MindZine - Bridge

Bridge is one of the most enduring and popular games in the world. For over 100 years since it was first invented, people of all types from all walks of life, from Martina Navratilova to Jeremy Paxman, Omar Sharif to Radiohead, 9 year-old to 90 year-old, have been fascinated by the game. It is one of the most popular participation sports in Britain, with around three million people playing on a regular basis.

Why is bridge so enthralling?

It's hard to put into words just what it is about bridge - you really need to try it! Part of the attraction is that it can be played by everyone, from all walks of life and of all ages together. It is a very sociable game - anyone can join a club, meet new people and make new friends in an environment where there are no social pressures and where everyone is treated as an equal. But the main reason is the challenge which bridge offers - every single deal is different, every one poses a new problem and taunts you to find the solution! It's frustrating when you don't rise to the challenge, but tremendous when you are successful - whether through finding a great technical play or by outwitting your opponents.

How does it work?

Bridge is a partnership game for four people deriving from the much older game of whist. It uses a standard pack of 52 cards in four suits, 13 of which are randomly dealt to each player in each deal. The objective is for each partnership to win as many tricks as possible, each trick comprising one card from each of the four hands dealt. Tricks can be won by high cards - aces are high, followed by the other honour cards, king, queen and jack and then the 10 down to the 2 - or by trumps, cards of a designated suit which always outrank cards in any other suit. Each deal consists of two distinct stages - the bidding and the play of the cards to the tricks. During the bidding the trump suit is decided and a target number of tricks is set, which must be won before any points can be scored for the side winning the contract.

What makes bridge different from whist is that there is a dummy - one of the four hands which is placed face up for all to see during the card-playing stage. This is always the hand which partners the declarer - the player who has won the auction and contracted to take a particular number of tricks - always more than half the total of 13 available. The other two players form the defenders, whose aim is to prevent the contract being made.

The bidding is conducted in a special bridge language where the words are the same all over the world, but the meanings given to the bids made can vary enormously. Much of the skill at this stage is in making sure you and your partner 'talk the same language' - that you mean the same things by your bids. There's plenty of scope for misunderstandings here and bridge players have been known to be quite vociferous in arguing for their own interpretation! The card play stage requires all kinds of skills - planning, counting, reasoning, working out probabilities and often a bit of cunning and deception as well. Again there's a need for teamwork - the defending side has to pull together if they are to do well.

When a player first looks at his hand, he needs to assess how good it is - how likely is it to take lots of tricks in conjunction with partner's hand? Obviously, the honour cards are important, so we assign a value to each of them - 4 points for an ace, 3 for a king, 2 for a queen and 1 for a jack. This same method of valuation is used in MiniBridge as well - the simplified form of the game which is generally taught as an introduction to bridge. The total points in a hand gives a pretty good idea of its strength, though possession of a long suit - 5 or 6 or more cards in one suit - can also be very useful, especially if you can contrive for that suit to be trumps.

Isn't it really just a gambling game though, based on the luck of the cards?

Absolutely not. There is some luck in any one deal, though over a period of time this should even out. But there is a form of the game - duplicate bridge - which eliminates the luck element completely. This is because the same deals are played by different partnerships - the hands are duplicated to allow this, which sounds rather complicated to organise but actually isn't at all. So you are just trying to do better than others holding exactly the same cards - pure skill, in fact, with no element of betting or gambling. Duplicate bridge is not a mere 'game of cards' - it is played at many schools where 'cards' are banned but bridge is encouraged because its educational value is recognised. This is the sort of bridge promoted by the English Bridge Union (EBU), the governing body for duplicate bridge in this country.

Duplicate bridge is a real 'sport of the mind', as evidenced by the fact that it has recently been recognised by the International Olympic Committee, the first step towards its inclusion in the Olympic Games. It is as keenly contested as any sport with national, European and World Championships. There are open, women's, mixed and junior events - indeed, the British Ladies team are the current European Champions.

How does one learn more?

There have been an enormous number of books written on bridge, covering all aspects of the game for all levels of player. You might think of trying to learn to play from one of these, but we don't advise it. Whilst bridge is not really difficult, there is quite a lot to learn at first. It is much better to go to classes where you will be taught the basics in digestible chunks and learn through practice and playing. You may find details of classes run by local adult education institutes at your local library, or there may be a bridge club or a private teacher running classes in your neighbourhood. If you are a student, why not try to persuade your school or college to introduce bridge?

Our Learning Zone

Within the Learning Zone you will find hand evaluations by Brian Senior, these are a useful learning tools. We also have a question and answer section, so there is help on hand if you need it.

To find out more, please contact your National Bridge Organisation. Their address and a contact name is available on Internet at http://bridge.ecats.co.uk