The most interesting thing about Origins was the chance I had to play a new game called Abridged. It purports to be a simplification of Bridge—the same game minus the complex bidding. As a Bridge enthusiast I was interested but skeptical. After all, the bidding is a pretty integral part of the game.

First, let me mention that you don’t really need to buy the game to play it. The decks are ordinary decks of cards, except that the Jack through Ace have been changed to number cards (11-14) and the suits have been changed to colors. The rules are all online here, including the scoring, which I’ll gloss over. I actually got a free set—they were giving them away; I assume the ACBL or some other large Bridge organization was behind it. Seems like a smart move. There were about 40 people there to play Abridged and only 4 for Bridge, and I think a lot of people would agree that the game needs new blood badly.

So here’s how the “bidding” goes:

1) Starting with the dealer, every player gets the chance to preemptively contract to take 10 tricks. This is done without seeing partner’s hand. If you do this, the rewards for winning are larger, as are the penalties for being set. It’s kind of like pre-empting and being doubled.

2) Assuming nobody does this, all players announce the HCP count of their hand. Whatever team has the higher count is the declaring team, and the higher hand on that team is declarer.

3) Dummy lays his hand out (yes, before the opening lead. This is the one advantage the defense gets.) Declarer chooses whether to contract for 7 or 10 tricks, and also chooses a suit. Contracting for more tricks is worth more points.

4) All players announce the length of their longest suit; then the declarer’s left-hand opponent leads to the first trick.

The declarer has many advantages. He can always pick the right suit fit and can count tricks before deciding whether to go for 7 or 10. (Experienced Bridge players will almost never be in doubt.) You will never have the horror of looking at a completely unsuitable dummy, or realize that you missed a 9-card fit. Furthermore, knowing the opponents’ exact HCP count is a huge advantage because it allows him to locate specific cards much more easily. If your opponent had 6 points and has played an ace, you know that opponent doesn’t have the missing king. The defense’s advantage, and it’s bigger than it looks, is that the opening lead doesn’t have to be blind.

Thursday: An actual comparison/contrast of the play.