BRIDGE, a game of cards, originally known as "bridge whist." The game is prob ably of Eastern origin, similar to the Turkish and Egyptian "Khedive." In Russia'it is known as and under the name of "Russian Whist" or "Bridge," it became popular in Lon don about 1894. There are two main varieties: Ordinary game is played with an ordinary pack of 52 cards, the rank being from Ace to Two, with the Ten lower than the Knave. Two sets of partners play, the sides and seating being chosen by cutting. The player who cuts the lowest card deals, passing the cards singly from the dealer's left. The trump or no-trump declaration is made by the dealer or his partner without consultation. After the declaration, either adversary may double, i.e., making each trick worth twice as much as originally agreed upon, but leaving scores for honors, chicane and slams unaltered. The dealer and his partner then have the right to redouble, making each trick worth four times as much. This redoubling may continue until a 100-point maximum has been reached. The players deal in turn.
The player on the left of the dealer plays a card. The dealer's partner's hand is then ex posed on the table and the subsequent play pro ceeds as in "whist* (q.v.) with a "dummy." The owner of the exposed hand, or "dummy," may take no part in the game except (1) to tell his partner from which hand to lead; (2) to ask the dealer whether he has a card of a suit which he has renounced. The dummy may be penalized for the infringement of these rules only. Non-dealers, other than the dummyi may be penalized for revoking, failing to play a trick and receiving information improperly conveyed from the dummy. Various penalties may be inflicted for revoking. The players who first make 30 points win. The players who first win two games win the rubber. The hand is always played out.
The score is kept as follows: The first six tricks won by two partners count nothing, but every subsequent trick counts a certain number of points, according to the suit which has been declared trump: a trick in spades counts two, clubs four, diamonds six, hearts eight, no trumps 12. The honors are dealt with sep arately and are not counted until the rubber is ended. In a suit declaration, there are five honors: ace, king, queen, knave and 10 of the selected suit. Partners holding three honors score twice the value of a trick in the trump suit; for four honors, four times the value; for five, five times the value. If one player
holds four honors, his side scores eight times the value of the trump suit ; if all five honors, 10 times the value; and if he has four honors, and his partner the fifth, they score nine times the value. The value of the honor therefore depends on the value of the trump suit. These values are constant, remaining unaffected by doubling. If two partners win all of the tricks, they make the "Grand Slam," and add 40 to their honor score. If they win all tricks but one, they make a °Little Slam," and add 20 to their score. If a player has no card of the trump suit, he makes and adds twice the value of the trump suit trick to his score. The winners of the rubber add 100 points to their score. At the conclusion of the rubber, each side adds up its total score, including honors. The lesser score is taken from the greater, and the difference is the number of points won or lost.
Auction A variety of bridge in which the play is the same as in ordinary bridge, with a few differences. The values of the tricks are slightly changed as follows: Spades t#u points, clubs six, diamonds seven, hearts eight; lilies or royals 10. The method of declaration is different, also. It is not con fined to the dealer and his partner, but the dealer must contract to win at least one trick more than the book of six, and then each player in turn has the privilege of passing the previous bid or doubling, redoubling, overcalling by making a higher bid, any number of times until all are satisfied, the final play resting with the partners making the final declaration. The partner who made the first call plays the hand, the other being dummy. In counting only the declarer and his partner may score points: If he fails to fulfill his contract, his adversaries win 50 points as honors, or 100 or 200, if dou bled or redoubled. For winning his bid, the player receives a bonus of 50 points in his honor score; winning the rubber adds 250 points.
Foster, (Complete Bridge) (New York 1908) ; Elwell, (New York 1908) ; Hingley, Bridge) (London 1910) • Forbes-Lindsay, Book of Bridge and Auction for Beginner and Ex pert) (Philadelphia 1911) ; Foster, (Royal Auc tion Bridge) (New York 1912).