This has been a year of tumultuous change for this child of ours.
The biggest change for me was that our founder, Fred Gitelman, swallowed the blue pill (no, no, this one) and retired. As a parting gift, he made Bridge Master freely available to all of us.
Much of the other change has been internal. We have lots of new staff (CEO, designers, marketeers, programmers, analysts, poohbahs) and while we’re all still sniffing each others tails to an extent, we’re slowly coalescing into something better than before.
But enough about you.
We released our new web version of BBO. We’re actively improving it as we speak. I know some of us are still on the older Flash version ( to be fair, some of us are still on the older Windows version ). The Flash version will be retired ( by Apple, Google , etc ) sometime in 2020. Slide on over to the newer version when you can.
The Daylong format continues to remain popular. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, try Login->Competitive and check them out. Yes, it uses robots. Yes, it’s fun anyway.
We released a couple of new Challenge formats ( Login->Challenges). I like the Star challenge, it’s a fun way to kill 15 mins. The Robot Challenge is also entertaining, especially if your ego isn’t easily bruised. Try the Group Challenge ( tiny private daylong) with your friends.
We added a couple of games to our home page ( Just Declare, Matchpoints, IMPs ) . Like all the games on the home page, they’re pretty casual, if not as casual as Just Play Bridge.
We added a new subscription service ( BBO Prime ) along with the ability to purchase BB$ via our mobile app.
The ACBL is now more serious about tackling cheating and formally investigates players we suspend for unethical behavior.
I won’t predict what 2020 will bring at BBO, but I will express my hope that it brings a quiet happiness to us and our loved ones in our real lives.
Uday Ivatury
[email protected]
Comments
88 responses to “Looking back at 2019”
6
Je préférais la présentation précédente : le cadre est trop petit maintenant et on ne voit pas bien qui entame (la carte se trouve sur le côté pas en face du joueur Nord ou ….!) good year
Je suis du même avis, le cadre paraît décalé.
Can anything be done about players who make very rude and mean comments?
Or table hosts who throw me off the Casual table for no apparent reason or when I make mistakes like overbidding or errors in playing our hand?
Hello thanx to u for ur best efforts u are making to our favourite bridge game❤
I had already logged on the new version which u had just pointed that it will be actified sometime on 2020 and i hade faced problems there while hosting my own teams i’ve noticed the player which is invited will not be able to recognize bidding board neither see table cat!! I hope there will be some adjustment soon i also suggest since i am often make my own teams and i do get a co host everyteam i make!! that every single Host should do same ! If there is a way u can confirm on all who hosts teams the necessary of get their teams Co Host!! Because i realized that too many teams when host get disconnected the players just there and Waiting and nothing they can do just to sit and wait!!
Thanks for building bbo platfor for players
I am pkaying for many years
so long as BBO remains 100% independent of any governing body
like the ACBL,to name just one (there all the same).it will continue
to be the top destination for any bridge player.
TOP BANANA UDAY
I am happy to be here ty Uday sometimes bad con when we are in trny but some clups put us black list this is not gd for me pls pls call director to be more torreant
Uday, many thanks for this great place to learn and play bridge. Best wishes for the next exciting decade. ❤️ Twst.
Could we look into having the print option in the new version ? it helps is take notes.
How could we take notes on the saved hands ?
I hope you are saying that Fred Gitelman has granted a pardon for my being locked out of tournaments. I was shocked when I received notice because I rarely play a tournament and currently have not in over a yr or two. Any consideration you can give me will be appreciated and I will be extremely careful if I am allowed to return. Thank You
Dick Jordan
Dear U-day,
I wish you and your team a very HAPPY NEW YEAR, a lot of health, which is the most important. I enjoy BBO for many years, as I have by now very little time, I just play with the robots, it is fun. Thank you for all,
sincerely chiara 7 from Germany
I tried the new version a couple of times. I went back to the flash version because it is so much faster. Is there anyway you can speed up the new version? I am not looking forward to the end of 2020 when there is no flash version anymore. Thanks
I have not been able to boot slow players when hosting. I have noticed other players can boot me off.
Please explain why this has been changed from the former programme.
Kind regards
Eleonore
il faudrait sanctionner les joueurs qui sachant qu ils vont rater leur contrat jouent très lentement pour obtenir la moyenne.
Il serait intéressant de voir les enchères pendant le jeu.
Bonne année à tous
JDCMM5
i used to load polish club CC easily with the previous version of BBO.. but with the latest one, it looks impossible!.. i could not get any help on this subject although i have asked ..please help me through.. i want to load WJ CC while playing like a decent player should do.
thanks in advance
naut
‘J’e suis un très ancien joueur de bb et de bridge compétition
Je n arrive pas a m inscrire dans aucun tournoi sauf invitation.
Que dois je faire pour améliorer cela .mer i pour vos reponses
Je suis un très ancien joueur sur bb auparavant mon speudo était oscar03 je pense.je n arrive plus a m inscrire dans un tournoigratuit sau invitation de mes amis.
CMT pourrais je m,inscrire à nouveau.
Merci pour vos réponses.
Thanks for all those news and thanks to BBO which allows us to have fun games for free . And sorry for my poor english. Merry christmas and happy new year
I LIKE BBO
your English is fine
merci pour vos jeux mais je voudrais faire remarquer le manque de courtoisie de certains “chefs de table” qui vous virent soit parce que vous êtes expert soit parce que vous réussissez des contrats contre eux qu’ils n’apprécient pas et ce simplement par jalousie au lieu d’apprendre.
Os deseo a toda la Comunidad de BBO feliz 2020 y toda clase de venturas.
Gracias por trabajar tanto y tan bien por nosotros.
Saludos
Bebes1
Thanks for all those news,and toBBO,allows to have free plays.
İ am a retired generally Surgeon.İ cant help to play bridge at BBO!..
Greeting from İstanbul,near Bosphorus,whit my best wishes,Marry Christmas,and happy new year.
BBO has been a very wonderful companion for me for the last 4-5 years, while I spend many days and weeks in hospital rooms
And various hospitals with my very ill husband. Thank you for your companionship it made the many days/weeks manageable.
Thank you, wishing you and staff a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Gracias a Uds. por las buenas noticias para el año 2020. Les deseo una feliz Navidad y para el año que se inicia. Virgo 937.
Hello,
Eternal thanks for BBO – life would be very dull without it!!
Please, please – on the former version which I now can’t access, I used to be able to “chat” to foreign friends – by zipping back and forth to Google Translate. Unfortunately this is no longer possible, and i am devastated (and so are my foreign friends). PLEASE bring back this facility!!!
Congratulations at BBO and I wish you all ” Merry Christmas and a very good year 2020 “l
Goofri
me encanta BBO, aunque prefiero la version anterior, lamentablemente la quitaron!!!!esta ultima version, no logro entenderla!!!!se que mi nivel de juego ha disminuido!!! supongo que por disminucion de mi memoria!!!! por favor no me suspendan!!! es mi entretenimiento!!!!!muchas gracias BBO, llena muchas horas de mi vida!!!! Felicidades para estas fiestas!!!!
I wish I knew where these people found the place to make comments. would have at least 2 good comments. Maybe next year.
BBO is great! I use it everyday. Tracking rude and disgusting players has improved the enjoyment of playing for sure. Keep up the good work.
Bbo doing a great service to all bridge players
Of all races.we meet players from all over the world. Thanks bbo keep it upi
The number of Bridge players, worldwide, are reducing every year. Young generation need to be attracted to Bridge table. BBO can you do something in this regard. Otherwise it is a wonderful platform for 68 year old young man like me.
madhav joshi
Haing real problems , in the middle of a game, I suddenly am stranded, lose connection and have to sign in again . Then lose the game, as it appears I have just abruptly left.
Uday, you are very funny. Thank you ( and Fred) for Bridge Base Online, unfortunately I am addicted to it. Why do people criticize my robots? They are very nice partners. A little conventional but, unlike my live partners, no drama or attitude. You have raised them well.
Thank you Uday and all of your hard working BBO staff for giving us a wonderful place to play bridge with wonderful people from all over the world. Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.
Why don’t we have robot individuals with the first full round of bidding dictated by the computer? Same first round at all tables, bidding per Robot Standard.
This would eliminate “gaming” the robots by opening worst minors or phony 1NT.
Una pregunta porque no se juega más el bingo que era muy entretenido
I have played on BBO for over 10 years and while I have loved every moment of it, I now find people rude and unfriendly using bad language and disappearing at will..
Bad language should be santioned and throwing players off at will should not be allowed. I preferred the old way, but I suppose time marches on and we must move with the times.
Una pregunta porque no se juega más el bingo que era muy entretenido
Many thanks to Uday, Fred (hope he is keeping busy on he golf course) and all the helpful and hardworking BBO staff. BBO is my ‘home away from home’, a nice escape. I hope everyone has a happy holiday season and wish you all the best in the new year.
PS: Yes – rude people do exist. Have you tried the Prime Club?
Me too
I would like to become a member, i have problem with my sign in. I don’t know where I can get help.
To Uday and the rest of the BBO community. This is Michael Kamil. Both I and Gabrielle Sherman have offered to do commentary during important matches on vugraph. For free. We’ve been turned down for reasons no one has ever made clear to me and that no one (especially Uday) is willing to discuss. Do you actually give a whit about the members on your site? Do you think your members enjoy listening to less experienced commentators?
I’d recommend you start caring about your customers more than the $$$$$$ they put in your pocket. I’m sure Fred would have.
Thank you Uday for a brilliantly programmed and designed BBO. We wish you and your loved ones Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.👍
Have a “love/hate” relationship with BBO. I love being able to play bridge in my PJ’s with a cuppa–but the Robot is a continual source of frustration {: Ouch, ouch, ouch!
Being a programmer myself, it seems the robots haven’t improved much in 5 years–which is a LONG time in the IT world! Why, oh why???? The banner’s often times don’t match what the robots have. No slam bidding (just leaping), never leading the suit I bid…Man! I could go on and on! I HOPE in 2020 we can see some real improvement. People used to enter the tourneys a lot more–now (me included) don’t think they’re worth the $1…
Have seen the ACBL NABC enrollments fall off drastically, I think for a combination of bad robots for partners (I mean what’s the point of paying $50 to play with a bad pard!) and almost assuredly cheating…Good concept, but poorly implemented. What about awards based upon Unit? Or at least breaking it up into sections? Time zones, scheduling it in rounds to prevent cheating. There ARE solutions!
Then there’s the rude and profane folks who would be banned FOREVER for saying that stuff in my club, yet BBO doesn’t do anything!
This stuff is probably fixable!
“Have a “love/hate” relationship with BBO”
My sentiments exactly.
“… it seems the robots haven’t improved much in 5 years–which is a LONG time in the IT world! Why, oh why????”
Yes! and and I will second the WHY??
I would be embarrassed to use GIB in a nationally rated event.
It’s such a shame since there is so much to like about BBO otherwise.
I’ve had no experience “rude and profane” since I only play in the Robot tournaments.
Uday, May I please have Asimov 3 Laws of Robotics robots for the next NABC Individual. I’d like a partner wired to play in my best interests? 😉
I am very pleased from BBO thanks for the nice service.
Happy New Year
Please have a look on the windows version – choosing players depending on a country, e.g. I miss this.
Anyway, new software has new (and other) features.
th for bbo:)
@spkcp111: perhaps you apply as a bbo-programmer?
Make Bridge Great Again
The changes are really entertaining specially IMP/MP Bridge. Hope for more changes.
Thank you Uday, thanks to your staff and to all the volunteers who make this site a pleasure to visit. Best wishes for the Holidays and the New Year to all.
Hi ,
Great App.
I use it the most .
Few suggestions pl .
1 if you are blacklisted —you dont know the reason & you never come back .
2 time given for start of new round or game is never as per real clock .
If it says 5 minutes & & you surf / brouse for a 2/3 minutes on other sites you are replaced .
3. If your wifi is weak on somedays or if there is a power failure ,your TCR goes down & you cant play good tournaments.
CHEERS
3.
I liked the old version of
b bo. I dont know how to converse with my p, thank him or ask about conv or say wdp etc if I go to message sometimes I can say something. other times not but then theres chat and other words I feel like an idiot.
so simple the old version please give me a lesson
Uday, regardless of negative comments made by (Kamil), Fred’s conception, BBO, and now yours; continues to be a haven for shut in bridge players and for the last seventeen years, night owls like me. Bots can be finicky but cannot get back at a player for sloppy play. Seasons Greeting and continued success.
In the new version,drag and copy is not possible ,I prefere older version. Also please make robots programmable by users.
I directed forv Microsoft for yeatrs and when Bill Gates sold out to Fred I decided to retire and just direct odd game I was given the opportunity to work with Gittleman v but now it looks like I will not be even playing because this new program you have set up is just terrible I have tried and tried to pay it and this afternoon 25 mins to plat 2 hands was just too much DOsomething now or give us back our old programnTHE DAY YOU COLLAPSE THAT SITE IS THE DAY YOU WILL LOSE SOO MANY PLAYERS it is difficult to manoever , find chat find hands played find scores what else do you need to be told look at chat bars or ask players what they like the list is too long to ask for dislikes thankou
Agree 100% with Margpearse
Good guster
Wishing you and all the new and old staff all the very best for 2020 x
Froehliche Weihnachten und ein gesundes gutes Neue Jahr
wuenscht Ihnen eine langjaeHrige Bridgespielerin,Joscha 12
Hanna Schade
Germany
AJIT CHAKRADEO
INDIA
BRIDGE FRATERNITY WILL REMAIN OBLIGE OF FRED GITTELMAN
FOR HIS PARTING GIFT OF BRIDGE MASTER
I am sure that the vast majority of us are very grateful to you and your “crew”……Nothing is perfect But for us this side of the pond it wud be Nice………….. if it wud be possible to see AND interact with all those on line in the Acol Club…………….I
Bonjour,
Le nouveau BBO est identique sur PC et smartphone –> excellent !
J’ai juste une demande : pourrait-on avoir, comme sur l’ancienne version de BBO, la possibilité de faire des copier-coller dans le chat ?
Merci
Bonnes fêtes ;o))
Thank you all for the wonderful time you give us on BBO.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all the team.
xx
BBO has made a huge difference to my life and I am still in the process of exploring more of it’s features! Thank you all at BBO. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I am a BBO member since 2005, love BBO tremendously. 90% of my free time every day is spent on BBO.
Couple of questions – About a year or more ago, I suddenly saw that I earned 5 stars in “compatibility” in my profile. I am elated, but can someone explain what those stars mean & what criteria is used to assign them. Another issue, Robots are generally very good (much better than me any way) at playing cards, but they are LOUSY bidders. I have experienced many robot partners cue bid opps’ agreed suit with two small cards in that suit, sometimes with <7 HCP & no real biddable suit. Can someone explain how these robots are programmed? & take care of such stupid anomalies? With such robotic bidding playing on BBO becomes nightmare!
Dear Uday,
Happy holidays to all! Am especially grateful for all the inovations on BBO. Its great to have so many choices. Best of luck in 2020!!!!!!!
Please leave old version for those of us with visual impairment. I have tried the new and can not read or see most of it, I spend at least 8 hrs a day here on ACBL or kibbing.
Great festivity season for the GAME lovers, wish to paticipate in the maximum possible events, wonder how will be possible with almost 12 hours time difference.
j ai trop de problêmes avec la nouvelle version, par exemple plus de movie , donc impossible de voir ce qu il s est passé aux autres tables,
j ai pas encore essayé les tournois
dommage , j ai joué des heures pendant au moins 10 ans ! ç etait un régal
j ai besoin de qq explications
merci
Thank you, Uday
Jugando en un BBO, con tiempo limitado, uno de los adversarios me pidió que explicara una voz, de la subasta, hcha por mi. Comencé a explicarla y me sacaron de la mesa: por pasar el tiempo de espera, me parece que se debe estudiar esta situación. De todas formas estoy encantado y juego siempre que puedo. Feliz Navidad.
Happy Holidays Uday,
I am up here in Northern WI, USA in a tundra and relish my daily games of bridge to wait for the sun to shine!
Thank you,
No matter how tumultuous this 2019 is, BBO has been certainly very great, and we love BBO forever.
We also lost our beloved Shirley Ybarra (sybarra) this year so I will remember it with some sadness as we go forward.
The best to you, Fred, in your retirement. Thanks for BBO & the opportunity to play night or day from home. Thanks especially for your amazing Bridge Master that I first discovered when you were still in Canada. Love from nancylh
Thank you for your wonderful Bridge Master program. I am amazed that the cards rearrange themselves so that only the best line of play works, and you are never “lucky” with the wrong one.
The best for you in your retirement. Thank you for all you have done for bridge worldwide, and especially for us nightowls who can play at night with the Turks if we can’t sleep.
Thank you for your efforts! Hours and hours of enjoyment for so many!
Uday,
Sometimes I get knocked off before the final round without any good reason. It is very disconcerting, especially when I’m doing good.
Teeger3
it saddens me when one of our top players passes away and there is mention for many days.. I’m a nobody but Ken Cohen who recently passes away was a true gentleman. always giving a friendly reply
if I happened to have a good robot game when he was in the game. MY sincere condolences to his family
Jim Logan
Hi
Happy new year to all.
I am on https://www.bridgebase.com/v3/. I believe that’s the new version. Right? Works fine for me as as single player
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020 UDAY!!! and all the staff at BBO. Play on both ver’s at times and always enjoy. There are features on both ver’s I like very much. Love BBO and all the many choices of games it offers.
to everyone at BBO and on BBO a very happy 2020 – may it be a great year – continue building friendships on the platform so generously given to everyone who loves bridge – take care everyone xx
Happy New Year and many thanks for all your involvement! My special thanks to Fred!
We are so many to prefer the presentation from the Flash version to the one of the new release. As a product developper, would I dare ask whether changes get the blessing of a representative user sample, just to make sure we are heading towards a better direction?
Cheers,
John
cono mnoo hago para poder entrar en los torneos gratis que uds. ponen son muy pocos yhy unos que yo no puedo entrar porque no tengo el score lto .
score necesario para poder jugar como se que categoria se nrcesita para jugar grcias