History of Bridge - From Whist to Modern Tournament Play
The Whist Heritage
Origins of Trick-Taking Games
The story of Bridge begins with Whist, a straightforward trick-taking game popular in 18th-century England. Whist was first described in print in 1742 by Edmond Hoyle in his "A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist," which became so authoritative that "according to Hoyle" entered the English language as a phrase meaning "by the rules."
Whist Rules and Appeal
Whist was a four-player partnership game where all 52 cards were dealt, the last card dealt determined the trump suit, and the goal was simply to win the majority of tricks. There was no bidding phase - the trump suit was random, making the game simpler but less strategic than modern Bridge.