The history of contract bridge may be dated from the early 16th-century invention of trick-taking games such as whist.
It followed on from whist, which initially was the dominant trick-playing game and enjoyed a loyal following for centuries.
The oldest known reference to the rules of the game dates from 1886 and calls it "Biritch, or Russian Whist".
[1] The game featured several significant developments from whist: dealer chose the trump suit, or nominated his partner to do so; there was a call of no trumps (biritch); and the dealer's partner's hand became dummy.
The most significant change was that only the tricks contracted for were counted below the line towards game and slam.