What are Express tournaments?

Express tournaments are automated tournaments that run without directors, and utilize robots sparingly compared to robot tournaments. Instead of human directors, the software ensures all players conform to stated rules for the tournament. Eg. Speed of play, or convention card in use. Players who are unable to comply with stated rules are replaced permanently with a robot.

Express - Automated Fun highlights

  • An Express tournament is a 6 round x 1 board individual.
  • In an Express tournament, everyone agrees to play a preloaded 2/1 convention card.
  • Every player receives 60 seconds to take an action (whether bid or play).
  • The time limit for each board is 5 minutes, after which the board is adjourned. A sufficiently played out board will be completed by house robots and that score used as final result. An insufficiently played out board will earn the standard Ave scores for everyone involved.
  • The tournament lasts about 30 minutes.
  • Chat is disabled during the tournament.
  • Each entry cost BB$0.25.
  • Those who do well earn masterpoints.

    • How do the robots work?

    You will encounter a sprinkling of robots in the automated tournaments. The robots in use are called GIB. GIB is widely considered to be one of the best computer bridge programs ever created. It is occasionally capable of brilliance. It is also occasionally capable of some really poor bids and plays (just like all human players).

    Some players may find it frustrating if a particular GIB partner plays especially poorly (or if a particular GIB opponent plays especially well) on a given hand, but, these things will even themselves over time. We think that GIB plays at least as well as the average BBO member. Sometimes the GIB does something totally crazy (don't we all). This is what the GIB does. Everyone has the same GIB as partner and opponent, so, everyone is on a level playing field. If your GIB does something crazy we want to know about it so we can see if it is fixable, but, we cannot, under any circumstances, offer a refund.

    The GIBs used in our tournaments play a relatively simple and natural 2/1 bidding system. You can find out the meaning of any bid by clicking on that bid as it appears in the bidding diagram. Furthermore, when it is your turn to bid, moving your mouse over the buttons for the various possible bids will cause an explanation of the bid you are considering (as your GIB partner will understand it) to be displayed. These explanations can be somewhat cryptic, but reading them carefully before you bid will help you to avoid misunderstandings with your GIB partner.

    You can find out more about GIB's bidding system by clicking here.