Jack Bridge 6

Jack Bridge is European and ACOL by default.

Let Professor Jack help you improve your Bridge.

System Requirements Jack 6

Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10),

Jack's installation will only be complete after you
activated Jack using a licence purchased from BridgeNZ.

Demo is available from jackbridge.com or click here

Features

Jack is a computer bridge program developed by bridge players for bridge players. One of the developers is former world champion Berry Westra (Bermuda Bowl, Chile 1993). Jack uses state of the art computer algorithms. Jack's possibilities exceed those of all other bridge playing programs. Besides its exceptional bidding and playing strength, Jack offers a very user friendly interface with many interesting features.

Looks

Jack offers a very user friendly interface. Its ergonomical interface allows you to relax and enjoy using Jack. If you're not completely satisfied with the default looks, you have numerous possibilities to adjust it to your own likings. Settings exist for almost anything: the colors, the backside of the cards and the shape of the playing table are just a few examples.
With Jack the pretty playing cards are not only printed on the outside of the box, but you also play with them on screen. You can choose between English (international), French, German or Dutch playing cards. The sets are all based on the Carta Mundi playing cards. You don't like the rounded corners on the cards? Jack will straighten them for you. If you prefer larger numbers and letters on the playing cards, Jack offers a special set also.

Ease of use

The fully graphical user interface was developed by bridge players for bridge players. Jack comes with a manual so you can sit down and read about the most important features. Above that the program has a built in interactive help with many examples. The tip of the day will help you master Jack's possibilities faster.
You decide if you want announcing bids and plays switched on, in which case you'll hear the voice of Berry Westra.
The program is very friendly. You can play with all cards visible, take back cards or restart a deal at any time. Settings were not only developed to change the appearance on your screen but also to adjust Jack's behaviour. You can even set the tolerance with which Jack has to accept your claims. After you completed a deal you can have Jack replay the deal and instantly compare your result with Jack. You can store the bid and play to look it over again at a later moment. Your own deal annotations can be incorporated and stored with the deal in Jack.

The powerful deal profile allows you to generate deals that meet certain criteria. Specifying for example auction, distributions, combined values for North and South, playing tricks or points enables you to create almost any situation. Very usefull for practising purposes.
You can even have Jack calculate the statistical probability for any profile. For example the probability for a 1NT opening.
Each deal has a number. All 53.644.737.765.488.792.839.237.440.000 possible bridge deals can be generated. You can use this number to generate a specific deal again. It also ensures you won't play the same deal twice.
Deals can be printed directly to the printer or exported to HTML files. You can specify in detail what to print (diagram, auction, play, footnotes, alerts, annotations). The HTML- (internet-) format allows you to directly bring the information online, look at it in your favorite browser, email it to your partner or edit it with a word processor.
Inputting a deal is very easy, have Jack show you how he would have bid and played the deals from you local competition.

Tournaments and competitions

Extensive tournament environment with many tournaments. Jack offers the functionality to create your own tournaments. Match Points, imps, imp pairs and more. Just enter the number of rounds/contestants. Jack will play the tournament for all participants whilst varying its play to generate the necessary variation in the results. Also almost any PBN can be converted to a tournament.
The same tournament can be played by more than one user. This enables you to compare with other people. Neat reports with tournament results can be printed.

To start your own tournaments collection the CD contains 62 tournaments (totalling over 200 sessions), in which you play partnering Jack. These tournaments all appeared on Jack's website earlier. New tournaments will continue to be made available in the future. For more tournaments the Tournaments 2002 CD with annotated tournaments is on sale.
Included are some of the finals of recent Worldchampionships Computer Bridge.

Jack has a built-in virtual bridge club, the JackBridge club, complete with promotion and demotion. You compete with Jack as your partner amidst computer personalities. There are six different skill levels (flights) and in a higher flight the computer players will be tougher to beat. Of course you can specify the length of the competition, the strength of the other players, and whether your opponents use their own convention cards or yours. Your goal is to move up the ladder of skill levels. Try to become the champion of the club!

Bid and play

Jack 6 contains the improved bidding and playing engine, used to win the World Championship Computer Bridge in Verona 2006. For the playing strength you can choose from over 30 levels of play with extra options enabling you to change Jack's style of bidding and playing. The lead system and signal methods are very complete and adjustable to one's personal likings.
Both during the auction and the play Jack will provide you with hints, if asked for.
Jack offers a new method of scoring when playing random deals: Compensation scoring (also known as Russian Scoring). The stronger side gets penalty points depending on their combined HCP strength. Penalties are user adjustable.
You can use Jack to analyze a position, Jack will show what he thinks about it.

Jack has a very extensive convention card environment. Major convention cards from all around the world are built in, amongst others: Standard American Yellow Card, Dutch Acol, 2/1 GF, Bridge World Standard, Jack Bali (the exact card that was used in Bali 2013), Moscito (a strong club system developed by the Australian international Paul Marston) and Jack's own convention card. Of course convention cards for novices are available as well.
Or you can compose your own convention card using adjustable conventions. Jack now has over 100 adjustable conventions, recent additions, amongst others: Variable 1NT, additional defences against 1NT, Puppet Stayman after 1NT. Many other bidding additions as well, e.g. you can specify the style of overcalling you would like Jack to use and it is possible to count an extra trump when using RKC Blackwood).
In the auction you can choose for Fit points. After discovering a fit it is good practise to re-evaluate your hand. Jack does this by using fit points. It is based on Berry Westra's teaching methods of adding and subtracting points in fit situation. You will quickly learn to correctly re-evaluate your hand in fit situations. The fit points are entirely user adjustable.

But also from the didactical point of view for less experienced bridge players Jack 6 has a lot to offer. For example, immediately after playing a deal you can ask Professor Jack what he thinks of your bidding and cardplay. When he does not agree he explains in detail why so.

Many extra's

• Jack contains the fastest double dummy solver in the world. Jack will instantly show you how many tricks can be made with each card.
• Jack is completely multi-lingual, you can dynamically switch between English, Dutch, French, German and Polish. Within any of the supported languages you can also use the English, Dutch, French or German playing cards.
  If your language is not supported yet, we offer the possibility to translate the user interface.
• Play with up to four people in a network at home or over the internet.
• Several scoring methods are supported.
• Printing. Deals can be printed directly to the printer or exported to HTML files. You can specify in detail what to print (diagram, auction, play, footnotes, alerts, annotations)
• Fun and games. A completely new and interactive environment. You will find interesting and amusing facts, teaching material and puzzles like Double Dummy problems. A lot of content available already.
• Search for updates. From inside Jack you can search for updates and install them directly. No need for visiting the website and look whether there is new material.