Goren In a Box

Matt Ginsberg, an Artificial Intelligence researcher at the University of Oregon, has written a computer program that plays bridge. Matt dubbed his program "GIB" for "Goren In a Box." GIB often plays the cards at a very high level, sometimes outplaying experts. It leaves other bridge programs in the dust. Its bidding is a little flakey, but it is improving. For example, it preempts maniacally. On the hand below, it preempted with a bad suit in second chair, causing its partner (another GIB) to make a losing lead.

GIB was playing with GIB against Meckstroth and Rodwell in a demonstration match on OKBridge. It didn't do well, but how many pairs would?

S: AK86
H: 986
D: 764
C: K109
S: J10953
H: J52
D: A10
C: Q84		 S: 4
H: 43
D: QJ8532
C: AJ53
S: Q72
H: AKQ107
D: K9
C: 762

WestNorthEastSouth
GIB2Rodwell GIB1Meckstroth
3D:3H:
Pass4H:(All Pass)

I'm not fond of the 3D: opening, even at favorable vulnerability. I can live with the short suit and with the bad texture, but I very much don't like the outside Ace. This time, in some sense, the preempt worked. North/South missed the easier 3NT game (which they probably would have reached had there been no preempt, but would they have reached it from the right side? I very much doubt anyone would have found the club lead to beat 3NT.) to get to the reasonable, but doomed, 4H: game.

GIB2, however, seduced by the preempt (it must know its own style, no?) led an "obvious" D:A, and when trumps broke and a club honor was onside, Meckstroth had ten tricks.

Without the preempt, West might have led a high spade. That seems to give up the tenth trick, too, but the play gets complicated. Declarer must win in hand and draw exactly two rounds of trumps before continuing spades. When South splits, declarer needs to return to his hand to lead spades again, so he draws a third round of trumps and cashes two spades with the aid of a finesse. He pitches a diamond from hand, but now he's stuck in dummy. He has to lead a diamond from dummy in this position:

S:
H:
D: 764
C: K109
S: 9
H:
D: A10
C: Q84		 S:
H:
D: QJ8
C: AJ5
S:
H: 107
D: K
C: 762
West wins the D:A and must play a spade. This allows East to discard a club, and declarer will run out of trumps before being able to enjoy his club trick. If West carelessly continues with a diamond, declarer will run out of trumps, but East will run out of winners, and will end up being forced to give dummy the last, and game-going, trick.
Jeff Goldsmith, jeff@tintin.jpl.nasa.gov, August 12, 1997