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| | | | | Amstrad | | | | | | BRIDGE 3 | | PLAYER | | | | | | MANUAL | | | |_____________________| | | | CP software | |_____________________| Loading Instructions TO LOAD from tape (664 and 6128 users should type |TAPE (enter) as described in the Amstrad handbook) ... Place tape in your deck and ensure it is rewound. Press the small ENTER key while holding down the CTRL key. You will soon see the confirmation "Loading Bridge Player 3". TO LOAD from disc, insert disc into disc drive. Type RUN "DISC". Published by CP SOFTWARE, 15 Despard Road, London N19 5NP Author: Richard Wheen ® R. Wheen 1986 No part of this manual or program Amstrad Bridge Player 3 shall be reproduced without prior permission in writing. While every effort has been made in the production of this program, the publisher takes no responsibility for errors or liability for damage arising from its use. The material on the tape, disc, packaging, or in this manual shall not be loaned or copied for use by any other person or organisation neither shall it be loaned or hired. If you should have any difficulty with loading this program, please return it direct to CP Software for our immediate attention. BRIDGE PLAYER 3 General Description This program allows you to play rubber bridge without having to get in three friends for the purpose. By using randomly dealt hands it simulates bridge as realistically as is possible, allowing you first to bid your hand and then to play the cards, as declarer or defender according to the result of the bidding. The program will provide useful practice, particularly for beginners and intermediate players, and endless enjoyment for everyone. Bidding is in accordance with the Acol system, with a limited number of additional conventions (see below). The program contains a number of other features, including:- - a post-mortem facility, enabling you to rebid and/or replay any hand. - full scoring both of the result of the last hand and on a cumulative basis. - the ability to input a hand of your own choosing and then bid and play it as usual (this makes the program especially useful as a teaching aid). - the ability to bias the deal so that you and your partner between you hold more than half the high card points. - during the play of the cards you can, if you wish: - review the bidding; - see the play to the earlier tricks; - peep at the opponents' hands; - restart the play of the cards; and - claim the rest of the tricks. - you can dispense with the bidding and simply decide on the appropriate contract and declarer (particularly useful for those whose bidding tends to land them in the wrong contract!). - full information during the play of the cards as to the contract, how many tricks each side has won, the score, the cards played to the last trick, etc. - the ability at any time to go on to the next hand or to review the list of options. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS Options After sussessfully loading the program you will be asked to choose between various options given. These are self-explanatory and your choices will continue to apply until you enter "0" at any later stage. One of the options available relates to the distribution of high card points. As you will see you can decide (perhaps because you prefer to be declarer than to defend) that you and your partner should always (option 1) or usually (option 2) have the majority of the points or you can simply let the points be distributed at random (option 3). In fact the hands are dealt at random anyway, but when option 1 or 2 is selected the computer will, having dealt the hands, in appropriate circumstances rotate them (East thereby getting the hand North would otherwise have held, etc.) so as to achieve the desired result. The bidding You are always South and your hand will be shown at the bottom of the screen, with the bidding above it. All legal bids are allowed, including doubling and redoubling. The Acol system is used, with a weak, strong or variable no-trump as selected by you initially. (Note that your opponents (East/West) always play the same no trump range as you are using at the time). Opening bids at the two level are strong, 2 clubs being conventional and showing, normally, 23 or more high card points. Opening bids at the three level are pre-emptive and weak. A bid at the two level over partner's 1 no trump is considered as a weak takeout. The program understands and accepts Stayman (over 1NT and 2NT) and Blackwood, although it will not initiate them. Thus if the computer bids 2 clubs over its partner's 1 no trump this is a weak takeout, not Stayman. To make your bid when it is your (South's) turn to do so, enter first the level (1, 2 etc.) then the suit, i.e. S, H, D, C or N (for no trumps). Thus to bid 2 no trumps enter 2N; to bid 6 Spades enter 6S. The remaining possible bids are entered as follows:- Pass (no bid) - P (or simply press the "ENTER" key) Double - D Redouble - R Once you have entered your bid, press the "ENTER" key. If you wish at any stage to restart the bidding, enter "B" when it is your turn to bid. The play of the cards You are always South but, in order to avoid your being dummy and merely watching the play of the cards when your partner has become declarer, you will be able to play both the North and South hands whenever you (South) or your partner (North) are declarer. Once the bidding is complete the opening lead will be made, dummy's hand will go down and play will proceed. When it is your turn to play, you can play any legally permissible card: revoking is of course not allowed. Note that if there is only one card which you can legally play (i.e. you hold a singleton in the suit led, or you have only one card left in your hand) the computer will, to speed up the game, automatically play this card for you. The standard way of entering the card you want to play is to enter first the suit to be played (S, H, D or C) and then the card (A, K, Q, J, T (for 10), 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 or 2). Once you have entered the card press the "ENTER" key. To speed up the play, however, you can, if you wish, take advantage of the following facilities:- (a) to play the lowest card held in any suit you need only enter the suit (followed by the "ENTER" key): indeed if you are following suit and want to play the lowest card which you hold you need only press the "ENTER" key and there is no need even to enter the suit; (b) if you are following suit, you need not enter the suit itself but can simply enter the card. To take an example, the player on your right has led the Queen of Hearts. You hold the K, 10, 7, 4 of Hearts. If you want to play the 4 of Hearts you can (because it is your lowest card of the suit led) simply press the "ENTER" key to play this card. If on the other hand you want to play the King of Hearts you can, if you wish, simply enter K and then press the "ENTER" key. When you are on lead during the play of the hand you can review the bidding before playing your card (by entering "B"), see the play to the earlier tricks (by entering "E") or peep at the other players' hands (by entering "P"). This information will be deleted from the screen once you have played your card. In addition you can at any time claim the rest of the tricks by entering "Z". The computer will accept your claim (even if unjustified!) and will score the hand accordingly. You can also at any time recommence the play of the cards by entering "R". If, while playing the hand as declarer, you hear a single "beep", this will be to alert you that a defender has ruffed. Scoring, review of the hand, etc. At the end of each hand the score on that hand will be shown in the customary format, together with the score brought forward from previous hands during that rubber. The scoring is the same as in normal rubber bridge and includes penalty points, honours, slam and rubber points. A replayed hand will not be scored, nor will a hand which has been abandoned. At the end of a hand you can see North's and South's (and, if you wish, East's and West's) original hands and can then rebid and/or replay the hand. Alternatively you can, if you prefer, go straight on to the next hand or back to the list of options. Other main options A. By pressing the appropriate key when the various options are described, you can dispense with the bidding and go straight on to the play of the cards. In this case you will have to nominate both the contract and the declarer. Having selected this option the computer would in the ordinary way play the East/West cards, but if you have elected to see all four hands you can, if you wish, decide to play from all four hands yourself. B. You can input a deal of your own choosing and then bid and play it as usual. If you decide to do this, please note that (i) you will first be asked to enter North's Spades, then his Hearts, etc., but the cards in any suit can be entered in any order; (ii) after entering all the cards in the suit press the "ENTER" key; and (iii) where the holding is a void, press the "ENTER" key without first entering any cards. General Please note that:- (a) the computer only accepts CAPITAL LETTERS as input; and (b) you can, at any time when it is your turn to bid or play, abandon the current hand (enter "N") and, if you wish, revert to the list of options (enter "O"). KEYS TO USE IN ENTERING YOUR BID OR CARD, ETC. Bidding S Spades N No Trumps H Hearts P Pass (no bid) D Diamonds D Double C Clubs R Redouble Play of the cards* S Spades A Ace H Hearts K King D Diamonds Q Queen C Clubs J Jack (Knave) T Ten B to review the Bidding E to see the play to Earlier tricks P to Peep at the other hands R to Recommence the play of the cards Z to claim the rest of the tricks At any time N Abandon current hand and proceed to O Abandon current hand Next hand and return to list of Options CAPITAL LETTERS must be used for all the above. *See also the abbreviated system of entering cards described in the text under "The play of the cards". |