Always be willing to accept odds of a better player, so that the game may be interesting to him. If you should lose, it is natural that you should feel inwardly chagrined, but do not let your disappointment be perceived. ”

“ If a player say check without actually attacking the King, and his adversary move his King or take the piece, the latter may elect either to let the move stand or have the pieces replaced and another move made. If, at the end of a game, the players remain, one with a superior to an inferior force, or even if they have equal forces, the defending player may call upon his adversary to mate in fifty moves on each side, or draw the game. ”

“ Each player must have in his hand in the case of quit one hundred and twenty points at the end of the rubber, and therefore it would seem that each receives one hundred and twenty points in counters at the beginning, but, as a matter of fact, he only receives seventy-two points or sixty, as the players agree upon. The counting in this game generally goes by dozens, though odd numbers also come in. ”

“ The blot should be left on the adversary’s lowest point, that is to say, upon his deuce point, rather than upon his trois point, or upon his trois point rather than upon his quatre point, or upon his quatre point preferable to his cinque point, for a reason before-mentioned; all the men the adversary plays upon his trois or his deuce points are deemed lost, being greatly out of play, so that those men not having it in their power to make his cinque point, and his game being crowded in on one point, and open in another, the adversary must be greatly annoyed by the player. ”

“ If he finds upon the adversary’s entering, that the game is upon a par, or that the advantage is on his own side, he should take the adversary’s man up whenever he can, it being twenty-five to eleven that he is not hit, except when he is playing for a single hit only, then, if playing, the throw otherwise gives him a better chance for it, he ought to do it. As it is five to one against his being hit with double dice, he should never be deterred from taking up any one man of the adversary’s. ”

“ If the player has two of his adversary’s men in his tables, he has a better chance for a hit than if he had more, provided his game is forwarder than that of his antagonist, for if he had three or more of his adversary’s men in his tables, he would stand a worse chance to be hit. ”

“ One partner having been checkmated, the antagonists concentrate their attack upon the remaining one, with the enormous advantage of having two moves to his one!
Only, therefore, by making desperate sacrifices to release his partner from checkmate can the non-checkmated one hope to save the game, except his adversaries should stalemate him, when it is drawn.
While one is checkmated the adversaries may move in and out amongst his pieces with impunity, and should adversaries’ kings do so, they are not exposed to check, as the pieces are considered dead. ”

“ If they are light, and fewer in number than your adversary’s, of course your best policy is to close the game once and count, But in this you must learn to calculate from your adversary’s style of play whether his hand is light or heavy. ”

“ As the adversaries already have a game, the next hand may give them the rubber, and should it do so, its amount will be most materially affected by the action of the player who has the chance either to score a bonus or win a game. If the first game be of normal size, a large bonus will nullify the result of the rubber, but if instead a game be taken in the adversaries will score an average rubber.
When the player considering a double has a game and the adversaries have not, he is in a most excellent position to double with the hope of a big winning. ”

“ Four trumps remain in, the adversaries have two winning trumps, it being uncertain whether they are in one hand or divided; you have the two losing trumps, two forcing cards, and the lead; you can only play correctly by referring to the score. Thus, if the adversary is at four, and you have won five, or even six tricks, your game would be to secure two tricks by forcing; for if you play a trump and the two against you are in the same hand, you lose the game. ”

“ Should you find as dealer that you have a losing card and a number of winning trumps, always lead the trumps to give the adversaries a chance to make an error in discarding.
If the adversary holds the ace, dummy the king, and you a singleton of a suit, your hand otherwise consisting of long trumps and established cards, by first leading the singleton you may tempt the second hand adversary to hold up the ace; while if you lead the established cards, the adversaries can count your hand and will make no such mistake. ”

“ When you hold eight cards to the ace, king, and jack in the two hands, the adversary’s queen is frequently unguarded. Finessing then becomes a question of the score and of the possible loss that an unsuccessful finesse would entail. You should risk the loss of a trick in order to win the game, provided the loss of a trick does not lose the game. If the game cannot be won, and it is merely a question of winning or not winning the odd trick, do not finesse. That one trick may prevent the adversaries from winning the game on the next deal. ”

“ The counters of each player may be distinguished from the others by any distinctive sign marked on them. They must not be pushed along but struck a sharp blow with your shovel. The head of your shovel must not pass the line marked for the counters. Counters which rest on, or touch a line do not count. A very considerable degree of skill can be attained in this game and it is a never failing resource on dull days.
A rainy day is a good time to practice various tricks and puzzles so as to perfect yourself in performing them. ”

“ Your adversary, knowing the splendid hand he holds, falls into the trap, and bets largely that he will make the point. He plays with confidence, but let him play as he will, he cannot help losing three tricks, as two of his trumps must fall to your small cards, and your seven of trumps will prevent his winning with the king of diamonds. You still have in your hand what is vulgarly called the "fourchette," or alternate cards, to win the game with. ”

“ Take care not to play a Piece to a square where it impedes the action of another, and beware of venturing an unsupported Piece in the adversary's game.
If subjected to a violent attack, you may often disconcert your opponent by compelling the exchange of two or three Pieces. When, however, you are about to exchange officers, you must calculate not only their ordinary value, but their peculiar worth in the situation in question; for example, a Rook is generally more valuable than a Knight or a Bishop ”

“ Should not the rule be, either that the point scores to the person making the direct attack, as shown by the action of his foot in lunging (unless, indeed, the attacked person has guarded and returned, when, of course, the point is his) , or else make the rule a harder one, but equally fair for every one, and say no hits shall count except those made clean without a counter, i.e. to score a point the player must hit his adversary without being hit himself? ”

“ One of the strongest reasons for playing out your Pieces early in the battle, is, that while at home they are not only themselves inactive, but they utterly retard the movements of your Rooks. In an unskilfully developed game it is a common occurrence to see the victory won before the defeated player's Rooks have ever moved. ”

“ This variation of the last puzzle is also played by two persons. One puts a counter on No. 6, and the other puts one on No. 55, and they play alternately by removing the counter to any other number in a line. If your opponent moves at any time on to one of the lines you occupy, or even crosses one of your lines, you immediately capture him and win. ”

“ Overtaking is not confined to the dealer’s play, and it is much more difficult for the adversaries to determine when to resort to this strategy. As a rule, when the dealer is apparently holding up the winning card, and when the cards of your suit are of equal value, it is safer to overtake your partner’s card than to risk his being unable to continue the lead. ”

“ When dummy is the maker, the trump lead from weakness through the strong hand gives your partner the advantage of position; but it is safer play to win the first trick, if possible, and decide on your subsequent play after seeing the dummy hand.
Avoid leading trumps to your partner if you hold the ace, the king, or the queen of trumps guarded; your partner may have doubled on high suit cards with but little strength in trumps.
In leading trumps from weakness always lead the highest card, so that your partner can discover the distribution of the suit, and place the dealer’s trumps. ”

“ Moving both into one file or row is called doubling them. Try to clear your P’s away in those files in which you can attack the K with your M’s. When you advance a P, consider if your opponent will take it with his P or push his on.
Do not exchange pieces unless you obtain an advantage by doing it, but when you have an advantage, then do it as often as possible. Sometimes you can with advantage give an M for an N or an O.
If one of your men is attacked and you cannot defend it, then try to make a counter-attack, and always consider the subsequent moves. ”