I've never heard of MiniBridge - what is it?

MiniBridge is a game in its own right which was actually originally developed in Holland. It is a simplified form of bridge which is still competitive, stimulating and fun, but can be quickly learned and enjoyed by everyone. You can play with any four people (three at a pinch) or at the other end of the scale you can hold duplicate MiniBridge tournaments if you like. It is particularly good as a family game, though, suitable for adults and children of any age so long as they can count up to 40!

Sounds interesting - tell me more.

There is no auction in MiniBridge, so the good news is that there are no complicated bidding conventions to learn. When it comes to play, everything is almost exactly as in bridge. Anyone can understand the mechanics of card play in a few moments, so can get involved right away in the game. Of course they won’t be immediate experts - card playing skills are built up over time, but that’s part of the enjoyment of mastering any new game. A bonus is that anyone becoming a competent MiniBridge player is more than halfway to becoming a competent bridge player.

So how does it work?

The cards are dealt just as in bridge and each player counts his high card points (HCPs) on the usual scale (this is where the ability to count up to 40 comes in). Dealer announces how many HCP he holds, followed in turn by each of the others. If the total is not 40, something has gone wrong already and a re-count is necessary! The partnership with the higher total wins the contract (re-deal if there are 20 HCP apiece) and the individual in the partnership with the higher total becomes declarer (or the first to speak if they have the same number each).

At this point dummy goes down and declarer can see the combined partnership assets. He uses all his skill and judgement to decide which suit will be trumps or whether to play in no-trumps and announces his choice. He also states whether he wishes to play for game or part-score.

Scoring is more or less as in bridge - tricks in or being worth 20 points, or 30 points, but each no-trump trick is worth 40 points.

Game contracts are thus still 3NT, 4 or 4 5 or 5 Points are earned for all tricks made in excess of 6 when in a part-score, but of course when going for game you need to make at least your contracted number of tricks.

A successful game contract earns a bonus of 300 points and undertricks all score 50 points each.

After the level and denomination have been chosen the opening lead is made and play proceeds as in bridge. Each deal is scored independently and the game as a whole can be agreed to last for a fixed number of deals or until a particular target total score is reached.

But its not really bridge, is it?

No its not bridge, but it is a subset of the real game. Suit establishment, finesses, end plays and even squeezes can be part of the MiniBridge declarer’s armoury as he builds up his card play expertise. The defenders can learn about opening leads, when to play high or low, signalling methods and discard systems. And most importantly, everyone can learn to count points, noting how many each player has shown up with and thus deducing the high cards remaining in each hand.

Anyone learning MiniBridge and building up these skills will be well placed to take on bridge - it’s an ideal way to start teaching the game. By the time students of MiniBridge start to learn bidding they know about hand evaluation, game contracts - how many tricks you need, and how many combined points and trumps are needed to make game a good possibility, and, crucially, how to make a plan as declarer when dummy comes down on the table. All pretty good preparation for the real thing, you must admit!