Bridge Master is a computer program for IBM compatible computers. Both Windows and DOS versions are available. Bridge Master is an educational program for improving your declarer play skills. The program presents you with a series of instructional deals to play. You are always declarer. The deals that you play are not randomly dealt. They are carefully constructed excercises designed to illustrate an important declarer play technique. If you take the correct line of play you will always make your contract. If you make any mistake as declarer, the program will defend perfectly and defeat your contract. Each deal is accompanied by an animated bridge movie that will explain the correct line of play as well as the thinking process that leads to the solution.
That fact that you can only make your contract by playing correctly makes Bridge Master a fabulous learning medium. In real bridge (and with other computer bridge programs), a declarer's mistakes are often forgiven by imperfect defense or a lucky lie of the cards. With Bridge Master your mistakes will always be punished. You are "forced" to figure out the correct play if you want to make your contract. In turn, you learn something about bridge in the process. If you play a Bridge Master deal incorrectly, it is best to keep trying again until you get it right. If you give up, however, the bridge movie will make the answer clear. As you read through the bridge movie, images on your screen will reflect the bridge content in the text. For example, if the text reads, "if trumps break 4-1...", a large hand diagram will display the 4-1 break. There is no need to cross out cards or write down end positions. The bridge movie always displays whatever bridge illustration you need in order to understand the explanation.
Bridge Master's instructional deals are organized into 5 levels of difficulty. Skill Level 1 is suitable for new bridge players. Deals on Skill Level 5 are extremely challenging, even for world class players. The deals on Skill Levels 2, 3, and 4 are suitable for most club and tournament players as well as experienced social bridge players.
Bridge Master for Windows comes with 180 lesson deals, 36 on each of the 5 levels of difficulty. Bridge Master for DOS comes with 150 lesson deals, 30 on each of the 5 levels of difficulty. When you have finished with the deals that come with either the Windows Bridge Master or the DOS Bridge Master, hundreds of supplementary deals are available on all skill levels.
There is also a special edition of Bridge Master designed for new bridge players. Audrey Grant's Better Bridge Edition of Bridge Master (both Windows and DOS) contains 117 bridge deals intended as an introductory course on play of the hand. Audrey Grant,
In both the Windows and DOS versions of Bridge Master, the user interface has been designed to make using the program as simple and pleasant as possible. Everything is "over-sized" to accomodate those with vision problems. The user has a wide range of color choices. In addition there are several options (particularly in the Windows version) for customizing how Bridge Master will display bridge deals. Bridge Master comes with thorough documentation and the Windows version contains extensive online help. You will find the program so easy to use, however, that documentation is almost unnecessary.
Bridge Master remembers how you played each deal and what your results were. In this way you can track your progress and go back and review deals that gave you trouble. It also remembers your color preferences and display options. If more than one person uses the program, their results and preferences are remembered separately. The Windows version of Bridge Master contains a facility for teaching new players to count the hand.
All of the instructional deals in Bridge Master were created by Fred Gitelman. Fred is currently a member of the Canadian National Bridge Team. He has won two silver medals in World Championship events (1991 World Junior Championship, 1995 Bermuda Bowl). Fred is also an experienced bridge author, whose articles have appeared in The American Contract Bridge League Bulletin, The Bridge World, and several Canadian publications. Some of Fred's articles have been translated into Dutch and appeared in IMP Magazine. The deals in Bridge Master were extensively analyzed and tested by several top experts including Eric Rodwell, a many time World Champion.
Bridge Master is endorsed by many of the world's best bridge players including:
- Billy Eisenberg
- Benito Garazzo
- Bobby Goldman
- Bob Hamman
- Eric Kokish
- Mike Lawrence
- Zia Mahmood
- Jeff Meckstroth
- Eric Rodwell
- Kit Woolsey
Bridge Master is the only software product that Audrey Grant,
Bridge Base Inc. introduced the DOS version of Bridge Master in 1992. Bridge Master for Windows was released August 1, 1996 and is currently available. Bridge Master has been translated into Dutch and Danish. French and Italian versions are in progress.
Regardless of your level of bridge ability, Bridge Master is certain to improve your game. Order your copy today!
