ACBL/WBF 18th World Computer-Bridge Championship
by Alvin Levy

The World Computer-Bridge Championship is held annually at a major human championship. This year’s event was held on October 18-24, 2014 at the 14th World Bridge Federation World Bridge Series, Sanya, China.  Five of the best robots were entered, including: three-time world champion, WBridge5 (France); past champions Shark Bridge (Denmark) and Bridge Baron (USA); and many time runner-ups Micro Bridge (Japan); along with long time competitor RoboBridge (The Netherlands).

The format is a 48-board round robin with contestants using the same computers.  The two top finishers play for the championship in a 64-board KO match. The conditions of contest call for a semifinal stage when there are seven or more entries, but only a final KO with six or fewer entries. Twice before, in 2001 and 2005, were there as few as six robots entered. The greatest number of entries was ten, in 2009.

Year after year the best robots continues to improve. You can see their progress as well as the 18 year history at the official website, robots.allevybridge.com. The improvement in play has created more and more interest in robot play as a form of human competition, that is, with all the human competitors sitting South, all playing with the same robot partner against the same robot opponents.  There are a number of excellent websites and Apps for robot competition, and some analyze your game at the same time.

The top two finishers of the round robin, Micro Bridge (56 5 VPs) and Shark Bridge (53), faced off in a 64-board final match, with WBridge5 (47.5), Bridge Baron (26) and RoboBridge (17) sidelined.  Micro Bridge started the final KO match with a 3.7 carryover.  The final KO was won by Shark Bridge, 104 – 99.7.

In the first round robin match board 18 saw a strip squeeze at two tables.  Robots are best as declarer in the end game and Wbridge5 and Bridge Baron had no problem working out this ending.

Board 18
East Deals
N-S Vul

♠

A J 10 9 7 3

♥

Q 10 9 6

♦

9

♣

6 3

 

♠

2

♥

7

♦

K J 10 6 5 2

♣

A Q 10 5 2

N

W

E

S

♠

6 4

♥

A K J 4 3 2

♦

8 7

♣

J 7 4

 

 

♠

K Q 8 5

♥

8 5

♦

A Q 4 3

♣

K 9 8

 

 

 

 

 

Table A-1

 

 

 

 

West

North

East

South

 

Micro Bridge

WBridge5

Micro Bridge

WBridge5

 

 

 

3 ♥

Dbl

 

Pass

4 ♠

All Pass

 

 

  

Table A-2

 

 

 

West

North

East

South

WBridge5

Micro Bridge

WBridge5

Micro Bridge

 

 

3 ♥

Dbl

Pass

4 ♠

All Pass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table B-1

 

 

 

 

West

North

East

South

 

RoboBridge

Bridge Baron

RoboBridge

Bridge Baron

 

 

 

2 ♥

Dbl

 

Pass

3 ♠

Pass

4 ♠

 

All Pass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table B-2

 

 

 

West

North

East

South

BridgeBaron

RoboBridge

Bridge Baron

RoboBridge

 

 

3 ♥

All Pass

 

Against the 4♠ contracts, after cashing the top two hearts, a club return would end matters at once, a diamond return would break up the strip squeeze but a third heart will allow for a strip squeeze. At Table A-1 and B-1 WBridge5 and Bridge Baron got the end position correct after a third heart was led.  With three cards remaining, North, with one diamond and two clubs opposite ♦AQ ♣K dropping the stiff ♦K at both tables.  At Table A-2 WBridge5 returned a diamond at trick three and broke up the strip squeeze.

 

The 3rd round of the robot championship played the same deals as boards 17-32 of the human Mixed Teams semifinal match.  In robot play as in human play, defense is more difficult than declarer play and the earlier in the play the more difficult it is for the robots to defend best.  That is part of the reason why it is difficult for a robot defender to duck a winner early in the play in order to give declarer a false image, possibly cut off communications, and possibly give declarer a losing option that did not exist if the trick was won.  Board 18 demonstrated this point.

Board 18
East Deals
N-S Vul

♠

K 10 4 3 2

♥

8 7

♦

K Q J

♣

K 10 7

♠

J

♥

A K J 6 3

♦

A 9 4 2

♣

A 9 3

N

W

E

S

♠

A Q 9 7

♥

Q 9 2

♦

7

♣

Q J 8 6 2

♠

8 6 5

♥

10 5 4

♦

10 8 6 5 3

♣

5 4

 

In both the robot play and human play 6♥ was reached at three of the four tables. In robot play, by regulations the systems are more natural than in human play. A typical auction in robot play.

West

North

East

South

Bridge Baron

Shark Bridge

Bridge Baron

Shark Bridge

1 ♣

Pass

1 ♥

1 ♠

Dbl1

Pass

4 NT

Pass

5 ♦2

Pass

6 ♥

All Pass

1 three hearts; 2 one or four of the five key cards

After partner opened with 1♣ and showed 3-card heart support, West checked for aces and went to 6♥. RoboBridge had a similar auction, and WBridge5 reached slam after East passed then showed a strong mixed raise in clubs, short diamonds and an ace.

At all three robot slam tables West was declarer and the ♦ K was led.  All the declarers won, ruffed a diamond, then either led the ♣ Q (two tables) or played ♠A, spade ruff, diamond ruff, ♣Q.  In all cases North won the King and returned a trump or diamond.  The declarers had no trouble making 12 tricks with 5 hearts, 4 clubs, 2 aces, and a diamond ruff.

Using more artificial systems and conventions than in robot play, the auctions in the human championship ended with East declarer in two of the three times 6♥ was reached.  At all three 6♥ tables in the Mixed Teams North ducked the first club lead.  This made it more difficult for declarer, with the contract making twice, once with declarer forced to take the spade finesse and defeated once when declarer repeated the club finesse in an attempt to pin a doubleton club 10, only to lose to the king followed by a club ruff.

Shark Bridge had a big win against WBridge5 in the round robin to advance to the final KO, in part due to a 17 IMP pickup on board 11.  Shark Bridge bid and made 6♦x at one table and 5♥x at the other table!

Board 11
South Deals
None Vul

♠

8

♥

6

♦

J 10 7 5 4 3 2

♣

A 6 5 3

♠

A 9

♥

K 9 7 4 3 2

♦

8

♣

K J 9 4

N

W

E

S

♠

K 5 3 2

♥

J 10 8 5

♦

—

♣

Q 10 8 7 2

♠

Q J 10 7 6 4

♥

A Q

♦

A K Q 9 6

♣

—

West

North

East

South

 

WBridge5

Shark Bridge

WBridge5

Shark Bridge

 

 

 

 

1 ♠

 

2 ♥

Pass

2 NT1

3 ♦

 

4 ♥

6 ♦

Pass

Pass

 

Dbl

All Pass

 

 

 

1 2NT invitational (2S would ask for a spade stopper for 3NT)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West

North

East

South

Shark Bridge

WBridge5

Shark Bridge

WBridge5

 

 

 

1 ♠

2 ♥

Pass

4 ♥

4 ♠

Pass

Pass

5 ♥

Dbl

All Pass

 

 

 

Opening lead ♠8

 

East’s first bid at both tables made the difference.  2NT by WBridge5 allowed South to bid 3♦, while a jump to 4♥ by Shark Bridge at the other table put pressure on South, which bid 4♠ and then doubled 5♥.

With three boards to play in the final KO, Micro Bridge led by 5 IMPs.  As could be seen from the results at the other table the last two boards would be flat so the only hope for a Shark Bridge victory lie in bidding and making a slam on board 62 as Micro Bridge had bid and made 5♥ for 450 at the other table.

Board 62
East Deals
None Vul

♠

K 10

♥

K 9 8 6 2

♦

K Q 3

♣

Q 9 5

 

♠

Q J 5

♥

J 7 3

♦

9 8 6

♣

J 6 3 2

N

W

E

S

♠

A 8 4 2

♥

10

♦

7 4 2

♣

K 10 8 7 4

 

♠

9 7 6 3

♥

A Q 5 4

♦

A J 10 5

♣

A

 

West

North

East

South

Micro Bridge

Shark Bridge

Micro Bridge

Shark Bridge

 

 

Pass

1 ♦

Pass

1 ♥

1 NT1

4 ♣

Pass

4 ♦

Pass

4 ♥

Pass

4 NT

Pass

5 ♦

Pass

5 ♥

Pass

6 ♥

All Pass

 

 

 

1 spades and clubs

 

The slam is only defeated with a diamond lead as there are limited entries to ruff two clubs and pull trump.  On a club lead, the slam makes if declarer plays ♥A and noting the drop of the ♥10, ruffs one club with the ♥Q and finesses the jack to pull trump, a good prospect on the auction and restricted choice.  However, East led the ♠A and Shark Bridge had 12 tricks and the championship.

The complete play of all the deals can be found at the official site at computerbridge.com .