[pilowsky]

Bridge bidding is a difficult to learn so I asked ChatGPT from openAI.com. (https://chat.openai.com/chat).
It was really helpful:


Me: How does bidding work in Bridge?

ChatGPT: In the game of bridge, bidding is a process through which the four players communicate information about their hands to their partners. The goal of bidding is to determine which pair of players will play together as partners and which suit or no-trump will be the trump suit for the current hand.

Each player, starting with the player to the left of the dealer and continuing clockwise, has the opportunity to make a bid or pass. A bid consists of a number and a suit, with the number indicating the number of tricks that the player's team intends to take and the suit indicating the suit that will be the trump for the hand. For example, a bid of "2 clubs" means that the player intends to take at least two tricks with clubs as the trump suit.

If a player passes, they are indicating that they do not wish to make a bid and do not have a strong enough hand to commit to taking a certain number of tricks. If all four players pass, the hand is said to be "passed out" and the deal is over.

The bidding continues until three consecutive players pass, at which point the final bid becomes the contract for the hand. The player who made the final bid becomes the declarer, and their partner becomes the dummy. The declarer's team must then try to take at least the number of tricks that they bid in order to fulfill the contract and score points. If they fail to fulfill the contract, they lose points.

Bidding is an important part of bridge as it allows players to communicate information about their hands and coordinate their strategies with their partners. It requires careful consideration of one's own hand and a good understanding of the bidding conventions being used by the other players.

Me: Does that mean if I open the bidding "2 clubs" I think I can make a 2 club contract?


ChatGPT: Yes, when you open the bidding with "2 clubs," you are indicating that you believe you have a strong enough hand to take at least two tricks with clubs as the trump suit. You are also giving your partner the opportunity to support your bid by bidding a higher number or a different suit, or to pass if they do not have a strong enough hand to support your bid.

In bridge, the player to the left of the dealer is the first to bid, and the bidding continues clockwise around the table until three consecutive players pass. If you open the bidding with "2 clubs," the other players will have the opportunity to bid higher or pass. If one of the other players bids a higher number or a different suit, you and your partner will have the opportunity to bid again, either by bidding higher or by supporting your partner's bid.

It's important to keep in mind that when you make a bid, you are not only indicating the strength of your hand, but also providing information to your partner about the distribution of your cards. For example, if you open the bidding with "2 clubs" and your partner bids "3 diamonds," they are indicating that they have a strong hand in diamonds and are supporting your club bid. This can be helpful in determining your strategy for the hand.

[pescetom]

chatGPT, on 2022-December-22, 04:43, said:

A bid consists of a number and a suit, with the number indicating the number of tricks that the player's team intends to take

Nope (it consists of a number and a denomination, with the number indicating the number of tricks in excess of six).

chatGPT, on 2022-December-22, 04:43, said:

The player who made the final bid becomes the declarer.

Maybe (not if his partner bid the same denomination before he did).


This was still hard to imagine some years ago, and probably it reflects limited and imperfect input too.
But it's sobering to reflect that AI with a similar margin of error is already in use to decide upon many aspects of our life.

[helene_t]

chatgpt is quite good at writing fiction and poetry but not so good at factual matters.

Chatgpt made up this:
Two bridge players and a chess player walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and says, "What is this, some kind of joke?" The chess player responds, "No, it's just a strategic maneuver to get closer to the bar." The bridge players then chime in, "Well, we're just trying to find the best hand to play."

[barmar]

ChatGPT doesn't know anything about what it's saying. It's been fed millions of pages of information from the Internet, and it tries to find text that fits the subject matter. It does know how to form intelligible sentences, though.

I'm a little surprised that it got the number of tricks wrong, as I'm sure all the web sites that explain bidding and contracts say that it's the number of odd tricks (tricks more than 6) that you're contracting to take. But maybe it doesn't recognize the phrase "odd tricks" and auto-corrects it to just tricks. Or maybe it also picked up information about other trick-taking games with different rules.

It's not surprising that it gets some details wrong. What's amazing about GPT is how close it actually gets.

[helene_t]

I'm not sure how many bridge players it would take to change a light bulb, but it generally only takes one person to change a light bulb. Changing a light bulb typically involves screwing the new bulb into the socket where the old one was, so it's a relatively simple task that can be done by one person. However, depending on the location of the light fixture, it may be helpful to have someone else hold the ladder or provide additional light to make the task easier.

Apparently it's necessary to ask specifically for a light bulb joke:
Q: How many bridge players does it take to change a light bulb? A: Two, but they'll spend hours discussing and analyzing the different options before deciding on the best one.

[helene_t]

Here is a haiku about a heartbroken bridge player:

Bidding hearts, now broken Partner's betrayal cuts deep Solo, I play on

[thepossum]

pescetom, on 2022-December-22, 07:42, said:

Nope (it consists of a number and a denomination, with the number indicating the number of tricks in excess of six).

Not wanting to buy into this at all but it still indicates the number of tricks - time to check my dictionary - an old trusted one sitting on a bookshelf

Would love to know where it gets its information from on anything

People delving into old books of card games

Some may say the revolution against truth went too far

No wonder the world has gone to hell

[thepossum]

Followup question

If I ask similar questions will it have learned anything since then?

[thepossum]

Q What does the word "indicate" mean?
A The word "indicate" means to show or point out something, or to give a sign or indication of something. It can also mean to suggest or imply something, or to serve as evidence or proof of something.

For example, you might say "The temperature indicator on the dashboard indicates that the engine is overheating," meaning that the temperature gauge is showing that the engine is too hot. Or you might say "His behavior indicates that he is feeling upset," meaning that his actions or words are giving a sign that he is feeling unhappy or distressed.

In general, the word "indicate" is used to describe the act of providing information or a signal about something, either through direct communication or through some other means of expression or indication.

[pilowsky]

thepossum, on 2022-December-25, 20:02, said:

Followup question

If I ask similar questions will it have learned anything since then?

Use the link in the post to access it (for free) and test your idea - several minutes of mindless entertainment.

[pescetom]

pilowsky, on 2022-December-25, 22:02, said:

Use the link in the post to access it (for free) and test your idea - several minutes of mindless entertainment.

At the price of supplying identity details which go well beyond any legitimate needs (I backed out when it had "only" IP, device, OS, browser and authenticated email address, but now wanted real name and postal address, phone number u.s.w.).

[pilowsky]

pescetom, on 2022-December-26, 02:46, said:

At the price of supplying identity details which go well beyond any legitimate needs (I backed out when it had "only" IP, device, OS, browser and authenticated email address, but now wanted real name and postal address, phone number u.s.w.).

usw in Italy?

PP: What is u.s.w. in Italian?
ChatGPT: It is not clear what "u.s.w." stands for or represents in Italian. It is possible that "u.s.w." is an abbreviation or acronym in another language, but without more context it is not possible to accurately translate it or provide a meaning.

etc...

[helene_t]

Chatgpt just told me you have to sail westwards across the Pacific to get from China to America.

By the way u.s.w. means "and so on" in Italian if you use German autocorrection. It's not a native Italian acronym.

[pilowsky]

helene_t, on 2022-December-26, 03:12, said:

Chatgpt just told me you have to sail westwards across the Pacific to get from China to America.

By the way u.s.w. means "and so on" in Italian if you use German autocorrection. It's not a native Italian acronym.

or "etc" in English

I guess the point was that it doesn't seem to be trained in any non-English languages.

[pescetom]

pilowsky, on 2022-December-26, 03:18, said:

or "etc" in English

I guess the point was that it doesn't seem to be trained in any non-English languages.

I think even Gene Gnocchi would struggle to suggest a meaning for u.s.w. in Italian, but I'll work on it.

Oddly enough, etc in Italian is ecc., as the initial of an abbreviated word ("cetera" here) is often repeated, resulting in stuttering acronyms (for example firemen are "VVFF", Vigili del Fuoco).

[nullve]

Me:

Quote

How would you bid these hands, West AKQx xx AKxx Qxx and East Jxxx Axx Qxx Axx, using the Acol bidding system?

Chatgpt:

Quote

In the Acol bidding system, the opening bid is made by the player on the left of the dealer, who has the first opportunity to bid. In this case, West is the opener and East is the responder.

With the West hand, AKQx xx AKxx Qxx, a strong opening bid would be 1NT (one no trump), indicating a balanced hand with around 15 points. This bid shows a solid stopper in each suit, as well as some high card points.

East, with the hand Jxxx Axx Qxx Axx, would then have a number of options for their response. One possibility would be to bid 2NT, showing a balanced hand with around 10-12 points and a good fit with West's hand. Alternatively, East could bid 3NT, indicating a balanced hand with around 20-22 points and a good fit with West's hand.

Another option for East would be to bid a suit, indicating a longer suit and a desire to play in that suit. For example, East could bid 2♣, showing a strong suit in clubs and inviting West to bid 3♣ to indicate a fit in that suit.

It's important to keep in mind that these are just a few of the possible options for bidding these hands. The exact bidding sequence will depend on the partnership's agreement and the specific situation.

[pescetom]

To be fair to Chatgpt, it is a peculiarity of bridge that Dealer makes the first call: in similar games it is indeed the player on his left (the Elder) who calls first.

The rest is revealing however. Just so long as they aren't using this stuff to decide on anything serious.