BRidgeBRowser REVIEW

"It's an incredibly powerful program"  David Stern, IBPA Member

January 2004

We are all aware of the software packages which continue to enrich the enjoyment of enthusiasts and writers like ourselves. These include Deep Finesse, Bridge Baron, GIB, over the shoulder tutors as well as the multitude of online bridge playing programs just to name a few.

A new program has been developed and I am pleased to recommend it for your review and consideration. Mentored by Carl Hudecek and rave-reviewed by Tim Bourke, Larry Cohen and others, Stephen Pickett of Vancouver has contributed to the sum of our collective bridge knowledge with his new program BRidgeBRowser.

The program comes in two versions, a standalone PC software package together with whatever databases you elect to purchase and an online version utilising the most recent OKBridge data - typically six months in each set.

At first I must confess to being daunted by the ability to analyse around 5 million hands in just one of the 10 hand collections, but after just a few sessions I was able to dig out such things as:

1. how did 2NT fare with 12 opposite 12 versus 3NT on the same board. Of course this did not take into account the relative strengths of the defence but with such a large database this issue is probably less than significant;

2. Restrict searches by player Ratings;

3. How did psyches fare in general terms;

4. How many times did a 4S response to 1S opening miss slam when responder held more than a very weak hand with long spades;

5. integrate an end position with a Deep Finesse Analysis; and

6. check out all the hands played by 'papi' (Benito Garozzo) and see just how beautifully he bids and plays

Taking into account the complexities of the program are a series of wizards (example searches) to get you started on such questions as:

. how to look at the sequence 1NT P 2S P
. how to check out mini-no-trump opening bids and follow up
. how to look for a series of hands played by a single player

The data has mostly been culled from OKBridge records. However I believe that gentle encouragement should get other online sites to add their data to the repository.

It's an incredibly powerful program

People have been asking what is to be done to get new players more enthusiastic about the game and I believe that this approach could yield a crop of experts in a short time from players prepared to take the analytical approach.

Many of us could learn from it too.

David Stern, IBPA Member
Double Bay Bridge Centre
Sydney, Australia