Bridge base online is an application that allows you to play bridge online, with existing partners or with random partners from anywhere around the world. You can play for free or you can pay a small fee to play in different types of sanctioned tournaments. It also has a few hidden gems including the practice section which is explained below.
Installation
Bridge Base Online (BBO) can be installed on your mobile device or you can play from any computer using the web app. For computer users go to https://www.bridgebase.com and select Login/Register and you will be good to go. For mobile device users, go to your play/app store and search for Bridge Base Online. Once you have it installed you will also have to register before you can login.
The Practice Section
One of the nice features of this app is that it has a practice section that is especially well designed for brand new beginners and experts. The hands are dealt and the auction is displayed so new players do not have to worry about the bidding. The contract is displayed on the user interface and the only thing that a new player would have to know is that they have to add 6 tricks to each of the contracts. (i.e. 3 NT needs to make 9 tricks while 4 Spades needs to make 10 tricks). Please note: Every contract that is dealt is possible and the challenge for the player is to pick the best line of attack to make the bid.
After you have installed the app and registered you will be presented with a section that has as one of the menu options “Practice”. Select this option and then you will be presented with another menu that includes the option “Bridge Master”. After selecting this option you should be presented with a screen that looks like the following:
Make sure to select Level 1 – Beginner if you have never played before. Now select a hand from under the column “Select deal” and give it a try. If you do not succeed the first time you will be able to hit the hamburger icon (the menu) and select redeal. If you really get stuck, there is a “Show me the Solution” button that will walk you through the correct line of play. Have fun.