When I was in college in the mid-1970's, the only form of computerized bridge play was on the nationwide PLATO network. After playing against humans at the local club, we would head for campus for late-night bridge on big monochrome terminals in the university PLATO lab.
If we were lucky enough to connect with three other humans on the network, the game could be fairly challenging. Often, though, at least one of the four players would be the computer (called the PLATO "freak"), which was programmed with a bare minimum of bridge knowledge. PLATO's primitive bidding was random after the first round of the auction, and its defense and declarer play sometimes defied logic. No matter what the layout, the PLATO freak always pulled trumps, always played second-hand low and third-hand high, etc.
Compared to the PLATO freaks, today's computer bridge "bots" are amazingly sophisticated. Modern programs can handle complex auctions, execute squeezes and read defensive signals, and they play and understand hundreds of conventions. Some of the features you'll find in today's bridge software packages include:
Hundreds of popular conventions and a growing number of bidding systems, including 5-card majors, 2-over-1 game-forcing, Precision, Kaplan/Sheinwold and Acol.
Various skill levels -- you can set the program to bid and play at novice through "expert" level (but don't take the latter too literally). The higher skill levels may slow some programs down to a crawl. A similar feature lets you specify the computer's maximum thinking time for each bid and play.
Options for playing different types of games, including single deal, duplicate, rubber, Chicago duplicate, Chicago rubber.
"Closed-room" computer replays, so you can compare your bidding and play to the computer's. Some programs also offer duplicate matches and pre-dealt sets of instructional hands.
Online tutorials, expert tips, beginner lessons and interactive flow charts to explain the auction. In addition to explaining bids, some programs will even give you an analysis of how various contracts would do.
Hints -- the computer will offer its recommendation for your next action at any point during the bidding or play.
A form of artificial intelligence, where the program will supposedly "learn" your system and improve its skill over time. (Don't be too impressed with this feature, as many believe that these claims haven't yet lived up to their billing.)
Defensive signals, including count, attitude, suit preference and trump echoes.
A "peek" feature, in which the computer looks at its partner's cards. This will improve the computer's defense when you're declaring, but it can also result in some downright silly plays. Some programs let you turn this feature off.
Tracking features that keep a record of your scores and statistics.
Choice of deal types -- if you want to practice preempts or slam bidding or 1NT openings, for example, you can tell the computer what types of hands to deal.
Built-in deal packages that allow you to replay hands from major tournaments and compare your results with the actual tournament scores. Add-on sets are also available.
Does that mean we can look forward to development of a truly "expert" bridge program? Probably not in the near future, at least in respect to bidding skills.
The big difference between chess and bridge software is the amount of information that's available for the computer to process. Chess is a game of complete information -- the computer can always see the entire board and calculate millions of possible moves and subsequent positions. A computer bridge player, however, has 3/4 of the cards hidden from its view during the bidding, and it must decode a much more complex set of clues from its partner and the opponents during this critical phase of each deal. That requires both inductive and deductive reasoning, and processing input from three other players instead of just one.
Even the world's leading software developer believes that bridge programs cannot match the ability of software for chess and other games. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, who began playing tournament bridge in 1998, said, "In terms of the game of bridge itself, computers can't play at any reasonable level. Even I can probably beat the best bridge software that exists today." Gates, a self-admitted "bridge addict", said bridge software can provide valuable instruction, but there's no imminent prospect of it being able to play at human levels.
The bridge computer's skills improve during the play, when it can see two hands instead of one, and bridge software developers have made great strides in their programs' card-play techniques. Ginsburg's Intelligent Bridge Player (GIB) program has demonstrated expert-level play as a declarer and defender, thanks to its ability to quickly analyze complex probabilities. Deep Finesse and other "double-dummy" analysis programs play virtually perfect bridge when all four hands are visible.
Probably the biggest challenge for bridge-software developers, though, is finding a way for the computer to deal with the human characteristics of the other three contestants. The best human bridge players have a "feel" for the personalities and thought processes of their partners and opponents. They can make adjustments in their strategy and technique to handle a wide range of changing conditions during the bidding and play of a hand. At this point, it seems all but impossible to program a computer to sense -- and perhaps replicate -- all the subtleties of the ways the human brain processes information.
Another big difference between chess and bridge programs is that much of the success of the chess software lies in its ability to exploit the technical errors made by its human opponent. The chess computer doesn't have to handle deceptive plays because they don't really exist in a game of complete information. Bridge, however, is rife with opportunities for deception -- both the intentional and unintentional varieties -- and a computer will need to think like a human to sense the situations where they might occur. Will a bridge software package ever be able to handle a psychic bid, decode a defender's falsecard, make allowances for a human's error in signaling or declarer play?
Still, there's no doubt that today's programs are improving, and many are worth owning for their teaching and entertainment value. If you're a beginner, bridge software can add a "multimedia" dimension to your learning experience. It will give you the chance to practice bidding and play -- with no time constraints, no limit to how often you can rebid and replay a hand, and no worry about disappointing a human partner. Many programs have comprehensive online lessons that you can use to teach yourself, even if you know absolutely nothing about bridge when you start.
More experienced players use the programs for practice, too, especially for declarer play. If you consider yourself an "advanced" player, though, you shouldn't expect the bid-and-play programs to make any dramatic improvements in your general bridge skills. If you buy one, it should be for fun and practice. They can be an entertaining diversion and, according to many, are a great way to reduce stress.
If you're a beginner, you'll benefit most from a program that has a high rating for bidding skill and includes good online tutorials and "hint" features. Experienced beginners and intermediate-level players may want to base their decision more heavily on the program's bidding and defensive skill rating, number of systems and conventions it plays, and the variety of deal options it offers. Advanced and expert players usually enjoy programs that offer the more sophisticated double-dummy solver features.
Most commercial software packages have web sites where you can get more details on each program's features and, in some cases, download a trial demo. Solicit your friends' recommendations, too, and ask them to let you try the software they own. I've tried many of the programs, and my personal favorite is Bridge Baron. Remember, though, that no program is perfect for everyone. Each of the top-rated programs has unique strengths (and weaknesses), so base your choice on your personal preferences for features, interface and graphics.
If you're a beginner, start by downloading the Learn to Play Bridge programs (two volumes) from the American Contract Bridge League. It's a free tutorial that will teach you the basics and give you experience with the types of bidding and card-play interfaces you'll find in the bid-and-play packages.
The discussion here has centered mainly on the popular bid-and-play packages that deal random hands and let you bid, declare and defend against the computer. You can do a lot more with bridge on your computer than just play the game, though. There are a number of specialized programs that offer interesting ways to solve problems, handle bridge tasks and even help you improve your skills. They include bridge tutors, hand dealers, convention-card editors, double-dummy solvers, scorers, HTML tools and other utilities.
Copyright © 2003 -- Karen Walker