Software of the Month Club 1994 November

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MVP Bridge by Steve Estvanik An MVP Software Production MVP Bridge is shareware. You are free to evaluate this software for 30 days, after which you must either register with MVP Software or delete the software from your system. Thanks for evaluating MVP Bridge and for supporting shareware. Your honesty pays. To order MVP Bridge Deluxe, call 800-968-9684 toll-free 24 hours a day. Please have your Master Card or Visa ready when you call. Or fill out the order form at the end of this manual and fax it to: 616-245-3204. Make sure your credit card number and expiration date are legible. Or if you prefer mail the order form and your check to: MVP Software, 1035 Dallas SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407. For overseas orders or technical support call 616-245-8376. Now you can get all MVP products FREE from MVP's home BBS, Ryan's Bar. Call (616) 456-1845 or (616) 456-5342 with your modem and check out the free MVP file section. _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER MVP Software is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman at 70007,3536. INSTALLATION ============ To install MVP Bridge, place the diskette into the A drive and type A:, or into the B drive and type B:. When the A> or B> prompt appears on the screen, type INSTALL. Follow the directions to install the software. To begin the game type BR1. Note to Windows users --------------------- MVP Bridge will run as a DOS application, spawned under Windows, but there will be no sound. This is due to a conflict for IRQ vectors which are currently in use by Windows drivers. The best solution is not to run from Windows, but if you do try, you may need to disable the Windows sound drivers before running MVP Bridge. INTRODUCTION ============ This game is not a tutorial on Bridge, but can be used by beginners to learn the game. The following sections give a good general introduction to the rules of the game, and the basic techniques of bidding and play. There are many excellent books available in stores and libraries, covering all phases of the game. If you're an intermediate or advanced player, you can go right to PLAYING THE GAME (or, skip this entirely, and jump right into the game.) BRIDGE BASICS ============= Brief summary of the rules -------------------------- Bridge is played by 4 players. All cards are dealt so each player has 13 cards that are kept hidden from other players. In the program, you are always considered to be SOUTH. Your partner plays NORTH, and your opponents are EAST and WEST. A hand of bridge is divided into 2 parts: bidding and play. During bidding you try to describe your hand to your partner and make a claim to the number of tricks you can take. During play you try to make the contract that you bid. Evaluation of the hand ======================= To decide how strong your hand is, we assign points to certain cards. These are called high card points or 'hcp'. We rate an Ace (A) at 4 points, a King (K) at 3, a Queen (Q) at 2, and a Jack (J) at 1. In order to count, though, a King must be accompanied by at least one other card in the same suit. We show this as 'Kx', and describe it as a King doubleton. Similarly, to count for hcp, the Queen must have 2 other cards, and the Jack needs 3 other cards. Some examples: Kx 3 pts AK 7 pts AQ 4 points (Q doesnt count) AQx 6 points KJXX 4 points KJx 3 points (J doesnt count) In addition, we can add points for distribution. 1 pt for 5th card in a suit 1 pt for 6th in a suit 2 pts for 7th, 8th, etc When raising trump suit partner has proposed, you can add more points: 3 pts for void 2 pts for singleton 1 pt for doubleton Your total hand value is figured as follows: Hand value = high card pts + dist pts + trump For opening bids, you usually consider only hcp. For deciding whether your partnership has enough points for game, you can use total points as follows: Pts required for game: 3NT or major suit 26 minor suit 29 small slam 33 grand slam 37 Bidding Primer --------------- Bidding starts with the dealer and proceeds clockwise around the table . The suits are arranged in the following order: CLUBS, DIAMONDS, HEARTS, SPADES. Thus 1 S can be bid over 1 H, but over 1S, you must bid 2 H. Bidding a suit usually says that you wish to use that suit as trump. Bidding normally starts at the lowest level possible, but there are also times when the bidder jumps the bidding (For example, an opening bid of 2H or 3H shows a very different hand from 1H.) Playing in a suit contract makes that suit the 'trump' suit. During play, you must follow the suit played. But, if you lack any cards in the suit played (this is called a 'void'), you may play a trump, and win the trick. You want to play in trump if you and your partner have at least 8 of the cards in a suit. You may also play without trump (NOTRUMP or NT). Bidding continues until everyone has had a chance to bid and there are 3 passes in a row. The person who firrst bid the suit of the final bid becomes 'declarer'. The person to the left of declarer is the leader for the first trick. The declarer's partner is dummy -- their cards are turned over for everyone to see, after the opening lead. Your goal in Rubber Bridge is to win 2 games to make a rubber. A game is 100 points made by bidding. This can be the result of one or more hands. Scores vary by suit. CLUBS & DIAMONDS are the minor suits, and are worth only 20 points each. HEARTS & SPADES are the major suits, and are worth 30 points each. Thus a contract of 4 H would give you 120 points, which is a game, but a contract of 4 D gives you only 80 points. No trump is a special case: the first NT level is worth 40 points, and successive levels are worth 30 each. Thus 2 NT is worth 70 points, and 3NT is 100, a game. If your contract does not give you a game, it remains as a partial score until one side makes game. If a contract is set, the defenders gain points. The following sections offer some simple advice for bidding. For more details, you should consult a Bridge bidding book. Opening Bids ------------ You have HCP Distribution of hand Bid: --------- ------------------------------------ ----------------- 13-20 5+ card suit 1 of the suit 16-18 flat (no singleton or void) 1 NT 21-22 flat (no singleton or void) 2 NT 13+ flat, but good 4 card major 1 of a major 13+ no previous bid possible 1 of better minor 4-10 no voids, 7 card suit 3 of the long suit In actual practice, the tendency is not to bid 4 card majors, unless the suit is strong (eg, AKJx) and there is no alternative. This allows partner to assume that the opener has 5 in the major and to support with only 3. If the suit is good, a 4-3 fit is acceptable. Responses to partner's opening bid ---------------------------------- Partner bid one of a suit -------------------------- You have HCP Distribution of hand Bid: --------- ------------------------------------ ----------------- < 6 Pass 6-9 support for partner's suit* 2 of partner's suit 10-12 support for partner's suit* jump in partner's suit 13-15 strong trump support in a major 4 level 13-15 no major suit at 1 level 2 NT 16-18 no major suit at 1 level 3 NT 6-18 4 card suit suit at 1 level 18+ 5 card suit Jump shift ** 10+ 5 card suit suit at 1 or 2 level 6-9 flat hand, no 1 level bid 1 NT * Support is 3 cards of a major or 4 of a minor ** Jump shift: a bid that skips a level of bidding. Eg, 1H -- 2S is a jump shift because you could have bid 1S. Partner bid 1NT --------------- You have HCP Distribution of hand Bid: --------- ------------------------------------ ----------------- 8-9 Balanced 2 NT 10-14 Balanced 3 NT < 8 5 or 6 card suit 2 of the suit < 8 Pass 10+ 5 of a major, 5 or 6 of a minor 3 of the suit (forcing) 7+ 6 card major 4 of the major 10+ no 5 card major 3 NT Note: Most players use the Stayman convention which allows a much better description of your hand, and usually keeps the stronger hand concealed while revealing the weaker hand as dummy. Opener's rebids --------------- This next bid lets opener more completely describe her hand. Opener started with 1NT ----------------------- Partner Bid Opener's hand Bid ----------- ---------------------- ----------- 2 NT 17-18 3 NT 3 of major 3+ cards in partner's suit 4 of partner's suit 3 of major 2 cards in partner's suit 3 NT Opener started with a suit bid ------------------------------ Partner Bid Opener's hand Bid ----------- ---------------------- ----------- New suit: 1 level 12-15, no support for partner 1 NT 6 cards in original suit rebid original suit second suit of at least 4 show new suit 12-15, 4 card support raise of partner 15-17, 6+ card suit jump in original suit 16-18, 3+ support jump raise of partner 19-20, 4 card support 4 of partner's major 19-20 2 NT New suit: 2 level 15-18 2 NT (forcing) 12-15, usually 6 card suit rebid original < 16 show second suit < 16, support for parter single raise 17+ reverse* 17+ jump rebid of opener's 17+ 6 card suit jump to game in opener's 17+ 3+ support for partner jump raise in responder's 18+, second suit jump shift (forcing) 19-20 3 NT * A reverse is the bidding of 2 suits in opposite order from that expected. i.e., usually you would bid Spades, then Hearts, to keep the bidding at a low level. If you bid Hearts first, then show Spades, this is a 'reverse' and shows a stronger hand. (Since partner must bid hearts at the next level in order to show a preference). Bidding continues, with opener and responder describing their hands. If there is no competition, you should look for a game contract with about 25+ points between the 2 hands. This completes the overview of bidding. Once someone opens, the opponents can still compete by making overcalls in new suits. Competitive bidding is beyond the scope of this brief introduction. CONVENTIONS ----------- A convention is a bid that carries additional information, and does not promise anything in the suit actually bid. Eg, in the Stayman convention, a 2C bid over 1NT says nothing about responder's club suit, but does promise at least 4 cards in at least one of the majors. Conventions are used to describe your hand more accurately. Any conventions in use must be known by all players -- you may not have secret arrangements with your partner. The following are brief descriptions of the conventions available: TAKEOUT ------- A takeout double shows at least an opening bid, with support (at least 3 cards) for each of the unbid suits. It may also be made with a hand TOO strong for an overcall (18+ points). STAYMAN ------- A 2 club response to 1 NT is artificial and asks partner to bid a 4 card major, otherwise reply 2 D. Subsequent bids can invite or bid game directly. BLACKWOOD --------- 4 NT asks partner to show Aces: 5C response indicates 0 or 4, 5D shows 1 ace, etc. 5 NT asks for Kings. Any other bid is a shutoff. GERBER ------ 4 C asks partner to show Aces: 4D response indicates 0 or 4, 5H shows 1 ace, etc. WEAK2 ----- Shows 5-12 hcp and reasonably good 6 card suit. A 2C bid is reserved for any strong hand, so 3C can be made with only 6 cards. A 2NT response asks partner to describe her hand. 3 of original suit shows minimum weak 2 3NT shows suit headed by AKQ or AKJ 3 of new suit shows a feature (A, K or Q), and 8-12 hcp Note: Weak 2's automatically cancel Strong 2's STRONG2 ------- This is the standard form of bidding a strong hand. It's a natural bid, showing strength and a good suit. Note: Strong 2's automatically cancel Weak 2's PLAY ==== The person who first bid the suit that becomes the final bid becomes the declarer. To make a contract, you must take 6 tricks, plus the number you bid. Thus a 3 H contract requires you to take 9 of the 13 tricks. The person to the declarer's left is the leader. The leader selects a card and places it so that everyone can see it. At this point, the partner of the declarer lays down his cards for everyone to see. Partner is now the 'dummy' and his cards are played by the declarer. In the program, when North is declarer, you get to play as declarer, and your original hand becomes the dummy. Play proceeds in a clockwise fashion. You must follow suit. If you are void (have none of that suit), you can play any card. In a trump contract, the highest trump played on the trick wins. The winner of the trick leads to the following trick. SCORING ======= Rubber scoring -------------- A rubber is played until one side has scored 2 games. Each game requires 100 pts below the line. If a side has won a game, they are then 'vulnerable'. (This increases the penalties if they are later set in a contract). If a slam is bid and made, additional bonuses are awarded as follows. Not Vulnerable Vulnerable Small slam (12 tricks) 500 750 Grand slam (13 tricks) 1000 1500 You must win 2 games to end rubber. Additional bonus points are then scored: 700 additional points if your opponents won no games, otherwise 500. Undertrick Penalties -------------------- For each trick by which the declarer fails to make the contract, opponents score the following points (above the line): Not Vulnerable Undoubled Doubled Redoubled First undertrick 50 100 200 For each additional 50 200 400 Vulnerable Undoubled Doubled Redoubled First undertrick 100 200 400 For each additional 100 300 600 If declarer makes a doubled contract, he receives an extra 50 points, "for the insult". Glossary & Abbreviations ======================== Trick - one complete play of 4 cards. Trump - the suit of the contract. highest trump played on a trick always wins. NT - No trump. HCP - high card points (A = 4, K = 3, Q= 2, J = 1). TCP - total card points (HCP plus distribution). Void - no cards in a suit. Singleton - one card in a suit. Stiff - a singleton. Honor - ten, Jack, Queen, King or Ace. Doubleton - 2 cards in a suit. Tripleton - 3 cards in a suit. Major suit - hearts or spades. Minor suit - clubs or diamonds. Declarer - the person who first bids the suit of the final contract. Dummy - declarer's partner. After the opening lead, dummy's cards are revealed, and played by declarer. PLAYING THE GAME ================ Main menu --------- ABOUT: Program credits OPTIONS: Select conventions Toggle verbose mode Select card back KIBITZ: Show hands of other players PLAY: Play the game QUIT Press F1 at any point for help. OPTIONS ======= Systems -------- Bidding system is GOREN: Goren: 16 to 18 HCP for opening NT Usually opens 5 card majors, but occ'ly opens 4 card majors. Bids longer minor suit with balanced hand, and poor 4 card major. Standard conventions: TAKEOUT STAYMAN BLACKWOOD STRONG2 Set Conventions --------------- For each side, toggle the conventions you wish them to play. Right click on a convention title to get a short description. Verbose ------- Toggles on & off. This adds additional messages to describe conventions being used. It's a good way to learn unfamiliar conventions, but does slow down the game a little. CardBacks --------- Choose which card back to show Kibitz ------ Choose which hands to reveal. Note that this destroys basic elements of the game, so should only be used for tutorial or practise. When kibitz mode is on, you have an option to ask why a particular bid is made. A status screen pops up to show what that player knows about the hand thus far, based on the bidding. Usually this includes their estimates of the number of points held by each other player, and their estimates of those players' distributions. A minimum and maximum value is given in each case. As the bidding progresses, these numbers may change. (E.g., if North preempts in Hearts, and East holds 2 hearts, he knows that West and South can each hold a maximum of 4 hearts.) Play ---- To play a hand, you first bid by clicking on the appropriate bid box when it's your turn. After 3 passes, the bid is final, and the person to the left of the declarer leads. (To escape back to the main menu press ESC.) Each round, or trick, is started by the hand that won the last trick. (The first leader is the left hand opponent of the declarer.) You must follow suit if you can. If you're void, you can play a trump or discard any other suit. Click on the card you want to play, when prompted by the program. The current tricks taken by each side are displayed on the top 2 lines of the play area. Press 'R' to review the status of the hand. Escaping early from a hand: If you make a mistake, or otherwise make a bad bid, press ESC when it's your turn to bid. If you then ask to replay, the bidding will start from the beginning. If at the start of a hand, you click on the QUIT button, the session ends and you return to the main menu. During play, you can click on SKIP at any time, and the remainder of the hand will not be counted. You can then choose to play the next hand in the series, or quit back to the main menu. Ordering Information MVP Bridge Deluxe is available from the following authorized distributors: In the United States: -------------------- MVP Software 1035 Dallas SE Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1407 phone: 800-968-9684 24-hour order line only (616) 245-8376 information, technical support, or orders. fax: (616) 245-3204 order price: $29.95 plus $3.00 shipping in the US, $4.00 shipping to Canada, $5.00 shipping everywhere else. Michigan residents please add appropriate sales tax. In Australia: ------------ Budgetware 9 Albermarle St Newtown NSW 2042 phone: (02) 519-4233 Fax: (02) 516-4236 order price: $A45.00 (includes shipping) In the United Kingdom: --------------------- Testware Ltd 46 The Avenue Harrogate, N Yorks HG1 4QD phone: (0423) 886 415 Fax: (0423) 889 728 order price: 30 pounds (includes shipping) In Denmark and all of Scandanavia: --------------------------------- Pro-Soft Benloese Skel 4 G DK 4100 Ringsted phone: 53 61 90 42 fax: 53 61 93 91 order price: 210,00 kr. + VAT 25% + s/h 25,00 In Japan: -------- P. & A. 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