language: en

Toward the Automation of the Card-Playing Component of Bridge

Ming-Sheng Chang
Department of Computer Science Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences New York University

Abstract In comparision with other games, particularly chess, the research in computer bridge is immature, and the best bridge-playing programs are mediocre. We propose to study the automation of the card-playing segment of bridge (omitting bidding), using a number of different techniques. In this paper we first give an introduction to the state of computer bridge. Next, we propose two possible architectures for solving double-dummy bridge (i.e., a simplified bridge game with perfect information): The first is based on the combination of And-OR search and heuristic evaluation. The second forms a global plan by merging subplans for each individual suit. Next, to deal with uncertain information in real bridge, we present a new mechanism that combines the concepts of both minimax search and possible worlds. Finally we give a brief description of further work toward automating card-playing in real bridge.

1 Introduction