Bridge has seen an increase in the amount of people who play their game online – and at the same time, we’ve also seen a return to tournaments and club games that involve face-to-face bridge being played.

It’s only natural that this would lead to the emergence of something that combines both.

Let’s call them BBO Hybrid Games.

Sure, they’ve happened before; but now, they seem to be happening at an increasing rate.

Here’s what they are and why.

What are BBO Hybrid games?

Hybrid games combine (1) an online game played through BBO via laptops or laptops with (2) bridge games played in person, usually with dividers (whether curtains or screens) and a TD in the same room.

Why are BBO Hybrid games popular now? 

International restrictions and lockdowns have meant that face-to-face bridge is something many people miss; at the same time, online bridge is convenient for a lot of reasons – including automatic scoring, hand records and online streaming.

It’s about fun, it’s about bridge, it’s about bringing online players together in a physical environment just like good old-school LAN parties – but it also seems to be about providing a platform where online play can be supervised in an easier way. (Oh, that was also the whole point of LAN parties.) 

It’s harder to self-kibitz or collude when a real-life tournament director (and sometimes a camera in addition) is keeping an eye.

Why play BBO Hybrid games? 

Face-to-face bridge can be made easier for tournament directors and players by combining things. Easier to watch, easier to play; faster to set up and pretty much a breeze to broadcast from there. Nothing is manual except for sitting down and playing bridge.

Cheating is harder, playing is easier. Why not? 

Clubs and big-ticket tournaments meant to be played in-person can benefit from hybridizing. So can much smaller games, if players can get together.

What if we don’t play Hybrid games? 

There’s still a gap somewhere: how do we stop people self-kibitzing or colluding for big-ticket online games? 

A few solutions have been mentioned in bridge circles.