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Reviews

Contract Bridge


L R Griffin
South Wales Evening Post, November 2, 2002
Part 1 of 2

I received recently a copy of Bridge Baron 13. This is a bridge-playing program which works on any modern computer. There is no written manual, but the program contains full information and instructions which can be brought up on screen.

The first facility is to play bridge as though you were at the table. The program can produce some 2,000,000 random, but reproducible, deals. The bidding systems of both N/S and E/W and the maximum “thinking time” of the computer can be present. You then bid one of the hands and either play as declarer or a defender. At the end, you can ask the computer to bid and play the whole deal, giving you a chance to judge your own performance. It is not easy to test the program extensively, but my feeling is that its standard is that of an average-to-good club player.

Here is a simple example:

Dealer South

Love all

North
A 7 2
A 7 2
A 5 4 3 2
8 3
West
8 4 3
9 8
K Q 10 9
Q 10 3 2
East
Q J 10 6
Q 2
J 7 6
K 6 5
South
K 9 5
K J 10 6 5 4
–
A J 9 7

I set up Benji-Acol as the bidding system for both sides. I sat South and opened 1H, North (i.e. the computer) responded 2D, I rebid 2H, and North raised to 4H. This was a normal auction.

LEARN is an excellent facility to practice named conventions, very important for the aspiring tournament player and partnership. The use of conventions without sufficient practice is a big source of loss at all levels of bridge. You can bid hands from the Challenges facility to fine-tune your partnership bidding.

I then played my own hand and also dummy. The computer played E/W. West led the DK. I won in dummy and discarded a spade. I then played ace and another club, which East won and switched to a spade. I cashed the top spades, ruffed a club low in dummy, ruffed a diamond, ruffed my last club with the HA, led dummy’s last heart, finessed the HJ successfully, cashed the HK, and claimed 12 tricks.

I asked the computer to play all four hands. West led the KD, and not a trump which could hold the declarer to eleven tricks. Play proceeded as before, until the computer ruffed South’s last club with dummy’s H7, instead of the HA. East was able to overruff, holding the delarer to 11 tricks.

More about the program next week. I find it great fun, and the graphics are excellent.

Click here to read part 2 of this review at http://www.bridgebaron.com/reviews/bb13lrgriffin2.html.