Play Bridge Software
Last updated March 2024
Bridge software can provide online play, but because it resides on your computer you can play offline when you need to which is an advantage when you’re on the road.
Bridge software allows you to play a game with a robot/software or with friends online. Some bridge software presents as an app, some as a downloadable program, some as a browser-based program and some as a combination of all of these. As the technology advances the lines between software and app have blurred.
On this page, we specifically list software. These are the engines and robots behind many online clubs and apps. See the menu at left for contract bridge apps listings.
Champion Play Bridge Software
The unofficial World Computer Bridge Championship 2023 took place July/August and results can be found here →
The participants in the 2023 were (in order of finish in the Round Robin): Wbridge 5.12 (Silver), Shark 2.1 2023 (Bronze), Q-Plus 15.3 (Gold), Jack 6.11 (Bronze), Micro Bridge 13.3, GIB 6.2.0, Blue Chip 6.6.5, Bridge Captain 6, and Meadowlark 4.2
Information on these and other contestants over the years can be found below – Medalists from the annual World Computer Bridge Championships are indicated next to their name.
Bridge Baron, USA : Silver Medal 2007. Bronze Medal 2010.
Bridge Baron Bridge Software. Bridge Baron participates annual in Computer Bridge World Championships where it has historically reached top positions: 1997: 1, 1998: 4, 1999: 7, 2000: 5, 2001: 5, no entry in 2002, 2, in 2003 and 2004. More recently it earned Silver in 2017, Bronze in 2016, and Bronze in 2014. Bridge Baron is available for Mac as well as Windows.
Website: www.bridgebaron.com
Blue Chip Bridge
Blue Chip Bridge participated in Computer Bridge World Championships where it reached the following positions: 1998: 5, 1999: 6, 2000: 6, 2001: 6, 2002: 6, 2003: 7, 2004: 6, 2005: 6 and 2006: 6. It hasn’t been seen at the Championships lately but it’s still around. “The best program for Acol players” Zia Mahmood. Windows only.
Website: www.bluechipbridge.co.uk Currently this website is 404
Jack : Bronze Medal 2007. Silver Medal 2008. Gold Medal 2009. Gold Medal 2010. Bronze 2011. Gold 2012. Gold 2015.
Jack is the a times World Computer Bridge Championships Gold medalist – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015. Jack has not entered the championships since. Praised for its user friendliness. A good review of Jack can be found on Computer Bridge here ->
Jack 6.11 placed 3/4 in the 2023 Unofficial World Computer Bridge Championships.
Website: www.jackbridge.com
Meadowlark Bridge, USA.
Entered in the 2018 championships where it placed 9th and in the 2019 Championships where it withdrew before the completion of the round robin. Meadowlark Bridge is being developed by Rodney Ludgwig, rod@fmendoscopy.co
Micro Bridge, Japan : Silver 2014. Bronze 2015. Silver 2016. Bronze 2017. Silver 2018. GOLD 2019.
Micro Bridge has participated in all the ACBL Computer Bridge World Championships. Although the Japanese have yet to win gold, Micro Bridge is always a top-finisher. Read more on Computer Bridge here ->
Website: http://www.osk.3web.ne.jp/~mcbridge/
Q-Plus Bridge, Germany : Bronze Medal, 2007, Silver Medal 2011. Bronze 2012. Bronze 2015. 4th 2018. 4th 2019. Gold 2023.
In the early years of computer bridge Bridge King (predecessor of Q-Plus) participated in the Computer Bridge World Championships where it finished 3 in 1991, 1 in 1992, 3 in 1993. Q-Plus Bridge participated in Computer Bridge World Championships where it reached the following positions: 1997: 2, 1998: 2, 1999: 5, 2000: 2, 2001: 4, 2002: 5, 2003: 5, 2004: 5, 2005: 3, 2006: 4. 2018 Bronze. According to Computer Bridge, QPlus is one of the oldest Bridge Programs. The total development time (since its start in 1990) is now approximately 22.000 hours.
Q-Plus 15.3 placed First in the 2023 Unoffical World Computer Bridge Championships.
Website: www.q-plus.com
Robo Bridge, The Netherlands. 2017, 3rd. 2019, 5th.
Robo Bridge has participated in the World Championships a few times now, winning a Bronze medal last year. RoboBridge is also a web-based online Play Against the Robots.
Website: http://www.robobridge.com/
Shark Bridge, Denmark. Gold 2014, Bronze 2016. Bronze 2023.
Shark Bridge has been around for a while and continues to develop its software and interfaces. It’s available as an app or as software.
Shark 2.1 2023 placed 3/4 in the 2023 Unofficial World Computer Bridge Championships.
Website: http://www.sharkbridge.info/
Synrey Bridge, China. Silver 2017. Bronze 2018. Silver 2019.
Synrey Bridge made it’s appearance on the international stage in 2016 and won Silver against WBridge5. Website features an App recently ported into English. You can now play online with Synrey Bridge read about that here ->
Website: http://www.synrey.com/root.html
TCS Bridge Bot, India
TCS BridgeBot is being developed by Tata Consulting Services, Prasad Ramesh Bokil, Prasad.Bokil@tcs.com. They played in the 2018 and 2019 Championships placing 6th in 2019.
Website: https://www.tcs.com/
WBridge5, France: Gold Medal 2005, 2007 & 2008. Silver 2009. Silver 2010. Bronze 2011. Silver 2012. Bronze 2014. Silver 2015. Gold 2016 Gold 2017. Gold 2018. Bronze 2019. Silver 2023.
WBridge5 won the World Championships for the first time in 2005. WBridge5 had already been very close to the Computer Bridge World Championship title for a few times before that, losing a final to Jack by 1 IMP in 2002, losing a chance in 2003 when Bridge Baron pulled a stunt and WBridge5 didn’t make the final by just a few points. In 2005 WBridge won its first Gold. In the final, which was broadcast live on Bridge Base Online, 4-time reigning World Champion Jack was defeated. Since then WBridge is always in the top 4, and is the reigning champions winning gold in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Wbridge5 as the machine used in FunBridge (now GoToBridge) and is also available for online play on sites Bridge Now and BridgeEZ. Read more about this robot on Computer Bridge here ->
Wbridge 5.12 placed Second in the 2023 Unofficial World Computer Bridge Championships.
Website: http://www.wbridge5.com/
Play & Learn Software
Some of these have both downloadable software and mobile apps – in these cases, we try to list the products both on this page and on our Contract Bridge Apps page.
BridgeMate – computer bridge game that will help you get to the next level. Choose from hundreds of conventions. Compete against the experts on International tournament hands. Play unlimited random hands. And more! Download for PCs only.
Will-Bridge – play bridge online against a world champion computer. Includes Discover Bridge for novices with Eddie Kantar and Intermediate Match Play with more advance modules coming soon. This is not downloadable software.
Rays Bridge Game : USA Website: raysbridgegame.com
My Bridge Trainer: Germany
Software to teach and practice Defensive Play, Beginner and Intermediate. With the MyBridge Trainer you can play Bridge for free in the demo version. The full version contains 151 hands. To learn more about the product, play the demo version free of charge and without obligation. Software available for Windows. Website: www.mybridge.shop
Micro MiniBridge was created by 3Web and is available in several languages for international players (and those curious about what a “rubber” is referred to in Japanese…
BJ Bridge is a contract bridge game for mobile devices, set up so that you can partner up with other players for a game or two via Bluetooth connection.
GnuBridge is a bridge game designed for Linux, described as “open source” – which means that programmers are welcome to add their two cents to the software, and it’s completely free to modify and play.
XContractbridge is a Contract Bridge simulator for Windows and Linux. It was sent to us by Chris Burkinshaw of Bitbase Software. Thanks! You can download a free trial for Windows or Windows Mobile.
Quick Bridge was developed and sent to us by Wesley Steiner. Downloadable to Windows, the software is also available as a web-based game.
