The
card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific.
Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ga ...
auction bridge was the third step in the evolution of the general game of
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...
. It was developed from
bridge whist
Bridge whist or straight bridge is a card game popular in the early 20th century. It was derived from whist with the additional rules that the players would take turns as dummy and that the trump suit would be deliberately chosen (including the ...
in 1904, possibly by 1900. Auction bridge was the precursor to
contract bridge
Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions ...
. Its predecessors were
whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play.
History
Whist is a descendant of the 16th-century game of ''trump' ...
and
bridge whist
Bridge whist or straight bridge is a card game popular in the early 20th century. It was derived from whist with the additional rules that the players would take turns as dummy and that the trump suit would be deliberately chosen (including the ...
.
Auction bridge trick scoring, bonus scoring, and penalty scoring are radically different from contract bridge, and there is no concept of vulnerability in auction bridge.
Bidding rules are nearly the same, although in contract bridge bidding, many complex artificial bids and bidding systems have evolved.
Origin
It is not certain to whom auction bridge should be credited. A letter in ''The Times'' (London), January 16, 1905, signed by Oswald Crawfurd, describes auction bridge as first played in 1904, while a book by "John Doe" (Francis Reginald Roe), published in
Allahabad
Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administra ...
, India, in 1899, puts forward auction bridge as an invention of three members of the Indian Civil Service stationed at an isolated community, designed as a three-handed form of bridge to compensate the lack of a fourth player. Their key contribution was the concept of competitive bidding for the declaration.
Play
The bidding, play and laws are similar to
contract bridge
Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions ...
.
The dealer opens the bidding and must declare to win at least the odd trick in a trump suit or at No-trump; they cannot pass the bid.
A bid is higher if it contracts for a higher number of points (ignoring doubles) rather than a higher number of tricks. As an example 3 (27 points) beats 4 (24 points).
Scoring
Auction bridge scoring is as follows:
[''Official Rules of Card Games'', 1973]
* Each trick exceeding six scores:
** No-trump: 10 points
** Spades: 9 points
** Hearts: 8 points
** Diamonds: 7 points
** Clubs: 6 points
* Game is 30 points, and only odd-tricks count towards game. The first side to win two games wins the rubber and scores a 250-point bonus.
* Each under-trick is worth 50 points to the opponents.
* Small slam is worth 50 points; grand slam is worth 100 points.
* Honours are scored as follows:
** Four trump honours in one hand: 80
** Five trump honours (or four aces in notrump) in one hand: 100
** For an additional honour in partner's hand, or for three or more honours divided between both hands: 10 each
* Contracts could be doubled and redoubled, which doubled or quadrupled the odd-trick and under-trick amounts. In addition there was a bonus of 50 points for making a doubled contract and for each over-trick, this was doubled if the contract was redoubled.
See also
*
Russian whist
References
External links
Rules of Card Games: Bridge
{{Trick-taking card games
Contract bridge
Card games introduced in 1904