[jikl]

Many years ago I wrote an article about computers and strategy games, ie bridge, chess and draughts (checkers). I got into a lot of trouble when I wrote it actually. I stated that draughts and chess were pointless games because they have a solution.

Well recently draughts has been solved, there is now no way to beat a computer in draughts. Chess will be solved sometime too. These are "complete information systems", bridge is a "partial information system". The beauty of bridge is that you can not see every part of the puzzle; it can never be solved.

That is what brings me back all the time.

Sean

[jikl]

Unfortunately I agree with this. With the amount of calculations per second a computer will be able to make soon the only way we could beat them is probably unfortunately in the realms of cheating (if you are playing against computers), by this I mean that wehn playing against you have no "feeling" about who has the Q, or any feeling you have about the bidding is purely from your partner, so therefore drifts into the realms of UI.

Sean

[y66]

I get my kicks taking tricks.

[helene_t]

Jlall, on Oct 28 2007, 04:55 AM, said:

Bridge cannot be solved but at some point computers will be better than the best human players (just like backgammon).

I think this depends on the definition of "solved". I think there must be, in principle, a strategy (plausibly a mixed strategy) that optimizes some well-defined goal such as the expected TP, assuming that the opps optimizes their (say) TP at the same time.

[JanM]

To find a husband ... or two

Seriously:
Because bridge presents a never ending, always changing, series of interesting problems to solve. Not only is each hand different, but often the problem we originally see in a hand changes during the bidding and play.
And it's a wonderful "common language" that lets me have friendships with people from many different places and of many different ages, backgrounds and interests. You're never alone in a strange city if you play bridge - there's always a friend you already knew or a new one to meet.

[mike777]

JanM, on Oct 28 2007, 12:21 PM, said:

To find a husband ... or two

Seriously:
Because bridge presents a never ending, always changing, series of interesting problems to solve. Not only is each hand different, but often the problem we originally see in a hand changes during the bidding and play.
And it's a wonderful "common language" that lets me have friendships with people from many different places and of many different ages, backgrounds and interests. You're never alone in a strange city if you play bridge - there's always a friend you already knew or a new one to meet.

Hmm, well I met JanM's husband playing bridge, I think he was single then.
I was 16 and he was the leader of the pack even back then that taught me bridge at the Union, KC, Alan, Cheri Bjerken, and Jan's future husband. They also taught me how to sneak into Dooley's, Witts End and a few other local pubs and get served beer and play a great new Video game called Pong. I was better at beer drinking and Pong than bridge. We did a few other things too but my memory is getting hazy.Between joining a fraternity at 16 and these bunch of genius guys/gal and all of them really are those years are just a blur. I am amazed they could play bridge all night long, march against the war, and still go to class, hmm I assume they went to class anyway.

Anyway glad to see he married up!

I am glad your husband finally has a good partner to play with, YOU!