Minibridge

1. Minibridge Cowbridge Comprehensive July 2007 Patrick Jourdain

2. Types of Sport • Major physical sports • Rugby Soccer Cricket Golf Tennis • Athletics Swimming • Major mind sports • Bridge Chess • Rugby etc. are “Ball-games” • Chess is a “board-game” with a board and chess pieces • Bridge is a “card-game” played with a pack of cards.

3. The four suits • Spades • Hearts • Diamonds • Clubs

4. Ranking of cards in each suit Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8......3 2 How many cards are there in one suit? Ace King Queen Jack How many cards are there in a pack?

5. The Partnerships at Bridge North • West □ East • South • The players facing each other form a pair • North and South are on the same side • East and West are the opposing side • The full pack is shuffled, cut and dealt to the four players • How many cards will each player then have? • The cards held by a player is called his or her “Hand”

6. Sorting your Bridge Hand • Each table here has a “board” with slots to keep the cards of the 4 players separate • Take the cards from the slot for your position • Count them face downwards to check you have 13 • Without letting the other players see your cards: • Sort your 13 cards into suits and ascending sequence within the suits • Suggestion: Highest to the left • alternate red and black suits • Remember an ACE is the highest card in a suit and the lowest is a 2. • Let a bridge player check your hand is sorted correctly

7. A Trick • Each SIDE must win as many tricks as possible • The Play of one trick • 4 cards, one card from each player round to the left, in order • The player due to start a trick (say West) plays any one card from his or her hand by facing it on the table in front of them • The suit of the card led determines the suit of the trick • The next three players must “FOLLOW SUIT” if they can • If you have no card of that suit “DISCARD” any card from your hand • The highest card played to the trick of the suit led will win the trick • When all four players have played to the trick check which SIDE won the trick and which player of that side won the trick • Place your card face downwards in front of you pointing in the direction of the side that won the trick • The player that won the trick LEADS to the next trick (any card) • Each trick has 4 cards and there are 52 cards in the deal How many tricks will be there be in the play of one deal? How many tricks must a side win to win more tricks than the other side?

8. The Dummy Hand • Before the play comes the BIDDING. This ends with one pair DECLARING how many tricks it will take in the play: the CONTRACT. • One player of the declaring side has the job of making the contract, DECLARER, and partner’s hand, the DUMMY is placed face upwards on the table for all to see, sorted into columns of suits: • Declarer says what card is to be played from dummy • The order must always go round to the left

9. Deciding the Contract at Minibridge • Each player values their POINT COUNT • Each ace is worth 4 points • Each king is worth 3 points • Each queen is worth 2 points • Each jack is worth 1 point • So: • + + + + = 11 • How many points are there in total in the pack? • Starting with the dealer, and going round to the left, the players say the total number of points they have in their hand. For the four players it must add up to …. • The side with the most points is the declaring side • The player of that side with the most points is declarer • The target number of tricks is the side’s point count divided by 3, rounded up.

10. Play of the contract • In minibridge the dummy is put face upwards on the table before play begins • The opponents of the contract are called the Defenders • The defender on the left of declarer leads to the first trick • Declarer’s target is to make the contract • Defenders’ target is to stop declarer making the contract

11. TRUMPS • During the play of one deal one of the suits can be given priority over the others in winning tricks. This is the TRUMP suit. • For example, if clubs were trumps, then any club would beat a card of any other suit. You must still follow suit if you can, but if you have none of the suit led then you can play a trump and win the trick • In minibridge declarer chooses trumps when dummy is faced. The more trumps you have the better. With no suit of eight or more cards choose to have NO TRUMPS.

12. How many tricks in notrumps? • A 2 opposite K 3 • A Q 2 opposite K 4 3 • A Q 2 opposite K J 3 • A Q 2 opposite K J 4 3 • K J 3 2 opposite Q 10 5 4

13. How many tricks with spades trumps? A Q 10 None 4 3 2 K J 9 4 3 2 none

14. Things to learn next • If you think you might enjoy playing bridge tell your teacher • If enough want to continue the school may start a Bridge club • Bridge is a game of deduction. • There are many clues to tell you where the unseen cards lie. Spotting those clues makes a good bridge player.

15. ENJOY BRIDGE • Bridge is skill you can learn for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme • The Welsh Bridge Union has a Schools Bridge team that plays internationals • There are holiday camps where you can learn and play bridge and other sports • You can play bridge on the internet • Download Minibridge free from • www.bluechipbridge.co.uk