Contract Bridge Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Contract Bridge, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Count points and open the bidding

Lesson 1

Bidding in bridge is a conversation that tells partner how strong your hand is. Strength is counted in high-card points (HCP): ace 4, king 3, queen 2, jack 1 — 40 in the pack, 10 per player on average.

With 12–13 or more, you open the bidding. With five or more cards in a major (♥ or ♠), bid one of that suit; otherwise bid one of your longer minor (♣ or ♦). A balanced 15–17 opens 1NT.

Long suits add strength too: count one extra point for each card beyond the fourth, so 11 HCP with six hearts is worth opening. With too little, simply pass and listen to the auction before saying more.

This hand has the ♥A, ♥Q, ♠K, ♦J and ♣K — 13 points — and five hearts. Try opening 1♥.

Bid game with 25 points between you

Lesson 2

A contract worth 100 or more contract points is a game and earns a 300 bonus (500 vulnerable). 3NT, 4♥, 4♠, 5♣ and 5♦ are the game contracts.

About 25 points between the partners is usually enough for game. Partner's 1NT shows 15–17, so with 10 of your own the total is at least 25.

Stopping below game (a part-score) earns only a small bonus. In Chicago a part-score carries over and can add up to game later, but making game in one deal is surer. With a little less, around 23 between you, 2NT invites partner to bid game if they hold the top of their range. When the total is clearly short, pass and take the safe part-score instead of reaching too high.

Here partner (opposite) opened 1NT and you hold a balanced 10 points. Bid 3NT for game.

As declarer, draw trumps first

Lesson 3

In a trump contract, a player out of the suit led may ruff. If the opponents still hold trumps, even your aces and kings can be trumped.

So declarer usually leads high trumps first, pulling the opponents' trumps — drawing trumps. Then your other winners are safe to cash.

Count to know how many trumps the opponents still hold. There are thirteen: subtract yours and dummy's, then the ones already played. When none are left, stop leading trumps and cash your other winners. If you need dummy's trumps to ruff a losing card later, keep enough of them back and do not draw every last trump too early. Counting like this is the most useful habit a declarer can learn.

Here you are declarer in 4♠ and on lead. Draw trumps starting with the ♠A.

On opening lead, lead the top of a sequence

Lesson 4

Once the contract is set, the player on declarer's left makes the opening lead. Dummy is not yet visible, so your only clues are your own hand and the auction.

With touching honours such as K-Q-J, lead the top card. If declarer wins with the ace, your queen and jack are now the highest cards of the suit and will win later. Partner can read that a king lead promises the queen too.

Leading a small card from a suit headed by the ace can let an opponent win cheaply with the king, so avoid underleading an ace against a trump contract.

Here the opponents are in 4♥ and you are on lead. You hold the ♠K, ♠Q and ♠J, so lead the ♠K.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

Last updated 2026-09-26 · Run by Qdan, Inc.