How can players determine partners before a game of contract bridge?
Card editor of the London Field W.H. Whitfeld published this bridge problem in 1885. South is declarer and has the lead with hearts as trump. With a sophisticated finesse, South can win every trick. South begins by leading the ace of diamonds, which, depending on what the opponents discard, opens a possible finesse of North's jack of diamonds. Next, South passes the lead to North with a spade that North trumps. North then leads the last heart, and South discards the 10 of clubs. With the lead of the last trump and then the ace of clubs, the defenders are presented with an insurmountable dilemma. East must hold two diamonds or South takes the last two tricks in the suit by discarding a spade. However, in order to hold on to two diamonds, East must discard the jack of spades, which in turn would force West to hold the queen of spades. Since West also needs the queen of diamonds and the jack of clubs to avoid losing a trick, a discard from any of the three suits will allow South to win all of the remaining tricks by an appropriate discard.
To determine partners in contract bridge, players use a drawing method to ensure fairness. A pack of cards is spread facedown, and each player draws one card, excluding the four cards at either end of the spread.1
The two players who draw the highest-ranking cards become partners. The player who draws the single highest card earns the choice of seats and cards, and they also serve as the first dealer.1
In the event of a tie, the rank of the suit determines precedence, with spades ranking highest, followed by hearts, diamonds, and clubs. If more than four people wish to play, the draw establishes an order of precedence; those who draw the lowest cards must sit out until the end of the first rubber, at which point they replace the players with the lowest standing.1