A retired aerospace and information technology professional, Dr. Jai N. Gupta most recently served as president of the Government Services Group of L-3 Communications, a firm he helped lead to become of the top 10 defense contractors in the United States. Today, Dr. Jai N. Gupta divides his time among charitable activities and several hobbies and interests, including travel, Urdu poetry, and bridge.
Modern bridge is largely based on a card game called whist, which was played in England at least as early as the 16th century and had become quite popular in the country by the middle of the 17th century. Although whist, like today’s bridge game, also uses a 52-card deck from which four players are each dealt 13 cards, the scoring and rules can be much simpler, depending on the type of whist being played.
As whist spread to other countries over the years, the game began to evolve, especially after it arrived in Turkey, where one of the earliest versions of modern bridge was developed in the mid-19th century. Bridge was soon introduced in other countries and eventually found its way to the United States.
In the United States, early 20th-century bridge players, most notably Harold Vanderbilt, added new rules and a scoring table to the game. Vanderbilt’s new version of bridge, called contract bridge, became very popular and is now played in countries around the globe.
Modern bridge is largely based on a card game called whist, which was played in England at least as early as the 16th century and had become quite popular in the country by the middle of the 17th century. Although whist, like today’s bridge game, also uses a 52-card deck from which four players are each dealt 13 cards, the scoring and rules can be much simpler, depending on the type of whist being played.
As whist spread to other countries over the years, the game began to evolve, especially after it arrived in Turkey, where one of the earliest versions of modern bridge was developed in the mid-19th century. Bridge was soon introduced in other countries and eventually found its way to the United States.
In the United States, early 20th-century bridge players, most notably Harold Vanderbilt, added new rules and a scoring table to the game. Vanderbilt’s new version of bridge, called contract bridge, became very popular and is now played in countries around the globe.