What force do you apply to pull a tablecloth from under silverware and plates withour displacing them?

You are demonstrating the law of inertia when you do that. The law states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by another force (the converse of the law states that an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by another force). You are trying to make the inertia stronger then the friction of you removing the tablecloth. Good luck, it's difficult to do.