Bridge Software: A Guide to What’s Out There
Bridge software comes in many forms. Some programs let you play online with friends or robots. Others are apps you can install on your phone. There are tools for teaching, scoring, dealing, or managing a club. Some software is new and updated often, while some older tools were once sold on CD-ROMs and may still work today.
This guide will help you sort through the different types of bridge software. Use the links to browse specific tools and platforms.
1. Play Bridge Online
These platforms let you play bridge with other people or with robots. Most run in your webbrowser or using apps, a few still need to be downloaded.
2. Mobile Bridge Apps
Apps for iOS and Android include robot games, bidding trainers, and teaching tools. Handy for playing or learning on the go. Many play online platforms also use apps as well as web browsers.
→ Bridge Apps for iOS and Android
3. Scoring and Dealing Tools
These programs are used by clubs and tournament directors. They include scoring software, movement generators, hand dealers, and traveler printers. They can be apps, web based or use downloadable software.
4. Bridge Utilities and Tools
Other helpful software includes hand analysis tools, double dummy solvers, and deal viewers. Some of these are small, single-purpose programs. Others use apps, or are web based.
5. Bridge Teaching Software
These tools help players learn bridge or improve their play. They may include lessons, interactive quizzes, bidding practice, and hand reviews. Some are apps, others are web-based or downloadable. You can find a lot of these offerings in our Learn To Play section.
6. Bridge Bots and AI Competitions
Advanced programs can play bridge using artificial intelligence. These bots often appear on playing platforms and also compete in the annual World Computer-Bridge Championship.
→ Bridge Computer World Championships
7. Archived and Legacy Software
Many long-time bridge players still use older software that was once sold on CDs. Some of these tools still work on modern systems or have newer versions available.
Bridge Software Innovation
In this section we’ll track bridge software innovations as they come out.
Computer Bridge by Björn Hjalmarsson. This is a cool site that focusses on computerized bridge – the software, the robots, the online places to play. The GUI of the site is a bit spare so make sure to hover over the menu in order to find the good stuff.
Computer Vision is designed to detect cards (with timing and orientation) in real time. It automatically detects and records timing (i.e. hesitations, slow play) as well as the bidding and play, providing accurate records for all hands at all tables. It also detects behavioural indicators (e.g. card orientation) – in other words, potential cheating mechanisms. AI and Computer Vision researchers at Monash University in Australia have developed an initial proof of concept and even with a standard laptop, vision can be processed and annotated in realtime. Running trials during the 2023 World Championships, researchers are hoping to attract funding support to develop the software further. Link to see the trial in action video here
The History of Big Deal – Big Deal is a program for dealing bridge hands first introduced at the Bridge Olympiad in 2000. Written by Hans Van Staveren, it has been recently updated (BigDeal 2.0). In commemoration of this, perhaps the final, update, Hans has published The History of Big Deal for, well, history!
The Nukki Challenge. Paris 2022. Can an advanced AI beat the world’s best bridge players? On Thursday 24th and Friday 25th, 2022, there was a historic match live on Youtube, between 8 bridge virtuosos (Brad Moss, Thomas Bessis, Sabine Auken, Bénédicte Cronier, Mikael Rimstedt, Roy Welland, Anna Gulevich, Nevena Senior) and an AI. Read about the event and the AI on their ebsite here. The entire contest was run through Youtube – you can follow it here.
Bridge Standards Working Group – an independent, self-governed, non-profit standards group. Membership in the BSWG includes online bridge platform operators, technical experts from National Bridge Organizations (NBOs), experts in data formats, and developers from the community. The BSWG will work to provide strategic guidance on the evolution of bridge technology and provide insights on the needs of the bridge community. Read more on their
Website: bswg.org
Bridge Bee – An interactive beehive of bridge hands. Read article here ->
Is it or is it not AI? Great Bridge Links caught up with Rodney A. Ludwig, creator of Meadowlark, to dig into how the software works and what is in store for Meadowlark in the future. Read article here ->
Online Bridge Clubs. What’s behind the curtain? Have you ever wondered about the software powering your favorite online bridge club? Who are the robots? Great Bridge Links did some digging to find out what popular bridge software are running the online bridge clubs today. Read article here ->
Synrey Bridge and Micro Bridge met in the finals of the 2019 World Computer Bridge Championship but aren’t they the same robot? Alex interviews Erik Liu, creator of Synrey Bridge, a second time to find out. Read article here ->
How to play in the WBF Robot Bridge Tournaments – and what are they, anyhow? Read article here –>
Going Retro: Bridge for DOS Some historical DOS Bridge links in this article by Alex J. Coyne.
https://greatbridgelinks.com/going-retro-bridge-dos/
Computers That Gamble and Imagine – article by Alan Truscott, NY Times. Click here >
New Links
Links and news in this section are posted in order of receipt. We like to leave the links in place for years as a kind of archive for digital archeologists and historians. Every now and then we’ll sweep, deleting links that no longer work. Most of these links also reside on appropriate pages throughout our website.
Bridge Solver – Bridge Solver Online is a free interactive bridge hand analyser utilising Bo Haglund’s well known double dummy solver module. There is now a version of Bridge Solver Online which is completely self contained, having no server components or external dependences.
Bridge Live / Bridge 21. One of the newest online platforms designed for players and clubs both digital and face to face. Launched Spring 2023
Bridge Champ. The Next Generation Of Online Bridge Playing online Bridge can be complex. Bridge Champ makes it easier for you! . Launched Spring 2023
Bridgestars – The platform you’ve always wanted. A modern platform for Bridge players all around the world to play unlimited Bridge for free. Brigestars let students from Swedish bridge schools improve their skills by taking part in different courses available on the platform.
Bridge Webs Technology for Bridge Clubs page – https://www.bridgewebs.com/cgi-bin/bwoo/bw.cgi?club=bw&pid=display_page30
Bridge Software developers Group and Mailing List – https://groups.io/g/bridge-dev A group for anyone interested in writing software for bridge, the card game. This could include software for playing, facilitating online play, scoring, analysis, training or education, player rating, storing results locally or in the cloud, or any of a multitude of things. There are no restrictions on membership, but the content will likely be of interest only to those who, at a minimum, are computer programmers who play bridge. bridge-dev@groups.io
Bid72. The brand new bridge app to practice your bidding and work on your partnership. Coming soon! Click here for more ->
Bridge Doddle – This is a ‘flash card’ app that presents bridge problems and provides informative instructional answers. Available through iTunes and Google Play. You can choose from more than 250 different in-apps, each system, each skill – in seven different languages. It now includes the new sets for SAYC, Better Minor, ACOL (3 different styles), 2/1, Precision and Forum D 2012 – the most current five-card-major-system of the German Bridge Association. New card sets are produced on a regular basis.
One Table Duplicate Bridge. One Table Duplicate Bridge (OTDB) is a free web app designed to enable 4 players (so, One Table) to play existing duplicate hands face to face, not online. Experienced duplicate players might think of OTDB as a free virtual dealing machine which deals hands previously played at tournaments. Players unfamiliar with duplicate bridge might think of OTDB as offering an opportunity to compare their bidding and play of a hand with that of others.
Bridge God – more than 300 interactive problems, dozens of articles a couple of interactive high level virtual tournaments and I keep adding stuff. All for free.