The Theory And Practice Of Gamesmanship; Or, The Art Of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating

By Stephen Potter

Gamesmanship as a civilised art is as old as the competitive spirit in man. It is polite psychological warfare. It is the moral equivalent of assault and battery. It is, as the subject of this book points out, The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating. Anyone who has ever played any games for keeps has discovered the Gamesman either in himself or in an opponent. In its simplest terms the poker player’s bluff is a device of gamesmanship. While winning games without actually cheating may seem to some scrupulous sportmen to be treading the fair-play borderline, the author points out ‘The true Gamesman is always the Good Sportsman.’ If you find your game is slipping, whatever it might be-golf, tennis, bridge, poker, chess, craps or croquet-this is the book for you. Apply the power of the ‘ploy’ or, as we would say, the ‘Indian sign.’ After reading Gamesmanship you, too, can win without actually cheating.—Print Ed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hauraki Publishing
• Release date: Nov 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781786256782

Stephen Potter

Stephen Potter was born in 1900 and educated at Westminster School and Merton College, Oxford, where he read English. In 1926 he became a lecturer in English at London University, and in 1938 he joined staff of the B.B.C. as a writer-producer. There he became editor of literary features and poetry, and in 1943 Chairman of the Literary Committee. His principal programmes were the How series (with Joyce Grenfell) and the Professional Portraits, and he was originator and editor of the New Judgement series. He was also dramatic critic of the New Statesman, book critic of the News Chronicle and editor of the Leader Magazine. Stephen Potter died in 1969.

Book preview

THE ART OF WINNING GAMES WITHOUT ACTUALLY CHEATING

BY

STEPHEN POTTER (AUTHOR)

AND

FRANK WILSON (ILLUSTRATOR)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 4

I—INTRODUCTORY 5

Origins. 6

8th June 1931. 6

II—THE PRE-GAME 9

How to Start: The Flurry 9

Clothesmanship. 11

Counter-Gamesmanship. 11

III—THE GAME ITSELF 14

Some Basic Plays 14

Sportsmanship Play. 14

Playing-for-Fun Play. 15

Nice Chapmanship. 15

Audience Play. 15

Ruggership and Ruggership Counter-play. 16

Counterpoint. 17

My To-morrow’s Match. 18

Game Leg (also known as Crocked Ankle Play, or Gamesman’s Leg). 19

Jack Rivers Opening. 21

IV—WINMANSHIP 23

A Note on Concentration. 23

When to Give Advice. 23

When to be Lucky. 24

V—LUNCHEONSHIP 27

Believe, Trust, Want. 27

Drinkmanship. 27

Guestmanship. 28

VI—LOSEMANSHIP 30

The Primary Hamper. 30

Potter’s Improvement on the Primitive Hamper. 31

The Secondary Hamper. 32

Hampettes. 38

The Natural Hampette. 38

VII—GAME BY GAME 41

GOLF 41

1. Splitting. 41

2. Caddie Play. 42

An Isolated Instance. 43

Simpson’s Statue. 43

BILLIARDS AND SNOOKER 44

Snooker-player’s Drivel. 45

SQUASH-RACKETS 45

BRIDGE AND POKER 45

1. Intimidation. 46

2. Two Simple Bridge Exercises for Beginners. 47

3. Split Bridge. 48

LAWN TENNIS 48

HOME GAMES 49

Terminologies. 49

My Man Over the Hill. 50

CHESS 51

Regardez la Dame Play. 51

Potter’s Opening. 51

Chess and Parentship, or Gamesplay against Children. 52

Basic Chess Play. 53

Johnsonian Capture. 53

DARTS AND SHOVE-HALFPENNY 53

CRICKET 54

VIII—LOST GAME PLAY 55

Bookmanism. 55

Use of Bookmanism in Opponent’s Putt-Play. 56

IX—GAMESMANIA 58

RANDOM JOTTINGS OF AN OLD GAMESMAN 58

A QUEER MATCH 59

GAMESMANSHIP AND LIFE 61

APPENDIX I—THE KÖNINCK PORTRAIT OF DR. W. G. GRACE 62

APPENDIX II—NOTE ON ETIQUETTE 64

APPENDIX III—CHAPTER HEADINGS FROM ORIGINS AND EARLY HISTORY OF GAMESMANSHIP 65

APPENDIX IV—DIET 66

APPENDIX V—SOME EXTRACTS FROM THE GAMESMAN’S HANDBOOK FOR 1949 67

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 71

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

EXTERIOR OF LORD PLUMMER’S FIVES-COURT, ADJOINING HORSES

FIG.

DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING LAWN TENNIS INCIDENT ON 8TH JUNE 1931

SKETCH PLAN TO SHOW SPECIMEN WRONG ROUTE FROM MAIDA VALE TO DULWICH COVERED COURTS

CLOTHESMANSHIP: WRONG CLOTHES IN WHICH MISS E. WATSON BEAT MRS. DE GREIM IN THE FINALS OF THE WATERLOO CUP CROQUET TOURNEY, 18TH AUGUST, 1902

SAMUEL’S CHAMPIONSHIP AND GOLDEN PERFECTO GOLF TEES

DIAGRAM OF TENNIS COURT TO ILLUSTRATE THE FRITH-MORTEROY COUNTER

DIAGRAM OF BILLIARDS TABLE TO SHOW DISGUISED FLUKE PLAY

DIAGRAM OF GOLF HOLE TO ILLUSTRATE BETTER BALLMANSHIP

ADVANCED SECONDARY HAMPER (1)

ADVANCED SECONDARY HAMPER (2)

SIMPSON’S STATUE: THE BILLIARDS POSITION

ADVANCED SIMPSON’S STATUE: THE GOLF POSITION, WITH REVERSED ARMS IRRITANT

BRIDGE HAND: DISTRIBUTION AFTER TYPICAL MEYNELL MIS-DEAL

THE BASKERVILLE LAWN TENNIS-MARKER FOR IMPARTING ASYMMETRY TO HOME COURTS

CHESS: POTTER’S OPENING

ILLUSTRATION FROM WEIL’S PRINCE OF PUTTING, WITH WORD OF CAUTION

THE KÖNINCK PORTRAIT OF W. G. GRACE

SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF GAMESMEN’S ASSOCIATIONS IN THREE TYPICAL COUNTIES

GRAPH SHOWING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEAN BIRD GAMESMANSHIP AND MEAN GAME BIRDMANSHIP

I—INTRODUCTORY

Exterior of Lord Plummer’s Fives-Court Adjoining Hoses

IF I HAVE been urged by my friends to take up my pen, for once, to write of this subject—so difficult in detail yet so simple in all its fundamental aspects—I do so on one condition. That I may be allowed to say as strongly as possible that although my name has been associated with this queer word gamesmanship, yet talk of priority in this kind of context is almost meaningless.

It is true that in the twenties certain notes passed between H. Farjeon and myself. But equally notes passed between H. Farjeon and F. Meynell. It is true that in March 1933 I conceived and wrote down the word gamesmanship in a letter to Meynell. Speaking of a forthcoming lawn tennis match against two difficult opponents, I said …we must employ gamesmanship.

It is true also that I was the most regular visitor—chairman would imply a formality which scarcely existed in those early days of argle-bargle and friendly disagreement—at the meetings which took place in pub parlour or empty billiard hall between G. Odoreida, Meynell, Wayfarer and myself. It is true that it was in these discussions that we evolved a basis of tactic and even plotted out a first rough field of stratagem which determined the centres of development from which the new technique spread in ever-widening circles. Small beginnings, indeed, for a movement which has spread so far from the confines of the country, and has shown itself too big to be contained by the World of Games for which it was fashioned.

But after the first formulation the spade-work was certainly done as much by Meynell and a few other devoted collaborators as by myself. And how well—wise after the event—we realise, now, from his practice and example, that Farjeon had the gist of the thing under his nose—the essential factors, the actions and reactions of the whole problem, without having the luck to see the patterning alignment, the overall theory, which made them make sense.

And yet had it not been for the dogged spade-work of Farjeon in the middle twenties, we should none of us now be enjoying the advantages of a theory which devolves as naturally from those meticulously collected data of his as Rutherford’s enunciation of atomic structure derived from the experiments of that once obscure chemist Mierff.

Origins.

What is gamesmanship? Most difficult of questions to answer briefly. The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating—that is my personal working definition. What is its object? There have been five hundred books written on the subject of games. Five hundred books on play and the tactics of play. Not one on the art of winning.

I well remember the gritty floor and the damp roller-towels of the changing-room where the idea of writing this book came to me. Yet my approach to the thing had been gradual.

There had been much that had puzzled me—I am speaking now of 1928—in the tension of our games of ping-pong at the Meynells’. Before that there had been the ardours and endurances of friendly lawn tennis at the Farjeons’ house near Forest Hill, where Farjeon had wrought such havoc among so many visitors, by his careful construction of a home court, by the use he made of the net with the unilateral sag, or with a back line at the hawthorn end so nearly, yet not exactly, six inches wider than the back line at the sticky end. There had been a

Reviews for The Theory And Practice Of Gamesmanship; Or, The Art Of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating

[myykkall · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

very amusing, truthful to this day.

[tripleblessings_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An amusing short book about tricky ways to win at games and sports, by bluffing and distracting the opponent. Written in a complex satirical style in imitation of many serious pre-WWII books about sports and games - first published in 1947. Refers to games of tennis, billiards, golf, bridge, poker, chess, darts, cricket and so on. Good fun.

[montano_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious psychological warfare tips from England. It helps to understand English culture to fully appreciate the bits (some went over my head) but still relevant today!

[bensdad00 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dated and extremely British but sprinkled with a few chuckles and laughs. Interesting to see the evolution of some of these topics and how they have been reused through the years by other authors.

[cecrow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Picked this up cheap at a book sale, not really knowing what it was. I was a third of the way through before I began to suspect it was intentionally humourous. Nothing actually confirms that in my edition, but for the inside back cover. It's so well written, in such a true-to-type style, I was completely hoodwinked. If I hadn't clued in sooner, the section on Chess would have given it away; I love the Potter Opening and other recommended approaches for garnering a sparkling reputation over the board while having no real talent whatsoever. Even not being a particular enthusiast of most of the sports mentioned, I could well imagine the author's advice being applied to my own games of choice. Don't miss the appendices, which divulge some particularly good examples of gamesmanship in action.

[adpaton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first, and by far the best, in Stephen Potter's Gamesmanship series, this is one of the funniest books I have ever read.It was published just after the war, in 1947, and is a reflection of the British humour of that time - on a par with Lawrence Durrell's Chancery stories and the incomparable Michael Green with his Coarse series.What makes Gamesmanship so funny is that it makes perfect sense and is merely a formalised account of the niggling little ways we try and put down our oppoenents and boost our own esteem - sub-conscious psychological warfare.Once it has been pointed out however, it takes a brave - or conscienseless - sportsman to deliberatly bring the gambits and wheezes into play!