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HANDICAP

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 916 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HANDICAP (from the expression See also:

hand in cap, referring to See also:drawing lots), a disadvantageous See also:condition imposed upon the See also:superior competitor in See also:sports and See also:games, or an See also:advantage allowed the inferior, in See also:order to equalize the chances of both. The See also:character of the handicap depends upon the nature of the See also:sport. Thus in See also:horse-racing the better horse must carry the heavier See also:weight. In See also:foot races the inferior runners are allowed to start at certain distances in advance of the best (or " scratch ") See also:man, according to their previous records. In distance competitions (weights, See also:fly-casting, See also:jumping, &c.) the inferior contestants add certain distances to their scores. In See also:time contests (See also:yachting, See also:canoe-racing, &c.) the weaker or smaller competitors subtract certain periods of time from that actually made, reckoned by the mile. In stroke contests (e.g. See also:golf) a certain number of strokes are subtracted from or added to the scores, according to the strength of the players. In See also:chess and See also:draughts the stronger competitor may See also:play without one or more pieces. In See also:court games (See also:tennis, See also:lawn-tennis, See also:racquets, &c.) and in See also:billiards certain points, or percentage of points, are accorded the weaker players. Handicapping was applied to horse-racing as See also:early as ,68o, though the word was not used in this connexion much before the See also:middle of the 18th See also:century. A " See also:Post and Handy-Cap Match " is described in See also:Pond's Racing See also:Calendar for 1754. A reference to something similar in See also:Germany and Scandinavia, called Freimarkt, may be found in Germania, vol. xix.

Competitions in which handicaps are given are called handicap-events or handicaps. There are many systems which depend upon the whim of the individual competitors. 'Thus a tennis player may offer to play against his inferior with a selzer-See also:

bottle instead of a racquet; or a golfer to play with only one See also:club; or a chess-player to make his moves without seeing the See also:board. The name " handicap " was taken from an See also:ancient See also:English See also:game, to which See also:Pepys, in his See also:Diary under the date of the 18th of See also:September 166o, ,thus refers:" Here some of us See also:fell to handicap, a sport that I never knew before, which was very See also:good." This game, which became obsolete in the ,9th century, was described as early as the 14th in Piers the Plowman under the name of " New Faire." It was originally played by three persons, one of whom proposed to " See also:challenge," or See also:exchange, some piece of See also:property belonging to another for something of his own. The challenge being accepted an See also:umpire was chosen, and all three put up a sum of See also:money as a forfeit. The two players then placed their right hands in a cap, or in their pockets, in which there was loose money, while the umpire proceeded to describe the two See also:objects of exchange, and to declare what sum of money the owner of the inferior See also:article should pay as a See also:bonus to the other. This See also:declaration was made as rapidly as possible and ended with the invitation, " Draw, gentlemen!" Each player then withdrew and held out his hand, which he opened. If both hands contained money the exchange was effected according to the conditions laid down by the umpire, who then took the forfeit money for himself. If neither hand contained money the exchange was declined and the umpire took the forfeit money. If only one player signified his See also:acceptance of the exchange by holding money in his hand, he was entitled to the forfeit-money, though the exchange was not made. Handicap was also the name of an old game at See also:cards, now obsolete. It resembled the game of See also:Loo, and probably derived its name from the ancient sport described above.

End of Article: HANDICAP

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