Contractbridge,orsimplybridge,isatrick-takinggameusingastandard52-carddeck.Itisplayedbyfourplayersintwocompetingpartnerships,withpartnerssittingoppositeeachotheraroundatable.Millionsofpeopleplaybridgeworldwideinclubs,tournaments,onlineandwithfriendsathome,makingitoneoftheworld'smostpopularcardgames,particularlyamongseniors.TheWorldBridgeFederationisthegoverningbodyforinternationalcompetitivebridge.
Thegameconsistsofseveraldealseachprogressingthroughfourphases:dealingthecards,theauction(alsoreferredtoasbidding),playingthecards,andscoringtheresults.Howevermostclubandtournamentplayinvolvessomevariantofduplicatebridge,wherethecardsarenotre-dealtoneachoccasion,thesamedealbeingplayedbytwoormoredifferentsetsofplayerstoenablecomparativescoring.