whist

Whist is a classic trick-taking card game for four players, played in two partnerships with a standard 52-card deck. The objective is to win more tricks than the opposing pair over a hand. Whist originated in England in the 18th century and became a popular social game in clubs and households, influencing later trick-taking games such as contract bridge.

Game setup and play: The four players sit opposite their partner. The deck is shuffled and dealt so each player receives 13 cards. A card is turned face up to indicate the trump suit for the hand (the exact dealing method for determining trump varies by variant). The player to the left of the dealer leads the first trick. Players must follow the suit led if possible; if they cannot, they may play any card. If a trump is played, the highest trump wins the trick; otherwise, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner of each trick leads the next trick. After all 13 tricks have been played, the tricks won by each partnership determine the score.

Scoring and variants: In standard Whist, each trick won by a partnership scores one point. Teams typically play to a set target, such as 5 or 7 points, to win a game; a full match or rubber may consist of several games. Regional rules and club variations can modify trump determination, the number of players (in some variants), or the scoring method. There are also related forms of the game, such as Auction Whist and Null Whist, which introduce bidding or alternative objectives.

History and influence: Whist was highly popular in 19th-century Britain and spread to other parts of Europe and North America. It is regarded as a foundational predecessor to bridge, sharing many conventions of trick-taking play and partnership collaboration that influenced later developments in card gaming.