| Bridge is one of the classic card games, and is relatively new, having evolved approximately 100 years ago from the game of Whist. It is also very kindred to Spades, it newest cousin. A few historians claim that there may have been a connection with the game of Bridge and the British army in Istanbul during the Crimean war. (1854-1856).
Bridge has its early roots in two card games from the early seventeenth century - the English game of "Ruff and Honors", and the French game of "Triomphe". Several card historians have documented a direct connection between Whist, and some now obsolete card games such as "Hombre", "Vint" and "Ruff". Englishman, Edmund Hoyle (1672-1769) whose name is associated with various card and board games, wrote a pamphlet entitled: "A Short Treatise on Whist" in the 1740s. In time, the expression "According to Hoyle" became part of the vernacular.
James Clay, who was a leading authority on card games in the mid 1800's, penned a booklet entitled "A Treatise on Whist" (1864). The "duplicate" concept of Whist was introduced in London in the late 1850s, and was improved by Mr. Clay, whose booklet also explored bidding systems. There is a mention of the “Vienna Coup", which became the term for an advanced Bridge play. By the late 1880s, Whist was second only to Euchre as the most popular game in the United States. In 1896, a very basic form of Bridge - taken from "Biritch", or Russian Whist - became the foundation for the game. Then came the adaptations. Auction Bridge was created in 1905, which featured multiple rounds of bidding with ranked suits, and a no trump option. This was a vast improvement over the system used in Whist, which declared the trump by cutting the deck, or using the bottom card. Two decades later, Ely Culbertson created Contract Bridge and added the premium feature for bidding and making Slams. Another pioneer, Harold Vanderbilt, created the vulnerability option, and improved the scoring system. During the depression years, celebrity Bridge matches were front page news. The Lenz-Culbertson challenge matches of 1931 and 1932 captivated the American public. As time passed pioneers (and household names) such as Charles Goren, George Coffin, Oswald Jacoby, Howard Schenken , Sam Stayman, and E. Blackwood, to name a few, elevated Bridge to its zenith. At one time, Goren was a regular columnist for Sports Illustrated magazine and hosted a weekly television show all about Bridge! The legendary Italian "Blue Team" of the 1960s and the great American Teams (including the "Dallas Aces" of Bermuda Bowl fame) stirred much interest in the Bridge community. The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL in Memphis, TN.) was founded in 1937, and is the official governing body for all Bridge events in North America. Duplicate, or comparison Bridge became the standard for most events, and the basis of the rating system (master points). One can find a game at their local club, or at the regional or national level.
Although the membership of the ACBL is not what is was in the 1960s there is great potential for bringing back the glory days! The internet is a hotbed of Bridge activity, and the youth programs now in place will help to introduce a whole new generation to the game. And if we can tap into the large Spades playing community, a limitless supply of enthusiastic card players will find out all about the joy of Bridge!
This column will feature basic and intermediate strategy and techniques. For those who already have these skills, there is a large library of titles. Check out any of the online book sites for more information.
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