1. Overview
Contract Bridge is a 4-player trick-taking card game played in partnerships: North & South (You & Fermat) vs. East & West (Descartes & Pascal).
2. Bidding Phase, Double & Redouble
Players bid clockwise starting from the randomized Dealer. A bid consists of a level (1 to 7) and a strain (♣ Clubs, ♦ Diamonds, ♥ Hearts, ♠ Spades, or NT No-Trump). Higher level bids or higher suit ranks (♣ < ♦ < ♥ < ♠ < NT) supersede lower bids.
Double & Redouble Options:
- Double (X): If an opposing team bids a contract that you believe they cannot fulfill, you can call Double on your turn. Doubling increases the stakes: if they make the contract, their score is doubled; if they fail, your undertrick penalty score against them is doubled! Any subsequent suit or level bid by either side cancels the Double.
- Redouble (XX): If the opponents Double your contract, your partnership can call Redouble on your turn if you are confident you WILL make the contract. Redoubling quadruples (4x) the resulting score, bonuses, or penalties! Any subsequent suit or level bid cancels the Redouble.
Bidding finishes after 3 consecutive Passes. The highest contract (along with any Double or Redouble) becomes the final Contract, and the declarer partnership attempts to win (6 + Bid Level) tricks.
3. The Dummy Hand
The player who first named the contract suit becomes the Declarer. Their partner becomes the Dummy. Once the defender leads the first card, the Dummy's hand is revealed face-up on the table for all to see, and the Declarer plays both hands!
4. Trick Play
Each player plays 1 card per trick in clockwise turn. You MUST follow the suit of the card led if you have it. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card (including trump cards).
The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, unless a trump card is played, in which case the highest trump wins. The trick winner leads the next card.
5. Scoring & Point Values
Points are scored at the end of each 13-trick hand based on the contract and tricks won:
- Minor Suits (♣ Clubs & ♦ Diamonds): 20 points per trick bid and made above 6.
- Major Suits (♥ Hearts & ♠ Spades): 30 points per trick bid and made above 6.
- No-Trump (NT): 40 points for the 1st trick above 6, and 30 points for each additional trick.
- Contract Making Bonus: +50 bonus points awarded for making any contract.
- Overtricks: Extra tricks won above contract target award +20 pts (Minors) or +30 pts (Majors / NT) per overtrick.
- Undertrick Penalties: If Declarer fails to make the contract, defenders score 50 points for each trick short.
- Doubled & Redoubled Multipliers: Calling Double (X) doubles (2x) all trick scores, bonuses, and penalties. Calling Redouble (XX) quadruples (4x) them!
6. How the Game & Match Ends
A hand ends after all 13 tricks have been played. The match concludes in one of two ways:
- Target Score Victory: At the start of a match, you can select a Target Score (100 Flash, 300 Quick, 500 Standard, or 1000 Full Game). As soon as a partnership reaches or exceeds the target score after a hand, they win the match!
- End Match Button: You can click the 🏁 End Match button at any time to conclude the match and declare the winning partnership based on current scores.
