Wilson, Xavier, Yoeman and Zenger were playing a card game, in which three cards, from each player's holding, remained to be played; and in which one of the four suits - clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades (denoted respectively as C, D, H and S)- was the high suit. A high suit is just like a trump suit in many card games.

The play of four cards, one from each player's holding was a trick, and the suit of the card played first in a trick was the suit led.

[1] The distribution of the four suits on the cards held by the four players was as follows:

Wilson's  holding -- C   H   D
Xavier's  holding -- C   S   S
Yoeman's  holding -- C   H   H
Zenger's  holding -- S   D   D

[2a] A player had to play a card in the suit led, if possible, at each trick.
[2b] If [2a] is not possible, he had to play a high suit.
[2c] If [2b] is also not possible, then he could play any card.
[3] Each of the remaining three tricks contained in part: the suit card led, just one other card in the same suit as led, and a high suit card which won the trick.
[4] A player who won a trick had to lead at the next trick.

Which suit was the high suit?

DECLARE SUB playIt (trick!, player!)
DIM SHARED suits AS STRING, hs AS STRING, firstplayer, hsplayer(3)
DIM SHARED phand(4) AS STRING, plr(3) AS STRING, played(3) AS STRING, leadp
suits = "chsd"
CLS
FOR highsuit = 1 TO 4
 hs = MID$(suits, highsuit, 1)
 FOR leadp = 1 TO 4
   phand(1) = "chd"
   phand(2) = "css"
   phand(3) = "chh"
   phand(4) = "sdd"
 
   firstplayer = leadp
   playIt 1, firstplayer
 NEXT
NEXT

SUB playIt (trick, player)
   DIM handhold AS STRING
'   PRINT trick, player
   IF player = firstplayer THEN
      FOR i = 1 TO LEN(phand(player))
        handhold = phand(player)
        phand(player) = LEFT$(handhold, i - 1) + MID$(handhold, i + 1)
        plr(trick) = MID$("WXYZ", player, 1)
        played(trick) = MID$(handhold, i, 1)
        IF firstplayer = 1 THEN
          playIt trick, 2
        ELSE
          playIt trick, 1
        END IF
        phand(player) = handhold
      NEXT
   ELSE
     ixled = INSTR(phand(player), LEFT$(played(trick), 1))
     IF ixled THEN
        handhold = phand(player)
        phand(player) = LEFT$(handhold, ixled - 1) + MID$(handhold, ixled + 1)
        plr(trick) = plr(trick) + MID$("WXYZ", player, 1)
        played(trick) = played(trick) + MID$(handhold, ixled, 1)
        IF MID$(handhold, ixled, 1) = hs THEN hsplayer(trick) = player
        IF player = 4 OR player = 3 AND firstplayer = 4 THEN
          GOSUB checkIt
          IF good THEN
             IF trick = 3 THEN
               GOSUB reportIt
             ELSE
               IF hsplayer(trick) > 0 THEN
                fpsave = firstplayer
                firstplayer = hsplayer(trick)
                playIt trick + 1, firstplayer
                firstplayer = fpsave
               END IF
             END IF
          END IF
        ELSE
          IF player + 1 = firstplayer THEN
           playIt trick, player + 2
          ELSE
           playIt trick, player + 1
          END IF
        END IF
        plr(trick) = LEFT$(plr(trick), LEN(plr(trick)) - 1)
        played(trick) = LEFT$(played(trick), LEN(played(trick)) - 1)
        phand(player) = handhold
     ELSE
      ixhigh = INSTR(phand(player), hs)
      IF ixhigh THEN
         handhold = phand(player)
         phand(player) = LEFT$(handhold, ixhigh - 1) + MID$(handhold, ixhigh + 1)
         plr(trick) = plr(trick) + MID$("WXYZ", player, 1)
         played(trick) = played(trick) + MID$(handhold, ixhigh, 1)
         IF MID$(handhold, ixhigh, 1) = hs THEN hsplayer(trick) = player
         IF player = 4 OR player = 3 AND firstplayer = 4 THEN
            GOSUB checkIt
            IF good THEN
              IF trick = 3 THEN
                GOSUB reportIt
              ELSE
                IF hsplayer(trick) > 0 THEN
                 fpsave = firstplayer
                 firstplayer = hsplayer(trick)
                 playIt trick + 1, firstplayer
                 firstplayer = fpsave
                END IF
              END IF
            END IF
         ELSE
           IF player + 1 = firstplayer THEN
            playIt trick, player + 2
           ELSE
            playIt trick, player + 1
           END IF
         END IF
         plr(trick) = LEFT$(plr(trick), LEN(plr(trick)) - 1)
         played(trick) = LEFT$(played(trick), LEN(played(trick)) - 1)
         phand(player) = handhold
      ELSE
        FOR i = 1 TO LEN(phand(player))
          handhold = phand(player)
          phand(player) = LEFT$(handhold, i - 1) + MID$(handhold, i + 1)
          plr(trick) = plr(trick) + MID$("WXYZ", player, 1)
          played(trick) = played(trick) + MID$(handhold, i, 1)

          IF player = 4 OR player = 3 AND firstplayer = 4 THEN
            GOSUB checkIt
            IF good THEN
              IF trick = 3 THEN
                GOSUB reportIt
              ELSE
               IF hsplayer(trick) > 0 THEN
                 fpsave = firstplayer
                 firstplayer = hsplayer(trick)
                 playIt trick + 1, firstplayer
                 firstplayer = fpsave
               END IF
              END IF
            END IF
          ELSE
           IF player + 1 = firstplayer THEN
            playIt trick, player + 2
           ELSE
            playIt trick, player + 1
           END IF
          END IF
         
          phand(player) = handhold
          plr(trick) = LEFT$(plr(trick), LEN(plr(trick)) - 1)
          played(trick) = LEFT$(played(trick), LEN(played(trick)) - 1)
        NEXT
      END IF

     END IF
  
   END IF

EXIT SUB

checkIt:

  good = 1
  ixchk = INSTR(2, played(trick), MID$(played(trick), 1, 1))
  IF ixchk = 0 THEN good = 0
  IF ixchk > 0 THEN
    ixchk = INSTR(MID$(played(trick), ixchk + 1), MID$(played(trick), 1, 1))
    IF ixchk > 0 THEN good = 0
  END IF
  IF INSTR(MID$(played(trick), 2), hs) = 0 THEN good = 0

RETURN

reportIt:
   PRINT "   "; plr(1); " "; plr(2); " "; plr(3); " "
   PRINT leadp; played(1); " "; played(2); " "; played(3); " "; hs
   PRINT
RETURN

END SUB

finds these scenarios that work, all with Diamonds as the high suit:

  WXYZ ZWXY WXYZ
1 hchd sdsh cscd d

  WXYZ ZWXY WXYZ
1 hshd sdsc cchd d

  WXYZ ZWXY WXYZ
1 hshd sdsc cchd d

  YWXZ ZWXY WXYZ
3 hhcd sdsh cscd d

  YWXZ ZWXY WXYZ
3 hhsd sdsc cchd d

  YWXZ ZWXY WXYZ
3 hhsd sdsc cchd d

  YWXZ ZWXY WXYZ
3 hhcd sdsh cscd d

  YWXZ ZWXY WXYZ
3 hhsd sdsc cchd d

  YWXZ ZWXY WXYZ
3 hhsd sdsc cchd d

To take the last scenario, what is being said by the above format is:

The 3rd player (Yoeman) leads the first trick, playing a heart, with Wilson, Xavier and Zenger playing heart, spade and diamond respectively in that trick. In the second trick, Zenger leads with a spade and Wilson, Xavier and Yeoman follow with diamond, spade and club respectively. In the third trick, Wilson leads with a club and Xavier, Yeoman and Zenger follow with club, heart and diamond respectively. Again, diamond was the high suit.

Posted by Charlie on 2014-01-29 18:55:46