Whether you’re playing predominantly online or at a physical bridge table, bridge remains a game that relies on the synchronicity and co-operation of a partnership.

Online play adds the luxury of being able to find an instant bridge partner anywhere in the world, or to hook up with one that you already know on the other end of a computer or smartphone. Sometimes this means that your bridge partner is someone you’ve just met – and it might still take some time to figure out your play strategies and how they fit together.

One thing I consider important to remember for any bridge partnership is that two halves make up a whole. Your partner’s weaknesses might be your strengths (and the other way around): If you can find a way to get a feel for your partner during the game, you’ll balance one another out.

Here’s how to make any bridge partnership work right from the first card.

A Good Bridge Partnership Is…

First, let’s talk about what a good bridge partnership is and isn’t.

• Good bridge partnerships balance out the strengths of one player and the weaknesses of the other.
• Good bridge partnerships know how to communicate with cards.
• Good bridge partnerships don’t judge bad plays or questionable moves.
• Good bridge partnerships can be made, not born.
• Good bridge partnerships don’t automatically need ten years of playing or background to be good ones: Just a good sense of the cards.
• Good bridge partnerships are patient.

There are thousands more things that could be added to this list. A lot of bridge players will already have a clearer idea of what’s made good partnerships or bad ones in the past.

Next, what about strengths and weaknesses?

Getting to Know What They Are

Partners who have played together for more than five to ten club games together should already have an idea of what their individual strengths and weaknesses are. Most have argued about them in some context or another by this point.

If you’ve played more than a few games as a partnership and you still haven’t developed a natural enough feel for your weaknesses and strengths, sit down and talk about it before your next game. A list of strengths and weaknesses (that the other doesn’t get to look at until you’re done!) is one way to do it.

If you’ve just met your partner from the partnership desk or online, rubber bridge is going to be your best bet. Use the first game as a way to test the waters and see what your partner does: By the end of one game, you should be able to have a good sense for what a player might do next – and this can be enough to forge a very strong partnership right then and there from the second game onwards.

Achieve a Balance

If you picture your partnership as a scale that has to be balanced between strengths or weaknesses, you might have more success. One partner shouldn’t be seen as “better” and one partner shouldn’t be seen as “worse” – instead, the only way the entire partnership is any good is through achieving this balance.