Bridge – Rules

Play Bridge against the computer

1. Overview

What is it about? Bridge is considered the king of card games and is played in clubs and tournaments worldwide. First comes the auction: the pairs bid how many tricks they will take with which trump suit (or no trumps). The highest bid becomes the contract. The declarer then plays their own cards and the face-up cards of their partner, the “dummy”.

2. Cards and material

• Pack: 52 French cards without jokers.
• Ranking (high → low): A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
• Order of strains in bidding (low → high): clubs ♣, diamonds ♦, hearts ♥, spades ♠, no trumps (NT).
• Minor suits are clubs and diamonds, major suits hearts and spades.
• No card points: Only tricks count.
• Face up and face down: Hand cards concealed, dummy's cards face up, tricks face down in front of each player.
• Extra material: Score pad (left “We”, right “They”).

3. Preparation and start

1. Pairs: Partners sit opposite each other.
2. Dealer: By lot; after that the deal passes clockwise.
3. Deal: Everyone gets 13 cards, one at a time clockwise.
4. Sort and evaluate: Many players count high-card points (ace 4, king 3, queen 2, jack 1) to judge their strength.
5. Auction: The dealer starts the bidding (see below).

Start example: You deal. You have 15 high-card points and five spades – enough to open “1 spade”.

4. Goal and winning

• Contract: Declarer and partner must take 6 + level tricks (e.g. 4 spades = 10 tricks).
• Made: The pair scores trick points and bonuses.
• Defeated: The opponents score penalty points for each missing trick.
• Game: In Chicago, the pair with the most points after 4 deals wins.

5. Play in detail

The auction.

1. In turn, starting with the dealer, each player makes a bid, says pass, double or redouble.
2. A bid consists of a level (1 to 7) and a strain, e.g. “2 hearts” = 8 tricks with hearts as trumps.
3. Each bid must be higher than the last: a higher level, or the same level in a higher strain.
4. Double doubles the score of an opponents' bid; redouble doubles again.
5. After three passes in a row the auction ends. The last bid is the contract.
6. If all four pass at once, redeal.

Declarer and dummy. The declarer is the player of the pair who first named the contract's strain. Their partner is dummy.

The play.

1. The player left of the declarer leads to the first trick.
2. Then dummy spreads their cards face up.
3. Follow suit if possible; otherwise you may trump or discard.
4. The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.
5. The declarer plays dummy's cards. Whoever wins a trick leads – including the dummy position.

Example with Players 1 to 4. Order: Player 1, 2, 4, 3. Player 4 is Player 1's partner.

1. Auction: Player 1 “1 spade”, Player 2 “pass”, Player 4 “2 spades”, Player 3 “pass”, Player 1 “4 spades”, all pass. Contract: 4 spades, Player 1 is declarer.
2. Player 2 sits to Player 1's left and leads the king of diamonds. Player 4 lays his cards face up as dummy.
3. Player 1 plays the 3 of diamonds from dummy, Player 3 the 7 of diamonds, Player 1 wins with the ace of diamonds.
4. Player 1 leads trumps until the opponents have no spades left, then cashes his heart tricks.
5. In the end Player 1 has 10 tricks: contract made. Players 1 and 4 score 4 × 30 = 120 trick points and, having reached 100, the game bonus of 300 (not vulnerable) = 420 points.

6. Scoring

Trick points (per trick over 6, when the contract is made):

Bonuses:

Penalty points for the opponents (per missing trick, undoubled): 50 not vulnerable, 100 vulnerable. Doubled, penalties rise steeply (e.g. 100, 300, 500 … not vulnerable).

• Game contracts: 3 NT, 4 hearts/spades, 5 clubs/diamonds.
• Chicago: deal 1 nobody vulnerable, deals 2 and 3 the dealer's side vulnerable, deal 4 both.

7. Special rules and situations

• Doubles: Doubling doubles trick points; a doubled contract made earns an extra 50 points.
• Dummy: Dummy may not take part or give hints; they may only point out rule breaches.
• Revoke: A player who fails to follow suit when they could and doesn't correct it in time usually gives up one or two tricks.
• Leading from the wrong hand: The declarer must lead from the hand that won the last trick.
• All pass: Redeal.
• Common mistakes: bidding too high; not drawing trumps early enough; forgetting which hand to lead from.

8. Variants

Standard in this description: Contract bridge with Chicago scoring over 4 deals.

When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone you play with the player opposite as your partner over 2, 4 (Chicago) or 8 deals.

9. Tips for beginners

1. Count high-card points: Open from about 12 points; 25 points together usually make a game.
2. Show long suits: Open in your longest suit.
3. Prefer majors: 4 hearts or 4 spades is easier than 5 clubs or 5 diamonds.
4. Plan before the first trick: Count sure winners and losers before playing.
5. Draw trumps: As declarer, usually pull the opponents' trumps early.
6. Defence: Lead the suit your partner bid.
7. Be patient: Bridge is best learned step by step, for example with Minibridge.

10. Summary in 10 steps

1. 52 cards, two pairs, partners opposite.
2. 13 cards each.
3. Auction from the dealer: level + strain, pass, double.
4. Each bid higher than the last; three passes end it.
5. Contract: 6 + level tricks.
6. The first to name the strain is declarer.
7. Left of declarer leads, then dummy goes face up.
8. Follow suit; highest trump or highest card wins.
9. Made: trick points and bonuses; defeated: penalties for the opponents.
10. After 4 deals (Chicago) the pair with most points wins.

11. Frequently asked questions

How many tricks for “3 no trumps”?

Nine: 6 plus level 3.

Who plays dummy's cards?

The declarer. The partner just lays down the cards and waits.

What does “vulnerable” mean?

A vulnerable pair earns higher bonuses but also pays higher penalties.

May I trump although I hold the suit?

No. You must follow suit if you can.

How do I learn bidding?

Easiest with a widely used system such as “Standard American” or “Acol”, and with Minibridge as a starting point.

How long does a Chicago take?

Four deals take about half an hour.

Origin & history

Bridge developed from whist. Today's form, contract bridge, was invented by Harold Vanderbilt in 1925 on a cruise. In the 1930s it triggered a worldwide boom. Today there are world championships and an international umbrella organisation (World Bridge Federation).