Bridge

Quick Rules

Contract bridge is played by four people in two partnerships. You sit South, and your partner North (a computer) sits across from you. West and East are your opponents. Every deal has two parts: the bidding, where both sides compete to name the contract, and the play of 13 tricks.

  • The bidding. Starting with the dealer, each player in turn bids, passes, doubles or redoubles. A bid names a number of tricks over six and a trump suit (or notrump): "2♥" promises 8 tricks with hearts as trump. Each bid must be higher than the last. Suits rank ♣, ♦, ♥, ♠, then notrump.
  • The contract. When three players pass in a row after a bid, the last bid is the contract. The player on the winning side who first named that suit is the declarer. If all four pass at the start, the cards are dealt again.
  • The dummy. The player on the declarer's left leads the first card. Then the declarer's partner lays their cards face up as the dummy, and the declarer plays both hands.
  • The play. Follow suit if you can. The highest trump wins a trick; if no trump is played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner leads next.
  • Scoring. Make your contract and you score points for it, plus a bonus. Fall short and the other side scores instead. We use Chicago scoring: four deals make a match.

New to bridge? Count your points: 4 for an ace, 3 for a king, 2 for a queen, 1 for a jack. The game shows your total while you bid, the Hint button suggests a bid and explains it, and you can tap any bid in the bidding grid to see what it means.

Read the full Bridge rules with worked examples and a scoring table

Tips for Better Bridge

  • Add up the points. Together, 25 points usually make a game (3NT, 4♥ or 4♠), and 33 points a small slam.
  • Look for an eight-card fit. Eight or more cards in one suit between you and partner make a good trump suit, especially hearts or spades.
  • Count your winners before you play. As declarer, count the sure tricks in both hands and plan where the rest will come from.
  • Draw trumps. When you have most of the trumps, pull the opponents' trumps early so they can't trump your winners.
  • Lead partner's suit. On defense, a suit your partner bid is usually the best opening lead.

Read our Bridge strategy guide, with the full bidding system

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this Bridge game free?

Yes. You can play as many deals of Bridge as you like for free, with no account, no email and no download.

Does the computer cheat?

No. The computer players, including your partner, only know their own 13 cards, the bidding, the dummy once it is face up and the cards played so far, the same as you. On Hard they imagine many possible layouts of the hidden cards that fit the bidding and the play, but they never look at your hand. After every deal, tap Show All Hands to see what everyone held, and tap Replay This Deal to play the same cards again.

What bidding system does my partner use?

A simple, natural system based on Standard American: count 4 for an ace, 3 for a king, 2 for a queen and 1 for a jack, open with about 12 points, one notrump shows 15 to 17 balanced, one heart or one spade shows five or more cards, two clubs shows a very strong hand, and Stayman, takeout doubles and simple raises work the usual way. Every bid can be tapped to see what it means, and our strategy guide writes the whole system out.

What happens if I am the dummy?

When North wins the contract, your cards are laid face up as the dummy and North plays both hands, just as at a real table. You watch the play, and you can press Play Faster to speed it up. When you win the contract, North is the dummy and you play both hands: North's cards are shown at the top, and you tap them when it is the dummy's turn.

What is Chicago scoring?

Chicago is a short form of bridge scoring for four deals. Each deal is scored on its own: points for the tricks you bid and made, plus a bonus of 300 or 500 for bidding a game, 50 for a part score, extra bonuses for slams, and penalty points to the defenders when a contract goes down. The side with more points after four deals wins. Rubber bridge scoring is available as a house rule in Settings.

What does vulnerable mean?

A vulnerable side scores bigger bonuses for games and slams, but loses more points when it goes down. In Chicago, nobody is vulnerable on the first deal, the dealer's side is vulnerable on the second and third deals, and both sides are vulnerable on the fourth. The bar above the table always shows who is vulnerable.

Does the game save my progress?

Yes. Your match is saved in your browser after every bid and every card. Close the page and come back later, and you can pick up where you left off on the same device.

Want a gentler start? Whist has the same tricks and partnerships with no bidding at all, and Spades lets you practice bidding the number of tricks you will take.

More Free Games

  • Hearts Avoid hearts and the queen of spades, or shoot the moon and stick everyone else with the points.
  • Spades Bid your tricks with your partner, then make your bid. Spades are always trump.
  • Hand and Foot The family canasta game: play your hand, then your foot, and build clean and dirty books with your partner.
  • Canasta Meld sets of a kind, freeze the pile, and build canastas with your partner. Classic American scoring.
  • Cribbage Count fifteens, pairs and runs, and peg your way around the board to 121.
  • Gin Rummy Make sets and runs, knock when your leftover cards are low, and go for gin.
  • Euchre The fast trick-taking game of the Midwest: call trump, use your bowers and take three tricks.
  • Rummy Draw, meld sets and runs, lay off on the table and be first to go out.
  • Rummy 500 Score points for every card you meld, take from deep in the discard pile and race to 500.
  • Whist The classic partnership trick game with no bidding. Take seven tricks to score.
  • Oh Hell! Say exactly how many tricks you will take, then take that many: no more, no fewer.
  • Pinochle Bid, meld and take tricks with a 48-card deck. Partnership auction pinochle.
  • Crazy Eights Match the suit or the number, change the suit with an eight, and be first to play all your cards.
  • Switch The British cousin of Crazy Eights, with cards that skip, reverse and make the next player draw.
  • Go Fish Ask for the cards you need, collect sets of four and make the most books.
  • Old Maid Pair up your cards and don't be the one left holding the odd queen.
  • War Turn a card each; the higher card wins both. The simplest card game there is.
  • Spit A race to play your cards up or down on two piles, with a slow pace option so nobody is rushed.
  • Idiot Play equal or higher cards, pick up the pile when you can't, and don't be the last one holding cards.
  • Thirteen Shed your cards in singles, pairs, triples and runs. Twos are high. Also called Tien Len.
  • Escoba The Spanish fishing game: capture cards that add up to 15 and sweep the table.
  • Briscola Italy's favorite trick game with a 40-card deck. Win the valuable cards and reach 61 points.
  • Skat Germany's three-player classic: bid for the right to play alone against the other two.
  • Manni A three-player trick-taking game from Iceland, played to ten points.
  • Kings in the Corners Build down in alternating colors around the deck, put Kings in the corners, and be first to empty your hand.
  • Chicken Foot Match numbers, build a chicken foot from every double, and finish 10 rounds with the lowest score.
  • Mexican Train Build your own train, ride the shared Mexican train, and keep your score low over 13 rounds.
  • Dominoes The classic draw game with double-six tiles. Match the ends, draw when you are stuck, first to 100 wins.
  • All Fives Dominoes Score whenever the open ends add up to a multiple of five. Also known as Muggins.
  • Texas 42 The trick-taking domino game from Texas: bid, name trumps and win tricks with your partner.
  • Klondike Solitaire The classic solitaire. Draw one or three, with big cards, hints and unlimited undo.
  • FreeCell Every card is face up and almost every deal can be won. Use the four free cells wisely.
  • Spider Solitaire Build runs from King down to Ace. Play with one, two or four suits.
  • Pyramid Solitaire Clear the pyramid by pairing cards that add up to 13. Kings go on their own.
  • Tri Peaks Solitaire Clear three peaks by playing cards one higher or one lower than the last. Quick and relaxing.
  • Golf Solitaire Play cards one up or one down from the pile and try to clear all seven columns.
  • Yukon Solitaire Like Klondike with no stock: move any face-up group, even out of order, and dig out the hidden cards.
  • Scorpion Solitaire Build four same-suit runs from King down to Ace by moving whole groups of cards.
  • Canfield Solitaire A classic with a 13-card reserve. Build up by suit from whatever card starts the foundations.
  • Clock Solitaire Deal the cards around a clock face and turn them up one by one. Finish before the fourth King appears.
  • Crescent Solitaire Two decks in a crescent of sixteen piles. Build up from Aces and down from Kings.
  • Addiction Solitaire Line up each suit from 2 to King in four rows by moving cards into the gaps. Three shuffles to help.
  • Mahjong Solitaire Match pairs of free tiles to clear the board. Large, high-contrast tiles and every deal can be solved.
  • Jigsaw Puzzles Relaxing picture puzzles from 12 to 100 pieces, with big pieces that snap into place.
  • Sudoku Fill the grid so every row, column and box has 1 to 9. Big numbers, notes and three levels.
  • Word Search Find the hidden words in a grid of large letters. New puzzles by theme, as many as you like.
  • Minesweeper Use the numbers to work out where the mines are. Big squares and a clear flag button.
  • Triangles Take turns drawing lines between dots and claim every triangle you close.
  • Checkers American checkers on a big board. Jump, get kinged and clear the other side.
  • Backgammon Race your checkers home and bear them off before the computer does. Fair dice you can check.
  • Reversi Trap the other color between your discs to flip them. Most discs at the end wins.
  • Chess A friendly game of chess with large pieces, hints and computer levels from beginner up.
  • Sea Battle Hide your fleet, call your shots and sink every ship before yours go down.
  • Yacht Dice Roll five dice up to three times a turn and fill your score sheet. The classic dice game.
  • Farkle Roll six dice, set aside the scoring ones and decide when to stop before you lose it all.

See all games