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Bridge Master 2000
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Software: Bridge Master 2000
Platform: Windows
Publisher: Bridge Base Inc.
Web Site: www.bridgebase.com
Price: $59.95 USD
As my online stats say, " I am an Gitelman junkie" and have been since the early 80s when I sheepishly had Fred load his first version of BRIDGE MASTER on the laptop meant solely for work. He had asked whether I could install it on my computer and I didn't have a clue what he meant. And when I got home from what was then and remains Fred's home and office, it didn't take long before my hubby - who remains totally computer illiterate - was oblivious to babies running around the house as he and his favorite partner were glued to the higher levels. If I dared leave the house, I was sure to come back to dirty diapers, but babies merrily quiet with their bottles - a convenient way to keep them happily quiet while 3NT was being made on a strip, squeeze and throw-in play!
Some years later while Fred and his business and life partner, Sheri Weinstock are hard at work with their flourishing company, Bridge Base Inc., (www.bridgebase.com), I can now load BRIDGE MASTER 2000. Gratefully, hubby now has his own version on his own computer which is used for three purposes only: to play on Bridge Baron; get his email from Ken Murray regarding the prestigious Toronto-based bridge players' baseball pool, and for BRIDGE MASTER 2000.
Between teaching, as founder of BRIDGE FORUM (www.bridge-forum.com) and writing articles, I get to play on this latest release because I assign hands as homework - very clever way to get your students practicing declarer play while you are forced to keep up! Then I sneak in the higher levels but alas, I get so far and then the strip tease just won't do the trick): Fred has done it again with the same look to all products he is involved with. As the foremost bridge software developer, whose 'bridge engine' is used to produce the likes of Cohen's, Kantar's, Lawrence and Woolsey's products, Fred is also a world-ranked player with two silver medals to his credit. And where does he have time to do it all given his work on the Pendergraph vugraph? There's usually a good woman behind such men and here Sheri stands beside her partner as she enters data, keeps up their very intricate website and generally keeps the business running.
So why a new version of BRIDGE MASTER when you could order hands for the other version?
What initially strikes one is that the animation is even better than ever. Importantly, it is more interactive in that you actually play the hands but you know you are using a Bridge Base program because luck is discounted. If you go for the finesse when playing for the drop is the right percentage play based on the bidding or lack of by the opponents, the finesse won't work. But, by way of example, you first aim to set up a long suit to no avail and then try the finesse, it may very well work because you have played the hand with proper form. This delights me to no end as what do students, what do any of us learn if we make a contract based on the whims of the bridge Goddesses. With over 180 declarer hands (and you can order more), plus a separate beginners edition with 117 hands, there are 5 levels of difficulty with Skill Level 1 suitable for new bridge players while level 5 is made of hands challenging for world experts. Throughout you can customize the program to display bridge deals, recall how you played each hand and your results. As you track your progress, let's keep an eye on what is in store for Fred, Sheri and Bridge Base. Indeed we will see more development of new educational software as well as improving the vugrraph and authoring software for teachers - more on those and Gitelman 'secrets' to come!
Happy Bridging):
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GREAT
BRIDGE LINKS
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