1,000 Games/Disc1.iso/NEW/BRIDGE/BRIDGEX.DOC

Text File | 1996-12-31 | 11KB | 383 lines

          CONTRACT BRIDGE

    BRIDGEX.EXE requires a PC/AT
 compatible computer with a COLOR
 monitor (the command line switch "/b"
 can be used to activate a black and
 white mode for laptops). If a MOUSE
 is present in the system, it is auto-
 matically supported. The MOUSE is
 used by placing the cursor on the
 character to be input and clicking
 the LEFT button. In general, all the
 input prompts in the program can be
 answered using the MOUSE.

    The program bids, plays and
 scores rubber matches of Contract
 Bridge. You will always bid and play
 the SOUTH hand, and if NORTH-SOUTH
 are declarers you will play both
 hands. Hands are evaluated according
 to the Goren Point-Count method, and
 standard bidding methods are used.
 The following special practices and
 conventions are recognized:

    * Short Club Openers
    * No Trump Weak Signal Bids
    * Preemptive Openers
    * Stayman 2 Club Convention
    * Take-Out Doubles
    * Blackwood Slam Convention

    The computer will always bid in
 a very straightforward manner. For
 example, an opening bid of one in a
 suit requires a minimum of 13 or 14
 points and a biddable suit containing
 at least 4 cards. On opening bid of
 one NOTRUMP requires 16 to 18 high
 card points and a balanced hand. Note
 that only strong 2 openers are
 recognized. A one-over-one response
 to an opening bid shows nominal
 responder points. A two-over-one
 response shows better that average
 points. Jump raises and jump shifts
 from either the opener or responder
 show a very strong hand.

    The Short Club is used as a last
 resort to show opening points but no
 good suit. If the responder has no
 good suit as well, the answering bid
 will be one DIAMOND (also a false
 bid). Note that the program can also
 respond with NOTRUMP as a signal bid
 to show a weak hand. An opening bid
 of three in a suit is Preemptive
 (showing 10 to 11 points and a long
 suit). It should only be answered
 with a hand containing opening
 points.

    The Take-Out Double is used in
 the first round of bidding to show
 strength or a void in the opponents'
 suit. It requires a better than
 opening hand, and demands that the
 partner respond (even with zero
 points). The Stayman Convention is
 used to respond to an opening bid of
 one NOTRUMP. It asks the opener to
 name the best major suit. The
 Blackwood Convention is the principal
 means used by the program to get to
 slam.

    You can use the "Configure the
 Bidding" option on the Main Menu to
 TURN OFF any of the six special
 conventions described above. Your
 selection will stay in effect as long
 as the current session of Contract
 Bridge is running.

    Your partner, NORTH, will bid
 each hand so that game may be
 produced by the most economical
 feasible contract. Enter [B] to make
 the computer ignore the partial score
 during the bidding of a hand. Note
 that the suggested contract may
 change as the bidding develops, and
 that partners may not reach the best
 contract. Also, the program may
 deviate from the bidding conventions
 if unusual distribution or a poor fit
 is indicated.

     Abbreviations used for the
 bidding are as follows:

    C  = CLUBS       D = DIAMONDS
    H  = HEARTS      S = SPADES
    NT = NOTRUMP     D = DOUBLE
    R  = REDOUBLE    P = PASS

    To bid a suit, enter the value of
 the bid, followed by the appropriate
 abbreviation. You can also use the
 "Bid Box" to select bids using the
 MOUSE. For example, to bid 1NT, click
 on the [1] and then click on the [N].
 Press [ENTER], or place the MOUSE
 cursor in the center of the screen
 and click the LEFT MOUSE button, to
 make the computer bid for you. Enter
 a question mark [?] to see an
 estimate of the best contract. The
 current rubber score may be viewed by
 entering the word [SCORE], or by
 clicking the LEFT MOUSE button on the
 letter [S] in the Bid Box. Enter [Q],
 press [ESCAPE], or click the RIGHT
 MOUSE button to quit the bidding and
 allow a new deal. An illegal bid will
 cause an error message and a prompt
 to bid again.

    Play of the hand is according to
 common practice. The program can
 signal using discards (sometimes),
 finesse when appropriate, duck, ruff,
 and attempt squeeze plays. For the
 declarers, emphasis is placed on
 drawing trumps early. But this may be
 abandoned if control of the contract
 would be lost. In general, emphasis
 is also placed on establishing
 potential winners in good suits
 (especially in NOTRUMP).

    To play a card using the MOUSE,
 place the cursor on the character
 representing the value of the card
 and click the LEFT button. To play a
 card using the keyboard, enter the
 two characters representing the value
 and the suit. Note that the TEN of
 each suit is represented by the
 letter T. Some typical card
 designations are:

1C 2D 3H 4S 5C 6D 7H 8S 9C TD JH KS AC

    If you are using a MOUSE, the
 options described below will be
 displayed in a "Play Box" box on the
 playing screen. Click the LEFT MOUSE
 button on the desired item to select
 it.

    Press [ENTER], or place the MOUSE
 cursor in the CENTER REGION of the
 screen and click the LEFT button, to
 make the computer generate the play
 for you. Enter [L] to automatically
 follow suit with the lowest card in
 your hand. Enter [H] to automatically
 follow suit with the highest card in
 your hand. Entering a question mark
 [?] will show you an estimate of the
 best card to be played. Enter [V] if
 you would like to view all the hands
 during play.

    After each trick has been played
 you will see the prompt PRESS ANY
 KEY. Press or click on [U] to replay
 the trick without affecting the
 scoring, or press any other key to
 continue. The rubber score may be
 reviewed by entering the word [SCORE]
 on the keyboard, or by clicking the
 LEFT MOUSE button on the letter [S]
 in the Play Box. Entering [Q],
 pressing [ESCAPE], or clicking the
 RIGHT MOUSE button will terminate the
 play without scoring the contract.

    In order to speed the play of the
 hand, the following special options
 are available: Enter [CC] to claim
 the contract, or enter [SC] to
 surrender the contract. To claim the
 remaining tricks, enter [CT]. To
 surrender the remaining tricks, enter
 [ST]. An illegal play will cause an
 error message and a prompt to play
 again.

    After the contract is finished,
 the hands may be REVIEWED and/or
 REPLAYED. The hands in a REPLAY may
 be ROTATED by assigning them to
 different players. If you replay a
 hand note that only the original
 contract will be scored.

    You can also generate a REPORT
 describing the most recent hand (if
 it has been played to completion).
 The report will be written to disk as
 an ASCII text file, and will record
 who was the dealer, the cards in each
 hand, the bidding sequence, the play
 for each trick, and the results of
 the contract. This allows you to
 compare contracts with friends, and
 to send suggestions about the program
 to the author. Note that this feature
 is only available in the REGISTERED
 VERSION of the program.

    Hands can also be ENTERED from
 the keyboard and replayed. You will
 be prompted for the SOUTH, WEST and
 NORTH hands. Press [ENTER] alone to
 change suits, and press the
 appropriate character key to select a
 card. To use the MOUSE, click the
 LEFT MOUSE button to change suits.
 Then place the cursor on the desired
 card character at the bottom of the
 screen and click the LEFT button. The
 EAST hand will be filled in auto-
 matically with the remaining cards.

    The hands and current rubber
 score can be SAVED to disk at any
 time in a specified directory. You
 can use any legal DOS file name. This
 allows you to quit the rubber, and
 take up where you left off later. It
 is also handy for saving an
 individual hand that you want to
 replay and analyze later. When a hand
 is LOADED from disk, the rubber score
 is loaded as well. Note that rubber
 scoring is continued only after a new
 hand is dealt. The SAVE and LOAD
 options are only available in the
 REGISTERED VERSION of the program.

    At any point in a rubber you can
 return to the Main Menu to review the
 HELP file or SAVE a hand to disk.
 When you select "Play Contract
 Bridge" again, you will be returned
 to the next deal in the rubber with
 the score intact.

    Depending on your machine, the
 speed of the game may be too fast for
 your liking. Entering [F] when it is
 your turn to bid or play will cause
 the computer to wait for a key press
 after each player bids or plays,
 effectively allowing you to control
 the pace of the game. Enter [F] again
 to make the program return to its
 normal fast mode of play.

    A general note on input
 conventions: Default responses to
 input prompts are marked by an
 asterisk [*]. You can press the
 [ESCAPE] key at any time to back
 progressively out of the program. In
 general, the RIGHT MOUSE button is
 treated as an [ESCAPE] key press, and
 the LEFT MOUSE button is treated as
 an [ENTER] key press.

     SUMMARY OF SPECIAL COMMANDS

 During Bidding:

  [ENTER] Make computer bid for you

  [?] Show estimate of best contract

  [B] Make partner ignore partial
      score

  [S]/[SCORE] View current score

  [F] Toggle Fast/Slow mode

  [Q]/[ESCAPE] Quit the bidding

 During Play:

  [ENTER] Make computer play for you

  [?] Suggest card to play

  [L] Follow suit with the lowest card

  [H] Follow suit with the highest
      card

  [V] View hands during play

  [U] Undo trick

  [CC] Claim contract (declarer)

  [SC] Surrender contract (defender)

  [CT] Claim remaining tricks

  [ST] Surrender remaining tricks

  [S]/[SCORE] View current score

  [F] Toggle Fast/Slow mode

  [Q]/[ESCAPE] Quit the contract

 General:

  [ENTER] Select default response
          (marked by *)

  [ESCAPE] Progressively back out of
           the program

 Mouse:

  [LEFT BUTTON] Select input (same
                as ENTER).

  [RIGHT BUTTON] Same as ESCAPE.

    As to the level of play to
 expect, the program is best suited
 for recreational players who enjoy
 informal games of Rubber Bridge.
 The bidding and play are NOT at the
 tournament level, but most players
 should find themselves both
 challenged and entertained by the
 program.

    Although BRIDGEX.EXE is not a
 tutorial on how to play Contract
 Bridge, you can learn to play the
 game using the program and a good
 book on Bridge. Many such books may
 be found at your local book store.

              SHAREWARE

    CONTRACT BRIDGE is distributed
 as Shareware. Feel free to share the
 program and its files with others.
 However, if you continue to use
 CONTRACT BRIDGE, you must register
 the program by sending $20 US to:

        Robert Lindsay Wells
        1405 Lynn Avenue
        Clearwater, FL 34615

    When you register you'll receive
 the latest version of CONTRACT BRIDGE
 on disk with all shareware reminders
 removed, an instruction booklet, and
 a handy Text Editor (READ) as a bonus
 utility. Please register today!