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| Origin of Bridge Baron
Bridge Baron is the result of over 42 years of research, passion, and intelligent collaboration with some of the brightest minds in the country. The game was originally created by Tom Throop. He has devoted more time to this subject than any other person in the world and has pioneered the development of computer bridge programs. Tom knows a great deal about computers and the game of bridge. In 1958, while working at a US Navy Lab in the District of Columbia, he programmed a Univac computer to play bridge. The machine, which had a 1,000-word memory, could play only one round before it ran out of computer power. Some years later, Tom wrote some play routines using the GE time-sharing system. Later, Tom designed bridge software for Radio Shack, Apple, and Commodore computers. Eventually, he founded a company in Bethesda, Maryland called Great Game Products, Inc., that focused on selling his Bridge Baron software. (Excerpts from "Program for a Better Bridge Game" Washington Post, September 15, 1997.) Tom is the president of Great Game Products, the most successful company in the development and marketing of computer bridge products. The company was founded in 1985, and has an unsurpassed track record for the past 18 years. Great Game Products specializes in the development of computer bridge products for players at all skill levels. Great Game Products' flagship product is Bridge Baron. Tom is a lifelong bridge and chess player, and also a Silver Life Master of the American Contract Bridge League. He has written the only book on bridge software, titled "Computer Bridge". In the chess world, Tom has a draw against the one-time US Champion, Arnold Denker. Tom also reached the rank of the 35th highest ranked postal chess player in the US. In the early 1980s, Tom wrote the only book on bridge software, titled Computer Bridge published by Hayden Books. By 1982, Tom had produced the first complete computer bridge program, BRIDGE BARON 1. In 1985, he founded Great Game Products. The accomplishments of Bridge Baron, first marketed in 1982, are unequaled by any other bridge program. The Bridge Baron has won 5 world computer bridge championships and has been one of the most popular bridge computer software games in the world. |
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Description of the newest Version of Bridge Baron 17 All 53 billion bridge deals, random but re-creatable to play in single hand, rubber bridge, duplicate, or Chicago mode. Select from over forty play levels. Optional double dummy card play. Possible Conventional Methods and Bidding Systems Offered Choose Standard American with five-card majors, 2/1, ACOL, French 5 card major, Forum D, Precision or Standard American Yellow Card. Selectable opening 1 NT and 2NT range. Blackwood, Gerber, and certain cue-bids are standard. Optional conventions include Stayman, Weak Jump Overcalls, Weak Two bids, Forcing NT, Negative Doubles, Limit Major Raises, Jacoby Transfers, Unusual NT, Michaels, Texas, Flannery, Drury, Reverse Drury, Roman Keycard Blackwood, Weak Jump-Shift Responses, Splinter Bids, Control-showing Cue bids, Inverted minor raises, Lebensohl over 1 NT, Lebensohl after double of weak two, Smolen, Minor suit Stayman, Grand Slam Force, Responsive doubles, Ghestem, Checkback Stayman, Landy, Multi-2D, Mini-Multi, Multi, Multi-Roman, Ogust, D.O.NT, Astro, Benjamin 2 Bids, New Minor Forcing, Extended Stayman, Bergen Raise, Brozel, Maximal Overcall Doubles, Mathe Asking Bids, Unusual over Unusua1: Invisible Cue-Bids, Preemptive Reraises, Gambling 3NT, Jacoby 2NT, Support Doubles, 1 NT -2S Minor Sign-off, Puppet Stayman (after 1 NT, after 2NT, or both), DOPI, Truscott 2NT, Sandwich 1 NT, RKC 1430, 4-Suited Transfers after 1 NT, Hello over 1 NT, Impossible Negative 2NT, Transfer Stayman, Unusual Positive Responses to Precision 1 C, Gamma Trump Asks, Epsilon Trump Asks, Baron, Short Club, Semi-Forcing 1 NT, Specific King Asks, Eastern Cue-Bids, Western Cue-Bids, Limit-Plus Cue-Bids, Long/Help-Suit Game Tries, Short-Suit Game Tries, various responses to 2C opening bids and Fourth-Suit Forcing (for one round or to game), Walsh, Crowhurst, Mini-Roman 20, Inverted Bergen Raises, Robinson, Helvie Notrump Runouts, DONT Notrump Runouts, Exit Transfer Notrump Runouts, and Redouble for the Minors. Plus, new for version 17: Namyats, Lead-Directing Doubles, Wolff Sign-Off Bids, and Artificial Minor Bids after 1 M-X. Ask for computer's recommended bid or play at any time. Unique flow charts show you how the Baron decides what to bid or play at any time. Bidding analysis and hand evaluation on request. Review bidding and play, replay any deal, or save deals to disk. Cumulative statistics measure your improvement as declarer or defender. Two people can play as partners or compete as opponents, using the same computer or different computers. |
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Bridge Baron 17 CD is compatible with Windows 95/98/NT/Me2000/XP, Macintosh (system 8.6 or higher) or iMac. Runs natively in OSX. |
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Special Features Practice bidding conventions feature: select a set of bidding conventions that you would like to practice and Bridge Baron will give you deals that are appropriate for those conventions. You can play on the Internet and over local networks with other Bridge Baron owners – up to four different locations can be joined (Not available for Macintosh). You also get Personal Play Library, which lets you build your own collection of deals and analysis to review, replay, and hone your skills. Blackwood Bridge Challenges, 216 deals designed by Easley Blackwood to challenge your declarer play. Deal Generator enables you to create deals meeting specified bidding sequences. Choose between regular or giant index cards. Deals from actual ADBL tournament events, which you play and see how many matchpoints, Butler IMPs, or cross-IMPs you would have scored on a board-by-board basis. (More deals are available below). Select your defensive leads and signals (improved in version 17). Par-contract calculator and double-dummy solver. |
| See also: Bride Baron Past Versions. See also: Computer Bridge on the Internet for Results in the World Computer Bridge Championships. |
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