Origins of the game
    Bridge developed from Whist in England in about 1896. Trumps (or no trumps) were named by the dealer, who also played his partner's hand exposed (the dummy).
    Next came Auction Bridge in about 1904, in which all four players could bid for the right to name the trump suit.
    Modern Contract Bridge, which can be called Bridge for short, because nobody plays original Bridge any more, was developed and refined by American millionaire, Harold S. Vanderbilt, on a winter cruise in 1925-6. The first comprehensive bidding system was developed by Ely Culbertson, who was also responsible for launching the publicity campaign, which put Bridge at the top of the social status ladder, a position from which it has not yet been toppled.

Basic rules and objectives
    Bridge is an advanced form of Whist, a trick-taking partnership game. Unlike in Whist, trumps are established not by the turn of a random card, but by each partnership bidding to take a higher number of tricks against the other for the right to determine the trump suit. The bidding follows certain conventions, by means of which the players can guess fairly accurately the cards held by each player. The final bid becomes the contract, the fulfilment of which determines the points won or lost.

Clubs, societies, etc.
American Contract Bridge League
American Contract Bridge League Clubs
Australian Bridge Federation