DEALING

• Random hands - either completely random or within user-defined constraints as to point-count, length of any suit in any hand or expected contract(s)
• Every deal is code-numbered and can be re-dealt
• Manual dealing - either key-cards or all cards
• Deal another hand without bidding
• Deals can be saved and restored, with or without changing back to the saved dealer and score
• Deals are saved in standard PBN (Portable Bridge Notation) format
• Deals are date-stamped or code numbered and can have added comments
• Dealer, and/or score/vulnerability can be changed
• Play up to 16 boards in an IMP-scored match against the program

DISPLAY

• The computer will play none, some or all hands
• Sets of hands can be pre-dealt, allowing two players to play as a partnership against the program
• Each hand may be hidden or visible
• During dealing - summary of score, dealer and point-count of visible hands
• During bidding - list of bids
• During play - contract and tricks for / against
• On-screen Windows-style help displays
• Cards may be displayed in graphical or diagrammatic format
• Optional background bitmap

BIDDING

• Plays Acol (12 - 14 point no-trump), Five-Card Majors (15 - 17 point no-trump)
• Bidding is controlled by a bidding database, which can be freely edited to your requirements
• Bidding database is already configured for Astro, Baron, Flannery, Jacoby, Landy, Michaels, Negative doubles, Splinters, Stayman in Doubt, Texas, Transfers over 2NT, Trial bids, Unassuming cue-bids, Unusual NT and Weak Twos
• Convention cards enable conventions to be switched on/off independently for each pair
• Conventional bids are alerted
• Bids (natural and conventional) can be added to the database and edited during the bidding
• Blue Chip Bridge can also bid using the English Bridge Union's "Standard English" system.
• Sample deals for each of the optional conventional bids in the database with expert commentary on the bidding
• Bidding Tutor gives detailed instruction during the auction on most deals - the ideal opportunity to learn and improve your game as you play !
• Optional bidding hints and assessment / interpretation of bids
• Graphical assessment of your bidding standard (up to four different bidders)
• Take back previous bids, restart the bidding or deal another hand without playing

PLAYING

• Computer plays either double-dummy or without knowledge of the other hand(s)
• User-configurable search levels
• Optional search display, playing hints and forecast
• Hand reconstruction display (learn how to reconstruct the hidden hands)
• Playing Tutor
• User-configurable opening lead styles
• Card-play signals (display shows the reliability of your own signals)
• False-carding
• Claiming
• Review previous tricks
• Take back any number of cards
• Replay the hand, starting from any trick
• Swap seats and replay the hand
• Rebid and replay the hand
• Optional automatic disk-save of bidding and play after every hand
• Optional print-out of the bidding and play
• Automatic score-keeping
• Duplicate scoring option
• Numerous endplay problems with complete solutions

HINDSIGHT
The powerful new feature that not only tells you whether you might have been in a better contract but also suggests where a different line of play would have made (or broken) the contract.

SOUND
Sound output (requires sound-card) to report the computer's bids and card-play.

VOICE RECOGNITION
Make your bids and play your cards by speaking to the program (requires a sound-card and a suitable speech-recognition engine). You can tell whether you have a speech-recognition engine by going to Control Panel | Speech, sounds and audio devices | Speech and seeing whether a speech recognition engine is listed under "Speech recognition". If so, search for a file called SAPI.DLL, probably in the Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft shared\Speech folder. Right-click on it and look at its properties. It needs to be version 5.1 or later. The program's Help file has more information about speech-recognition engines. In addition, you will obviously need a microphone plugged into your sound card.

NETWORKING
Using the Blue Chip Bridge Table Manager (included in the package), you can connect up to four different computers on a home network, so that up to four humans can each play from their own screens. The following page (which is intended for designers of computer bridge programs) sets out the protocol by which bridge-playing computer programs can communicate with each other using the Table Manager.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
A PC (Pentium II 200MHz or better),Windows Vista or XP,256MB+ of memory, 256-colour display (or better). About 4MB of hard disk space,CD Rom drive. A printer (optional).You will need a sound-card to use the sound features of the program.You will need a suitable voice-recognition engine and a microphone to use the voice-recognition features of the program.You will need a suitably-configured home network to use the network feature of the program.

Blue Chip Bridge should also run on a Macintosh with a Windows emulator (a "virtual PC") installed. It may run somewhat slower (please download and run the demonstration to test it) and you will probably need to allocate 512MB RAM to the application.

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