Flower Cards are Hwatu or Hanafuda cards used in Korea and Japan.
My introduction to those cards was when I was a university freshman in Seoul about mumble mumble years ago. The game I learned then is Minhwatu which I rather like more than the currently super popular game of Go-Stop. There are other games played with the deck, but those are extremely niche. I like a couple of trick based games with the French deck (standard 52-cards) and not that long ago, learned to play Bridge. I decided it might be a fun exercise to create a version of Bridge to be played with Hwatu. I found out I had to make some changes, but I feel the game is definitely Bridge with its own touch. It preserves the Bridge style auction, has honors, and above the line and below the line scoring. The other changes were borrowed from other trick taking games and a couple of nifty things unique to Hwatu cards. I also changed the suits from being the monthly flowers to the categories (Plains, Ribbons, Animals, and Brights. See the rules below for further explanation.
Is this needed? Who cares? I just did this for a bit of fun and also because I simply love the flower cards. The artwork is fascinating and the thickness provides for a satisying Thunk! when playing the card onto the table, not to mention the standard way of shuffling them is fun.
Check the link above to Flower Cards to see the cards.
A couple of notes before I give you the rules. First, when you see a term like Plain A and Plain B, that is for a month whose cards have two Plains.There is no difference between the cards; it’s just that month’s cards include two Plains. Second, you will need two decks of Hwatu cards. Also, Korean Hwatu work better for this game than Japanese Hanafuda because they have the Chinese character for Bright (光) on them; the Japanese cards do not.
I welcome any comments on it or suggestions for changes.
So here are the rules. I give you the game of FLOWER BRIDGE.
FLOWER BRIDGE
Official English Rulebook
First Edition
Volume 1
Foundations
Table of Contents
1. Foreword
2. What Is Flower Bridge?
3. Understanding Hwa-tu Classifications
4. Equipment and Deck Construction
5. Suits and Rankings
6. Card Rankings and Duplicate Cards
Foreword
Flower Bridge is a partnership trick-taking game that combines two great card-game traditions.
The first tradition is that of Whist, Biritch, Auction Bridge, and Contract Bridge. From this family come the concepts of partnerships, auctions, contracts, dummy play, and the distinction between above-the-line and below-the-line scoring.
The second tradition is that of Korean Hwa-tu. From this family come the Brights, Animals, Ribbons, Plains, the Five Brights (오광), the monthly flower system, and the rich artistic and cultural heritage associated with the cards.
Flower Bridge was designed with a simple goal:
To create a genuine member of the Bridge family using a Hwa-tu deck.
The objective was not merely to place flower pictures on a Bridge deck, nor merely to attach bidding to an existing Hwa-tu game. Instead, the aim was to create a game that respects both traditions equally.
Players familiar with Bridge will encounter unfamiliar cards, duplicate-card strategy, and a hidden discard pile.
Players familiar with Hwa-tu will encounter auctions, contracts, dummy play, and partnership strategy.
Both groups will discover a game that is familiar, yet entirely new.
Chapter 1
What Is Flower Bridge?
Flower Bridge is a four-player partnership game.
Players sitting opposite one another form a partnership.
Each hand consists of two phases:
1. The Auction
2. The Play
During the auction, players compete to determine:
· Which side will declare.
· Which denomination will apply.
· How many tricks the declaring side intends to win.
During play, the declaring side attempts to fulfill the contract while the defenders attempt to defeat it.
Flower Bridge preserves many core features of Contract Bridge:
· Partnerships
· Auctions
· Contracts
· Dummy play
· Trump contracts
· No Trump contracts
· Above-the-line scoring
· Below-the-line scoring
Flower Bridge introduces several new elements:
· A specially constructed Hwa-tu deck.
· Three suits instead of four.
· Duplicate cards.
· Eight undealt mystery cards.
· Bright bonuses inspired by traditional Hwa-tu scoring.
The result is a game that belongs clearly to the Bridge family while possessing a distinct identity of its own.
Chapter 2
Understanding Hwa-tu Classifications
Before learning the rules of Flower Bridge, players must understand an important feature of Hwa-tu cards.
Unlike a standard Western deck, Hwa-tu cards are not always classified according to what is literally depicted in the artwork.
Their categories are traditional classifications developed through generations of play.
For the purposes of Flower Bridge, traditional classification always takes precedence over visual appearance.
Bright Cards
The five Bright cards form a traditional group known as the Five Brights.
Three Bright cards depict living beings:
· January Bright (Crane)
· November Bright (Rain Man)
· December Bright (Phoenix)
Despite these images, all five remain Bright cards.
Animal Cards
Some Animal cards depict animals.
Examples:
· Nightingale
· Butterfly
· Boar
· Geese
However, not every Animal card depicts an animal.
The May Bridge card is traditionally classified as an Animal card even though no animal appears in the artwork.
Ribbon Cards
Ribbon cards are classified as Ribbons regardless of:
· ribbon color
· ribbon design
· ribbon inscriptions
· artistic style
Red ribbons, blue ribbons, and poetry ribbons are all Ribbon cards.
Plain Cards
Plain cards are all cards that are not classified as Brights, Animals, or Ribbons.
Some Plain cards contain distinctive background artwork.
These differences have no effect upon game play.
General Rule
Whenever a conflict appears to exist between a card’s artwork and its traditional classification, the traditional classification is correct.
Chapter 3
Equipment and Deck Construction
Flower Bridge uses two identical Hwa-tu decks.
These decks are combined and then stripped to form a special sixty-card deck.
The completed deck contains:
Suit
Cards
Plains
20
Ribbons
20
Bright Animals
20
Total
60
Every card in the deck exists exactly twice.
Plain Cards Kept
From each deck retain:
· January Plain A
· January Plain B
· February Plain
· March Plain
· April Plain
· May Plain
· June Plain
· September Plain
· October Plain
· November Plain
Ribbon Cards Kept
Retain all Ribbon cards.
Bright Animal Cards Kept
Retain all Brights:
· January Bright
· March Bright
· August Bright
· November Bright
· December Bright
Retain:
· February Nightingale
· May Bridge
· June Butterfly
· July Boar
· August Geese
All other cards are removed from the game.
Chapter 4
Suits and Rankings
제4장 문양과 서열
English
The formal suit names are:
1. Plains
2. Ribbons
3. Bright Animals
Players may abbreviate Bright Animals simply as Animals.
Denomination Order
Plain < Ribbon < Bright Animal < No Trump
Examples:
· 1 Ribbon outranks 1 Plain.
· 1 Bright Animal outranks 1 Ribbon.
· 1 No Trump outranks 1 Bright Animal.
Chapter 5
Card Rankings and Duplicate Cards
Flower Bridge follows the traditional Hwa-tu month sequence.
Cards are ranked according to the official ranking tables given in Appendix A.
Duplicate Cards
Every card exists exactly twice.
A card can win a trick only if it outranks the current winning card.
An identical card does not outrank an identical card already played to the trick.
Example:
West plays the November Bright.
North plays the duplicate November Bright.
North’s card cannot defeat West’s card because the two cards are identical.
Strategic Importance
Players should track both copies of important cards.
One of Flower Bridge’s defining strategic questions is:
· Has neither copy appeared?
· Has one copy appeared?
· Have both copies appeared?
End of Volume 1
FLOWER BRIDGE
Official English Rulebook
Volume 2
The Mechanics of Play
Table of Contents
1. The Deal
2. The Auction
3. Opening Lead and Dummy
4. Play of the Hand
5. Hand Evaluation for Bidding
Chapter 6
The Deal
At the beginning of each hand, one player serves as the dealer.
The dealer thoroughly shuffles the sixty-card Flower Bridge deck and distributes thirteen cards to each player.
After all four players have received thirteen cards, eight cards remain.
These eight cards are placed face down and are not examined by any player.
The undealt cards take no further part in the hand.
The Mystery Discard
The undealt cards are one of Flower Bridge’s distinguishing features.
Unlike traditional Bridge, not every card is necessarily in play.
Any card may be among the undealt cards.
This includes:
· High cards
· Brights
· Ribbons
· Both copies of the same card
A player may never inspect these cards.
Strategic Consequences
When a card has not appeared during play, a player cannot automatically assume an opponent holds it.
Possible explanations include:
· The card is held by an opponent.
· The card is held by partner.
· The card was never dealt.
This uncertainty creates an additional layer of inference and strategy.
Chapter 7
The Auction
After the cards have been dealt, players conduct an auction to determine the contract.
The dealer bids first.
Bidding proceeds clockwise.
A player may:
· Make a bid.
· Pass.
· Make a higher bid than any previous bid.
Structure of a Bid
Every bid consists of two elements:
· A level
· A denomination
Examples:
· 1 Plain
· 2 Ribbon
· 3 Bright Animal
· 3 No Trump
· 5 Plain
Meaning of a Bid
The level indicates the number of tricks above six that the partnership intends to win.
Bid
Required Tricks
1 Plain
7
2 Ribbon
8
3 Animal
9
4 Animal
10
5 Plain
11
6 No Trump
12
7 No Trump
13
Bid Ranking
At the same level:
Plain < Ribbon < Bright Animal < No Trump
Examples:
· 1 Ribbon beats 1 Plain.
· 2 Animals beats 2 Ribbons.
· 3 No Trump beats 3 Animals.
A higher level always beats a lower level.
Passing
A player who does not wish to bid may pass.
Once a player passes, that player may still bid later if the auction remains open.
End of the Auction
The auction ends after three consecutive passes following a bid.
The highest bidder becomes the declarer.
The declarer’s partnership becomes the declaring side.
Chapter 8
Opening Lead and Dummy
After the auction is completed, play begins.
The player seated to the declarer’s left makes the opening lead.
Opening Lead
The opening lead is made before the dummy is exposed.
This rule is inherited directly from Contract Bridge.
The opening leader must choose a card using only:
· The auction
· The player’s own hand
The opening leader does not yet know the contents of the dummy.
Exposing the Dummy
Once the opening lead has been faced, the declarer’s partner exposes all cards face up on the table.
This hand is called the dummy.
The dummy remains visible throughout the hand.
Declarer’s Responsibilities
The declarer plays:
· The declarer’s own hand
· The dummy’s hand
Whenever a card is to be played from the dummy, the declarer chooses the card.
The dummy does not make independent decisions.
Chapter 9
Play of the Hand
The winner of each trick leads to the next trick.
Following Suit
A player who possesses a card of the suit led must play a card from that suit.
If the player has no card of the suit led, any card may be played.
Trump Contracts
In a trump contract:
· Trump cards beat all non-trump cards.
· The highest trump wins the trick.
No Trump Contracts
In a No Trump contract:
· No suit is trump.
· The highest card of the suit led wins the trick.
Duplicate Cards During Play
An identical card does not outrank a previously played identical card.
Example:
West: November Bright
North: November Bright
North’s card cannot defeat West’s card.
This rule applies regardless of who plays the cards.
Winning a Trick
At the completion of four plays:
1. Determine the highest legal card.
2. Award the trick to that player.
3. Place the trick face down.
4. The winner leads next.
Chapter 10
Hand Evaluation for Bidding
Flower Bridge uses a simple honor-count system.
Players may use this system to estimate the strength of a hand.
Honor Values
Card Type
Value
Bright
4
Animal
2
Ribbon
1
Plain
0
Duplicate Cards
Every copy counts at full value.
Example:
Two November Brights:
4 + 4 = 8 points
The duplicate-card reductions used for honor bonuses do not apply to hand evaluation.
Distribution
Players may also consider:
· Long suits
· Voids
· Singletons
· Concentrations of Bright Animals
These factors may influence bidding decisions.
Guidance, Not Law
This evaluation system is intended as guidance.
Experienced players may develop more sophisticated methods.
End of Volume 2
FLOWER BRIDGE
Official English Rulebook
Volume 3
Scoring and Victory
Table of Contents
1. Contract Scoring
2. Winning a Game
3. Honor Bonuses
4. Five Bright Bonus
5. Ten Bright Bonus
Chapter 11
Contract Scoring
After the final trick has been played, the scores for the hand are calculated.
The first step is to determine whether the declarer’s side fulfilled its contract.
If the declaring side wins at least as many tricks as promised during the auction, the contract succeeds.
If the declaring side wins fewer tricks than promised, the contract fails.
Contract Points
Contract points are recorded below the line.
Only contract points count toward winning a game.
Plain Contracts
Each contracted trick scores:
20 points
Examples:
Contract
Below-the-Line Score
1 Plain
20
2 Plain
40
3 Plain
60
4 Plain
80
5 Plain
100
6 Plain
120
7 Plain
140
Ribbon Contracts
Each contracted trick scores:
30 points
Examples:
Contract
Below-the-Line Score
1 Ribbon
30
2 Ribbon
60
3 Ribbon
90
4 Ribbon
120
5 Ribbon
150
6 Ribbon
180
7 Ribbon
210
Bright Animal Contracts
Each contracted trick scores:
30 points
Examples:
Contract
Below-the-Line Score
1 Animal
30
2 Animal
60
3 Animal
90
4 Animal
120
5 Animal
150
6 Animal
180
7 Animal
210
No Trump Contracts
The first contracted trick scores:
40 points
Each additional contracted trick scores:
30 points
Examples:
Contract
Below-the-Line Score
1 No Trump
40
2 No Trump
70
3 No Trump
100
4 No Trump
130
5 No Trump
160
6 No Trump
190
7 No Trump
220
Overtricks
Any tricks won beyond those required by the contract are called overtricks.
Overtricks are scored above the line.
Recommended values:
Contract Type
Overtrick Value
Plain
20
Ribbon
30
Bright Animal
30
No Trump
30
Overtricks never count toward winning a game.
Chapter 12
Winning a Game
Flower Bridge preserves one of the most important traditions of Contract Bridge:
The distinction between scores above the line and scores below the line.
Below the Line
The following scores are recorded below the line:
· Plain contract points
· Ribbon contract points
· Bright Animal contract points
· No Trump contract points
Only these scores count toward winning a game.
Above the Line
The following scores are recorded above the line:
· Overtricks
· Honor bonuses
· Five Bright Bonus
· Ten Bright Bonus
· Other bonus scores
Above-the-line points never count toward winning a game.
Game Requirement
A partnership wins a game when it accumulates:
100 or more points below the line.
Examples
Example 1
4 Bright Animals made.
Contract score:
120 below the line.
Result:
Game Won
Example 2
3 No Trump made.
Contract score:
100 below the line.
Result:
Game Won
Example 3
2 Animals made.
Contract score:
60 below the line.
Honor Bonuses:
45 above the line.
Result:
Not a Game
The partnership has substantial points but has not yet achieved 100 below the line.
Chapter 13
Honor Bonuses
Honor bonuses recognize the capture of important cards.
Honor bonuses are always recorded above the line.
Honor bonuses are awarded for cards captured in tricks by a partnership during play.
Brights
Capture
Bonus
First Copy
4
Second Copy
2
Animals
Capture
Bonus
First Copy
2
Second Copy
1
Ribbons
Capture
Bonus
First Copy
1
Second Copy
1
Why Duplicates Matter
The first captured copy of an honor establishes possession of that rank.
Capturing the duplicate is still valuable, but usually less significant.
Ribbon duplicates retain full score because Ribbon honors are already the lowest honor category.
Examples
Two copies of November Bright:
4 + 2 = 6
Two copies of Boar:
2 + 1 = 3
Two copies of July Ribbon:
1 + 1 = 2
Chapter 14
Five Bright Bonus
The Five Bright Bonus honors one of the most famous combinations in traditional Hwa-tu.
A partnership earns this bonus if it captures:
Five Different Brights (No Duplicates)
Required Brights:
· January Bright
· March Bright
· August Bright
· November Bright
· December Bright
Bonus:
+25 Points Above the Line
Important Rule
The five Brights must be different.
Duplicate Brights do not satisfy this requirement.
Examples
January, March, August, November, December
One copy of each Bright
January, January, March, August, November
Four different Brights only
Chapter 15
Ten Bright Bonus
The Ten Bright Bonus represents one of the rarest achievements in Flower Bridge.
A partnership earns this bonus if it captures:
All Ten Brights
Required:
· Both January Brights
· Both March Brights
· Both August Brights
· Both November Brights
· Both December Brights
Bonus:
+75 Points Above the Line
Special Rule
A partnership which captures all ten Brights only scores the Ten Bright Bonus and does not score any bonus for Five Brights.
The Ten Bright Bonus completely replaces the Five Bright Bonus.
Examples
All ten Brights captured.
Score:
Ten Bright Bonus (+75)
No Five Bright Bonus
Total:
75
End of Volume 3
FLOWER BRIDGE
Official English Rulebook
Volume 4
Strategy and Learning
Table of Contents
목차
1. Example Hand
2. Beginning Strategy
3. Advanced Strategy
4. Flower Bridge for Bridge Players
5. Flower Bridge for Go-Stop Players
Chapter 16
Example Hand
The following example illustrates the basic flow of a Flower Bridge hand.
The cards shown are representative rather than exhaustive.
The Auction
South holds:
· Two Brights
· Three Animals
· Four Ribbons
· Four Plains
South opens:
1 Bright Animal
West passes.
North holds:
· One Bright
· Three Animals
· Four Ribbons
· Five Plains
North responds:
3 Bright Animals
East passes.
South continues:
4 Bright Animals
All pass.
Final Contract
South becomes declarer.
Contract:
4 Bright Animals
Required tricks:
10
Opening Lead
West leads a Ribbon.
Dummy is then exposed.
Declarer’s Plan
Declarer observes:
· Strong Bright Animal support
· Adequate Ribbon strength
· Useful Plain cards
The plan is:
1. Draw opposing trumps.
2. Establish long-suit winners.
3. Preserve control cards.
4. Collect the remaining tricks.
Result
Declarer’s side wins:
11 tricks
Contract required:
10 tricks
Contract achieved:
10 tricks
Overtricks:
1
Score
Below the Line:
4 Bright Animals
120 points
Above the Line:
1 Overtrick
30 points
North-South therefore score:
· 120 below the line
· 30 above the line
The partnership wins a game because it has earned at least 100 points below the line.
Chapter 17
Beginning Strategy
New players should focus on four skills.
Count Brights
Brights are the most influential cards in the deck.
A hand containing many Brights often justifies aggressive bidding.
Count Suit Length
Long suits produce tricks.
A partnership with substantial length in one suit frequently performs well in trump contracts.
Watch the Mystery Discard
Always remember:
Eight cards are not in play.
A missing high card may belong to:
· Partner
· Opponent
· The undealt pile
Track Duplicates
Whenever a powerful card appears, make a mental note.
Ask:
· Have I seen one copy?
· Have I seen both copies?
This habit improves play dramatically.
Learn the Rank Tables
The strongest cards should become familiar.
A player who constantly consults the rankings will eventually memorize them through repeated play.
Chapter 18
Advanced Strategy
The Duplicate Principle
The defining strategic feature of Flower Bridge is the duplicate-card system.
In ordinary Bridge, players ask:
“Has the Ace been played?”
In Flower Bridge, players ask:
“How many copies have been played?”
This distinction affects every phase of play.
Information and Inference
Suppose one November Bright has appeared.
The second copy may be:
· With a defender
· With declarer
· With dummy
· Undealt
The correct inference depends upon the auction and previous play.
Controlling a Suit
Holding both copies of a high card creates powerful control.
For example:
Two November Brights prevent any opponent from holding a November Bright.
Such knowledge can shape an entire hand.
Timing
A duplicate honor can lose power if its twin is already in the trick.
Therefore timing matters.
Sometimes the strongest play is:
· lead the honor immediately,
while at other times:
· preserving it is more valuable.
Defensive Tracking
Defenders should count:
· Brights played
· Trump cards remaining
· Known duplicates
A skilled defense can often deduce declarer’s remaining cards.
Chapter 19
Flower Bridge for Bridge Players
Bridge players will immediately recognize many familiar concepts.
Familiar Features
· Partnerships
· Auctions
· Contracts
· Declarer play
· Dummy play
· Trump contracts
· No Trump contracts
Major Differences
Three Suits
Flower Bridge uses:
· Plains
· Ribbons
· Bright Animals
instead of four suits.
Duplicate Cards
Every card exists twice.
This changes counting dramatically.
Undealt Cards
Eight cards never enter play.
This creates uncertainty absent from ordinary Bridge.
What Bridge Players Should Learn First
1. Traditional Hwa-tu classifications.
2. Bright Animal rankings.
3. Duplicate-card strategy.
4. Honor bonuses.
Once these ideas are mastered, the rest of the game feels surprisingly familiar.
Chapter 20
Flower Bridge for Go-Stop Players
English
Go-Stop players already understand much of the deck.
Familiar Concepts
· Brights
· Animals
· Ribbons
· Plain cards
· Five Brights
· Month-based identities
New Concepts
Flower Bridge introduces:
· Partnerships
· Bidding
· Contracts
· Dummy play
· Trick planning
The Biggest Difference
In Go-Stop, players seek combinations.
In Flower Bridge, players seek tricks.
A strong player plans the entire hand from the moment the auction begins.
Learning Advice
Go-Stop players should not worry about mastering every Bridge concept immediately.
Focus on:
1. Following suit.
2. Counting tricks.
3. Understanding the auction.
4. Using Brights efficiently.
The rest will develop naturally with experience.
End of Volume 4
FLOWER BRIDGE
Official English Rulebook
Volume 5
Reference Materials and Designer Commentary
Table of Contents
Chapter 21. Glossary
Appendix A. Official Rank Tables
Appendix B. Official Scoresheet
Appendix C. Hwa-tu Cultural Notes
Appendix D. Designer Notes
Chapter 21
Glossary
Above the Line
Scores that do not count toward winning a game.
Examples:
· Overtricks
· Honor bonuses
· Five Bright Bonus
· Ten Bright Bonus
Auction
The bidding phase used to determine the contract.
Below the Line
Scores that count toward winning a game.
Only contract points are scored below the line.
Bright
One of the five traditional Bright cards.
Bright Animal
The highest-ranking Flower Bridge suit.
The suit consists of all retained Bright cards and selected Animal cards.
Contract
The final accepted bid.
Declarer
The player who wins the auction for the partnership.
Defender
A member of the non-declaring side.
Dummy
Declarer’s partner after the opening lead.
The dummy’s cards are displayed face up and played by declarer.
Five Bright Bonus
A bonus awarded for capturing five different Brights.
Honor
A card eligible for honor-bonus scoring.
No Trump
A contract in which no suit is trump.
Overtrick
Any trick won beyond the contract requirement.
Plain
The lowest-ranking suit.
Ribbon
The middle-ranking suit.
Ten Bright Bonus
A bonus awarded for capturing all ten Brights.
Trick
A set of four cards, one played by each player.
Trump
The designated suit that outranks all other suits.
Appendix A
Official Rank Tables
Bright Animals
1. December Bright
2. November Bright
3. August Bright
4. March Bright
5. January Bright
6. August Geese
7. July Boar
8. June Butterfly
9. May Bridge
10. February Nightingale
Ribbons
1. November Ribbon
2. October Ribbon
3. September Ribbon
4. July Ribbon
5. June Ribbon
6. May Ribbon
7. April Ribbon
8. March Ribbon
9. February Ribbon
10. January Ribbon
Plains
1. November Plain
2. October Plain
3. September Plain
4. June Plain
5. May Plain
6. April Plain
7. March Plain
8. February Plain
9. January Plain B
10. January Plain A
Appendix B
Official Scoresheet
Plain Text
=================================================
FLOWER BRIDGE
=================================================
ABOVE THE LINE
NORTH-SOUTH EAST-WEST
__ __
__ __
__ __
__ __
=================================================
BELOW THE LINE
NORTH-SOUTH EAST-WEST
__ __
__ __
__ __
__ __
=================================================
GAME WINNER
________________________________________
=================================================
HAND RECORD
Dealer
________________________________________
Contract
________________________________________
Declarer /
________________________________________
Tricks Won
________________________________________
=================================================
HONORS
JANUARY BRIGHT □1 □2
MARCH BRIGHT □1 □2
AUGUST BRIGHT □1 □2
NOVEMBER BRIGHT □1 □2
DECEMBER BRIGHT □1 □2
-----------------------------------------
FIVE BRIGHT BONUS
□ EARNED (+25)
-----------------------------------------
TEN BRIGHT BONUS
□ EARNED (+75)
NOTE:
Ten Bright Bonus replaces
Five Bright Bonus.
=================================================
Appendix C
Hwa-tu Cultural Notes
Why Are They Called Brights?
The Bright cards belong to the traditional group known as the Five Brights.
Their classification is traditional and does not depend upon the artwork.
Three Brights depict living beings:
· Crane
· Rain Man
· Phoenix
Despite this, all remain Bright cards.
Why Does the Bridge Card Count as an Animal?
Traditional Hwa-tu classifications are not purely literal.
The May Bridge card has long been treated as an Animal card.
Flower Bridge preserves this tradition.
Ribbon Colors
Ribbon color has no game effect.
The following are all simply Ribbon cards:
· Red ribbons
· Blue ribbons
· Poetry ribbons
Background Artwork
Some Plain cards contain distinctive backgrounds.
These artistic differences have no effect upon game play.
Japanese Hanafuda Option
Players may use Japanese Hanafuda card names if desired.
Only terminology changes.
Rules and rankings remain identical.
Appendix D
Designer Notes
Flower Bridge began with a simple question:
What might Bridge look like if it had evolved from Hwa-tu rather than a standard Western deck?
Several principles guided the design.
Preserve the Spirit of Bridge
Flower Bridge retains:
· Partnerships
· Auctions
· Contracts
· Dummy play
· Trump and No Trump contracts
· Below-the-line game scoring
Respect Hwa-tu Tradition
Flower Bridge preserves:
· The Five Brights
· Traditional card classifications
· Month-flower associations
· Familiar card identities
Embrace the Double Deck
Rather than hiding the duplicate cards, Flower Bridge celebrates them.
The duplicate-card rule creates strategic situations unavailable in ordinary Bridge.
Players must constantly think:
· Has this card appeared?
· Has one copy appeared?
· Have both copies appeared?
· Could one or both copies be undealt?
The answers to these questions often determine the correct play.
Why the Undealt Cards?
The eight-card mystery discard introduces uncertainty.
A missing card may belong to:
· An opponent
· A partner
· Nobody
This uncertainty is intentional and helps define the game’s character.
End of First Edition
FLOWER BRIDGE
Official English Rulebook
First Edition Complete