Setup
Deal 13 cards each. You (South) and North are partners against East and West. Count your high-card points: Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, Jack 1. The pack holds 40; about 12 is enough to open the bidding.
The auction
Starting with the dealer, each player bids, passes or doubles. A bid is a number of tricks over six plus a trump suit or No Trump: 2♥ means 8 tricks with hearts as trumps.
Each bid must beat the last: a higher number, or the same number in a higher strain (♣ ♦ ♥ ♠ NT, low to high). Three passes in a row end the auction, and the last bid is the contract. If all four pass, the cards are redealt.
Declarer and dummy
The declarer is the partner who first named the contract's strain, not necessarily the last to bid. The player on declarer's left leads, then the dummy (declarer's partner) lays their hand face up, and declarer plays both hands.
The play
Follow the suit led if you can, or play any card. The highest trump wins, or else the highest card of the suit led. In No Trump there are no trumps.
Scoring
- Make the contract and your side scores per trick bid: 20 in ♣ ♦, 30 in ♥ ♠, and in No Trump 40 for the first trick then 30.
- Reaching 100 in one contract (3NT, 4♥, 4♠, 5♣, 5♦) earns a game bonus. 12 or 13 tricks bid and made are slams.
- Fall short and the defenders score for each trick you're down. Doubles and vulnerability raise the stakes.
Chicago
The app scores bridge as Chicago: four deals with nobody vulnerable, then the dealer's side twice, then both. Most points wins.
Tips to win
- Turn on guided bidding in Settings: the app highlights the suggested call, and you can press and hold any call to see what it means.
- As declarer, count your sure winners before playing to trick one.
- With trumps, draw the opponents' trumps early unless you need them to ruff in dummy.
FAQ
Do I need a partner to play bridge?
Not in our app. You play against three computer opponents, and you play your partner's hand whenever your side declares.
Which bidding system does the app use?
Standard American (SAYC) for all four players.
Ready to play Bridge?
Free, offline, no signup. Learn the rest at the table with built-in hints.
