Bridge Positions: North, South, East & West
The four compass seats are more than labels — they decide who partners whom, who deals, and who plays when. Get the geography of the table clear and the rest of bridge reads more easily.
vs
E–W
The Four Seats
A bridge table is square, with one player on each side. The seats are named after the points of the compass — North, East, South and West — and they always run clockwise in that order. These names are fixed: they have nothing to do with where the table actually faces, and they stay the same all session so everyone can refer to hands and seats without confusion.
The single most important fact about the seats is who partners whom: North and South are one partnership, and East and West are the other. Partners face each other across the table, so an opponent is always on your left and another on your right.
Why Sitting Opposite Matters
Partners sit opposite for a practical reason: it keeps the two hands of a partnership as far apart as possible, so neither can accidentally see the other’s cards. Everything a partnership shares has to travel through legal channels — the bids made in the auction and the cards played to each trick. You never lean over or signal; the game is built on inference, not glimpses.
vs
E–W
Because play moves clockwise, the player on your left plays after you and the player on your right plays before you. Bridge writers use the shorthand LHO (left-hand opponent) and RHO (right-hand opponent) constantly, and once the seating is clear those terms become second nature.
Positions During the Auction
The dealer bids first, and the auction proceeds clockwise. Position relative to the opening bidder has its own vocabulary. The player who bids immediately after an opponent opens is in the “direct” seat; the opener’s partner is the “responder”. Whether you sit before or after the strong hand often decides whether you can bid safely or should stay quiet.
Seats in the auction
Positions During the Play
Once the contract is set, two roles attach to specific seats. The declarer is the player on the winning side who first named the final trump suit; their partner becomes the dummy, laying their cards face up and taking no further part. The two opponents are the defenders.
The defender to declarer’s left makes the opening lead, so play to the very first trick starts on declarer’s left and moves clockwise. After that, whoever wins a trick leads to the next. Understanding this flow is the first step toward declarer play and defensive technique.
How Positions Appear in Print
When you read a bridge hand in a book, an article or online, the four hands are laid out exactly as the compass suggests — North at the top, South at the bottom, West on the left and East on the right. A note such as “Dealer South, North–South vulnerable” tells you who opens and which side carries the higher stakes. Reading these diagrams fluently is a small skill that pays off across every guide on the site.
Key Takeaways
- The seats are North, East, South, West, clockwise — fixed all session.
- North–South are partners; East–West are partners. You always sit opposite your partner.
- Your left-hand opponent plays after you; your right-hand opponent before you.
- The dealer bids first and rotates clockwise each hand.
- In print, hands are drawn N top, S bottom, W left, E right.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
The compass names give every seat a fixed, unambiguous label so players, writers and scoring systems can refer to any hand or position without confusion, regardless of which way the table actually faces.
Partners sit opposite each other. North faces South, and East faces West. That means each player has an opponent on their left and another on their right.
In a casual game you can sit anywhere, but once play starts your position decides who your partner is, when you bid and when you play. In duplicate, your direction (North-South or East-West) determines which boards and opponents you meet.
LHO is your left-hand opponent, who plays immediately after you; RHO is your right-hand opponent, who plays immediately before you. Both are common shorthand in bridge writing.
In the auction, the dealer bids first. In the play, the defender to declarer's left makes the opening lead; after that, the winner of each trick leads to the next.
At the start of a session the dealer is chosen by cutting cards, then the deal rotates clockwise each hand. In duplicate, the board itself specifies who deals.