Official Contract Bridge Rules

Last Updated on April 9, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Contract Bridge is a complex and strategic trick-taking card game that emphasizes bidding and partnership play. This page provides a clear breakdown of the rules, guiding you through the bidding process, declarer play, and defensive strategies that define this challenging game. With its focus on communication and planning, Contract Bridge offers a rewarding experience for serious card game enthusiasts. Get ready to bid, play your cards strategically, and work with your partner to achieve your contract.

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Objective

To collaborate with your partner to fulfill a contract by winning a specific number of tricks.

Setup

The Deck

A standard 52-card deck is used. Cards are ranked from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The suits are of equal rank.

Deal

The dealer shuffles and deals 13 cards to each player. The deal rotates clockwise after each hand.

Gameplay

The Bidding

1. Auction Phase: Players bid in clockwise order. A bid specifies a number of tricks (6-13) and a suit (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) or no trump.
   • Bids: The minimum bid is 1, and the maximum bid is 7. For example, a bid of “1 heart” means the partnership aims to take 7 tricks (6+1) with hearts as trump.
   • No Trump: A bid of “1 no trump” means the partnership aims to take 7 tricks without a trump suit.
   • Higher Bids: Each subsequent bid must be higher than the previous bid. The highest bid wins the auction.
2. Doubling and Redoubling: Players can double an opponent’s bid or redouble a double.
   • Double: Indicates that the player believes the opponents will not make their contract.
   • Redouble: Indicates that the doubler’s opponents believe they will make their contract despite the double.

The Play

1. Declarer: The player who first bid the winning suit or no trump becomes the declarer.
2. Opening Lead: The player to the left of the declarer makes the first lead.
3. Dummy: Declarer’s partner places their hand face-up on the table. Declarer plays both their own hand and the dummy hand.
4. Following Suit: Players must follow the suit led if possible. If unable to follow suit, a player may play any card.
5. Winning a Trick: The highest card of the led suit wins the trick, unless a trump is played, in which case the highest trump wins. The winner of each trick leads to the next trick.

Scoring

1. Contract Fulfillment: If the declarer makes the contract, the partnership scores points based on the bid:
   • Major suits (spades, hearts): 30 points per trick above six.
   • Minor suits (diamonds, clubs): 20 points per trick above six.
   • No Trump: 40 points for the first trick above six, 30 points for each subsequent trick.
2. Bonus Points:
   • Game Bonus: 300 points if the contract bid is 3 NT, 4H, 4S, 5C, or 5D.
   • Small Slam: 500 points for bidding and making 12 tricks.
   • Grand Slam: 1000 points for bidding and making 13 tricks.
3. Undertricks: If the declarer fails to make the contract, the opponents score points for each undertrick.
   • Non-doubled: 50 points per undertrick.
   • Doubled: 100 points per undertrick (first), 200 points per subsequent undertrick.
   • Redoubled: 200 points per undertrick (first), 400 points per subsequent undertrick.
4. Doubled and Redoubled Contracts:
   • Made Contracts: Additional points for making doubled or redoubled contracts.
   • Overtricks: Extra points for each trick above the contract (50 points non-doubled, 100 points doubled, 200 points redoubled).

Winning the Game

• A game is typically played to a set number of points, often 100. Alternatively, a match can consist of a predetermined number of deals.

Key Elements

• Bidding: Strategic bidding based on hand evaluation.
• Partnership: Effective communication and collaboration with your partner.
• Card Play: Mastering the art of playing cards to win tricks.
• Defense: Preventing the declaring side from fulfilling the contract.
• Scoring: Understanding the complex scoring system.

Contract Bridge is a game that requires years of practice to master. It involves a deep understanding of bidding conventions, card play techniques, and partnership communication.