[ASC87]

When I first joined the Bridge community, I felt intimidated and frustrated. The game seemed like it would take a lot of work, with too many numbers and memorization involved. I struggled to remember even my phone number and relied on counting my fingers for basic calculations. It felt like I was at a disadvantage, but something kept me going. I felt an immediate connection to the game, which became a metaphor for many other aspects of life.
https://aishachachar...e8b0ae7087d8b82

[ASC87]

https://aishachachar...rs-11895a3e3e6f

Reflecting upon the history of bridge.

[ASC87]

Reflecting upon the history of the game: https://aishachachar...rs-11895a3e3e6f

[pescetom]

Hi, welcome to bridge!

There are a few inaccuracies in your history, but your passion is obvious and shared.
You asked how we stumbled upon bridge?
I resisted it for decades, first some friends who tried to teach it and then my parents who had learned it and insisted we played it on their annual visit.
I tried, but it seemed nothing more than amusing guesswork.
In the end I took a course which was tedious and made little sense, but then read Richard Pavlicek and saw that there was logic after all

[ASC87]

Oh please let me know and I will correct them. Thanks.
It appears that you also have faced some ordeals when initially learning bridge, but I'm glad to hear that you got around it. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been playing? Also, do you have any specific techniques or tactics that you typically use when starting out?

[pescetom]

ASC87, on 2023-September-30, 15:45, said:

Oh please let me know and I will correct them. Thanks.

Here are a few.

"Bridge is a game that has been enjoyed by people worldwide for centuries."
For over a century (you can date it somewhere between 1869 when Biritch was first documented in Romania and 1894 when Whist-Bridge reached the Portland Club in London).

"Harold S. Vanderbilt, an enthusiastic bridge player, brought contract bridge to the forefront in the early 1900s. The game transformed how players bid, with the highest bidder winning the privilege to choose the trump suit and declare the contract. Vanderbilt polished the rules and scoring system, making the game a widely appreciated recreation."
In 1924. And the transformation was about the scoring system (vulnerability, majors, minor slams) as choice of trumps and declaration of contract had existed for decades.

"Even during the demanding times of World War II, the game remained popular. It was played in military camps, providing an escape and even as a tool for communication and code-breaking in intelligence operations."
A tool for code-breaking? It would be interesting to know the source. You could cite Roosevelt as a compulsive bridge player after (and possibly as an excuse for) strategic meetings post D-day.

"Various versions of Bridge have emerged over time. While contract bridge remains the most popular, auction and duplicate bridges have also appeared."
This creates confusion: contract bridge wholly superceded auction bridge in the 1920s and both are duplicate (unlike rubber bridge which remained popular for much of the previous century).
Effectively there is only contract bridge now. But different types of tournament and scoring system have emerged, the principal being pairs tournaments scored at MP and team tournaments scored at IMPs/VPs.


"The digital age has brought about a new era for Bridge, with cutting-edge software and AI development that have revolutionised the game.

Thanks to these technological advancements, players can now access advanced bridge programs that analyse hands, offer optimal strategies, and provide valuable insights like hand analysis, instant feedback, and global virtual tournaments with the click of a button.

If that were not impressive enough, AI-powered bots have emerged, facing off against human players at progressively challenging levels, from beginners to experts to world-class challenges. Plus, various bidding systems and conventions are being adapted by these online endeavours, allowing players to customise their games based on personal preferences and playing techniques."
Let's not exaggerate Some bots are quite good, but I'm not aware of any yet based on real AI or capable of facing world-class players and there is no analysis of optimal strategies that I know of (indicating successful lines while examining all four hands is not the same thing).

[pescetom]

ASC87, on 2023-September-30, 15:45, said:

It appears that you also have faced some ordeals when initially learning bridge, but I'm glad to hear that you got around it. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been playing? Also, do you have any specific techniques or tactics that you typically use when starting out?

I first played about 30 years ago, but it was 2 or 3 games a year without any interest.
I took a course 12 years ago, but still wasn't convinced, also because the teaching was dreadful.
At a certain point I realised that bidding was interesting but that I didn't really know what I was doing: so I searched internet and found Richard Pavlicek and Bridge bid and made, which made a whole lot more sense. Later I found Mario Martinelli to describe modern Italian bidding and Larry Cohen to counterbalance it with US bidding, plus some good books and this forum and then BW for discussions of less obvious issues.

I'm not responsible for teaching our beginners but I do make a point of playing with them and encouraging them to read widely and not limit themselves to the level they encounter in the club. I discourage discussion during a tournament but I'm a firm believer in post-mortem discussion.

[ASC87]

I hear you u and I’m taking notes.
Thanks. It resonated with me what you just said about how bidding could feel like “I have no clue what am I doing!” And I’m so relieved to know that it’s not just me not having what it takes.
Thanks again:)

[mikeh]

pescetom, on 2023-October-01, 15:36, said:

Here are a few.

"Bridge is a game that has been enjoyed by people worldwide for centuries."
For over a century (you can date it somewhere between 1869 when Biritch was first documented in Romania and 1894 when Whist-Bridge reached the Portland Club in London).

"Harold S. Vanderbilt, an enthusiastic bridge player, brought contract bridge to the forefront in the early 1900s. The game transformed how players bid, with the highest bidder winning the privilege to choose the trump suit and declare the contract. Vanderbilt polished the rules and scoring system, making the game a widely appreciated recreation."
In 1924. And the transformation was about the scoring system (vulnerability, majors, minor slams) as choice of trumps and declaration of contract had existed for decades.

"Even during the demanding times of World War II, the game remained popular. It was played in military camps, providing an escape and even as a tool for communication and code-breaking in intelligence operations."
A tool for code-breaking? It would be interesting to know the source. You could cite Roosevelt as a compulsive bridge player after (and possibly as an excuse for) strategic meetings post D-day.

"Various versions of Bridge have emerged over time. While contract bridge remains the most popular, auction and duplicate bridges have also appeared."
This creates confusion: contract bridge wholly superceded auction bridge in the 1920s and both are duplicate (unlike rubber bridge which remained popular for much of the previous century).
Effectively there is only contract bridge now. But different types of tournament and scoring system have emerged, the principal being pairs tournaments scored at MP and team tournaments scored at IMPs/VPs.


"The digital age has brought about a new era for Bridge, with cutting-edge software and AI development that have revolutionised the game.

Thanks to these technological advancements, players can now access advanced bridge programs that analyse hands, offer optimal strategies, and provide valuable insights like hand analysis, instant feedback, and global virtual tournaments with the click of a button.

If that were not impressive enough, AI-powered bots have emerged, facing off against human players at progressively challenging levels, from beginners to experts to world-class challenges. Plus, various bidding systems and conventions are being adapted by these online endeavours, allowing players to customise their games based on personal preferences and playing techniques."
Let's not exaggerate Some bots are quite good, but I'm not aware of any yet based on real AI or capable of facing world-class players and there is no analysis of optimal strategies that I know of (indicating successful lines while examining all four hands is not the same thing).

On the history of the game, I actually collect bridge books published before 1940….once Goren began promoting the use of the Work point count (the 4321 almost everyone uses these days) the books became of less interest to me. I have only a few from the period 1898-1904, but many from around 1912-1940.

Auction bridge was not primarily duplicate and definitely not duplicate as we know it. It was primarily a rubber game. There was also Royal Auction Bridge.

Matchpoint duplicate didn’t become popular until after WWII although it was played, I believe, in the 1930s. Rubber was still the most common game, literally played by millions starting in the 1930s and into at least the early 1960s. While my personal knowledge is limited, I believe that just about every major NA city would have had at least one flourishing rubber club well into the 1970s, but bridge began dying around 1974 or so….not, imo, coincidentally with the arrival of the first video games…look up ‘pong’ and then, even more dramatically, Space Invaders!

Team games were all scored on total points until the first version of the imp scale was invented, which didn’t happen until 1938 and didn’t appear in NA until 1951, so slams and grand slams were hugely important while partials were hardly worth playing out, unless doubled😀

Obviously I agree with your discussion of how computers have not yet mastered bridge. Double dummy analysis is well developed but I’ve not yet seen any software capable of actually playing or defending a hand at anything resembling expert levels….and the situation, in terms of bidding, is even worse. I suspect AI may change that, but I defer to those who actually know something about AI before saying anything more.

[thepossum]

mikeh, on 2023-October-04, 21:47, said:

Obviously I agree with your discussion of how computers have not yet mastered bridge. Double dummy analysis is well developed but I’ve not yet seen any software capable of actually playing or defending a hand at anything resembling expert levels….and the situation, in terms of bidding, is even worse. I suspect AI may change that, but I defer to those who actually know something about AI before saying anything more.

AI experts are 10 a penny these days Mike

[thepossum]

Regarding the thread I will be careful what I say but I avoid formal bridge lessons like the plague
Learned the basics sitting round a table at home, read a few columns by Zia and stuff like that. Why did they bid that etc

I would have read a few books on hand evaluation and important techniques like squeezes and other endgame techniques

I will also put a word in for Pavlicek and Cohen. Good ways to learn

Another recollection was back in the 80s there was a TV show late at night called international bridge club or something like that. I think I remember Bob Hamman dressing down Zia over a bid. You need to see real Bridge

You can see why I am still a beginner

But without being a teacher of anything and not wanting to disrespect teachers there are fun ways to learn and ways that can turn you off anything