[benellis58]

West, North, and East are all GIB robots.

After the human South opens 1NT, West passes, and North...PASSES. DUH, I think that means that North is NOT interested in bidding a game and is NOT even interested in inviting a game! East, in passout seat, bids 2C, showing an unspecified single-suiter.

South passes. West bids 2D to discover what East's suit is, and North NOW bids 2NT, STUPIDLY defined as:

"Invitational to 3NT game". First, how on Earth and why on Earth would he NOW be interested in inviting a game when he EARLIER had absolutely NO interest in doing so? And, by the way, is it REALLY essential to inform people in this typically wretched GIB definition that 3NT is "game"? This is not only completely unnecessary, AND a waste of time and space, but it's also INSULTING, as it implies that the players are UNAWARE that 3NT is game. The hopeless GIB definitions often omit important, useful information, but then include useless trash like this.

The definition continues: "8 HCP". Funny: I only see SEVEN.

The definition concludes with "9 total points". Without even looking at the actual North hand, WHY, even if North actually HAD the 8 HCP that the definition FALSELY promises, would he magically have an additional "total" point - particularly since NS have identified no fit and are theoretically destined to play in no trump?

Now, if North was merely competing for the partial and hoping to buy the contract, that would be one thing, but what this typically bad GIB definition states is nothing but inaccurate, poorly written garbage.

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/2p8jm9r5

[benellis58]

With the usual acknowledgment that leads can often involve guesswork and that their success or failure can often depend on the random layout of any random hand, we can still consider the likely merits of making any particular lead.

On the hand below, would a club lead not be more normal than a spade lead? North, a GIB robot on lead, heard his partner open one CLUB and then decided to compete himself with two CLUBS. As for spades, who bid spades? Oh yes, the ENEMY (East, to his left) bid SPADES, but of COURSE the GIB robot OFTEN (and often FOOLISHLY) prefers to lead the suits of his opponents than of his own pair. Here it seems particularly silly, since looking at his hand there is a good chance that he will have a natural heart (trump) trick.

The NS result ended up fine anyway, but the point of this post is to expose the lack of logic so often demonstrated by the generally poor leads of the GIB robots.

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/ydpss5d3

[benellis58]

I think that most people would agree that declarer play is by FAR the best part of the game of the GIB robots. After all, they're absolutely horrendous at all other aspects of bridge.

So, just HOW "good" IS their declarer play? Well, here's an example:

At trick ten, all the GIB robot sitting East has to do to GUARANTEE his contract of 2H is to play his diamond king from dummy. Instead, he leads a spade and...loses...ALL FOUR of the last four tricks to go down one. THAT'S how "good" their declarer play is...but I DO admit that it is STILL way better than every other part of their game!

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/mtnpavht

[benellis58]

West, North, and East are all GIB robots, but this tale is actually about the typically wretched GIB definitions.

Observe the laughably, pathetically INCORRECT definition for South's 4S bid: "2-5 clubs, 2-5 diamonds, 4-5 hearts, 2-4 spades (!!!!!), 15-17 HCP, 18- total points".

TWO TO FOUR SPADES??? No...no...NO! It unequivocally shows FOUR spades!!!

This did not affect the result, but it proved for the umpteenth time how utterly hopeless the GIB definitions are.

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/2p9cw8e7

[benellis58]

Question: If you are declaring a No Trump contract, how do you win two diamond tricks with J75 tripleton in dummy and Q98 tripleton in your hand?

Answer: Make certain that you have two GIB robots as "defenders". Then just sit back and watch them "defend". After ONLY trick four, and after losing only one diamond trick, you will already have scored one diamond winner and will already be guaranteed a second to score later.

The GIB "defenders" are often magicians...by making their OWN tricks disappear.

https://www.bridgeba...H8%7Cpc%7CHQ%7C

[benellis58]

West, North, and East are all GIB robots.

South opens 1NT mainly because he knows that he is playing WITH a GIB robot who is guaranteed to be incompetent, and AGAINST two GIB robots who are also guaranteed to be incompetent.

To West's credit, he actually finds the best (and KILLING - or at least it SHOULD be "killing"!) lead, a diamond.

South eschews the NORMAL play of calling for dummy's queen, because he feels it's highly unlikely that a GIB robot would underlead the AK.

East wins his diamond ten ("Nice play," as Eddie Kantar used to facetiously comment), and...SHIFTS (!!!)...to a...SPADE!

Poor West, plagued by a total idiot for a partner, wins his spade ace, cashes his diamond ace, and plays another diamond to East's king. This "holds" the NS 3NT contract to "only" nine tricks...but it is still a score of a HUNDRED percent for NS and ZERO percent for EW, thanks to the monumental stupidity of the "defenders".

Note that by shifting to a spade at trick two, not ONLY did East fail to have EW immediately score their SIX...TOP tricks (five diamonds and a spade), but he ALSO blocked the diamond suit (!) AND at the same time ESTABLISHED South's eighth and ninth tricks (via the queen and king of spades).

Meanwhile, West was not blameless either. (How COULD he be? He's a GIB robot!). After East's incomprehensibly STUPID spade shift, West should have saved the day by UNDERLEADING his diamond ace at trick three, thereby allowing EAST to win that trick and fire back his third and last diamond, which West would then overtake with his PRESERVED ace to run the suit. GIB is a truly wretched defender and proves it time after time.

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/mvs7dm75

[benellis58]

West, North, and East are all GIB robots. South opens 2NT for EXACTLY that reason.

West actually makes a NORMAL lead for once - alert the press! But after winning trick three, he gathers up every inch of his mammoth stupidity to play...a SECOND spade (!), even though it should be obvious EVEN to a GIB robot that he is now leading into declarer's remaining AKJ.

Then, as South runs his tricks, East manages to pseudo-squeeze HIMSELF, pitching his heart guard...and allowing declarer to win a total of ELEVEN tricks?

Are the GIB robots "hopeless" defenders? No, I think the correct terminology is "BEYOND hopeless".

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/2p86avah

[johnu]

benellis58, on 2025-November-24, 17:00, said:

West, North, and East are all GIB robots. South opens 2NT for EXACTLY that reason.

Looks like a clear 3NT opening bid playing against GIB.

[benellis58]

Maybe even a clear 5NT opening, given the result, Johnu, but all for the same 100 %.

[benellis58]

West, North, and East are all GIB robots. GIB, as it so often does, provides "amusement". Why would East raise his partner's 2H to 3H? Why would North pull his partner's double of 3H...and to his flea-bitten spade suit? And - most of all - why is the definition of South's double of 3H so incredibly USELESS?

GIB definitions are often vague, incomplete, poorly written, and useless, but this one is even more of a piece of trash than most, and that is saying a LOT! The complete, entire GIB definition of South's double of 3H is...and I kid you not (!)..."16- total points". Even by GIB's BOTTOM-FEEDING "standards", this is incredibly pathetic. It basically says NOTHING! Not a SINGLE mention of suits, shape, or anything at all except "total points". and even THERE it says NOTHING except that South has no MORE than 16 "total points". He could, according to this utter JOKE of a definition, have ZERO total points, he could have 16, or he could have anywhere in between...and there is NO mention of ANYTHING else. Absolute, utter garbage. IF GIB considers this useless trash to be a definition, what is the point of even CREATING a definition?

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/bdejp6uv

[benellis58]

When you play in a game with three GIB robots, you are well aware that your partner is incompetent and both of your opponents are equally incompetent. Consequently, you can amuse yourself by doing things that you would never dream of doing in a game with humans...such as, for example, opening 1NT on South's hand.

Sure enough, the GIB robot sitting West makes a typically moronic lead of his stiff heart jack, which, aided by East's immediate play of the king, allows South to begin play with SIX heart winners...INCLUDING a trick two entry to dummy with the heart 8.

At trick three, South takes the spade hook, content in the knowledge that even if it loses, the imbecilic GIB robot in the West will very likely do what the imbecilic GIB robots absolutely LOVE to do in such situations - namely return the same suit DECLARER just played.

Sure enough (again!) West wins his offside spade king and - yes, you guessed it - RETURNS a spade. They are predictable, but more importantly, and more OBVIOUSLY, they are just plain BAD.

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/ye26wu3d

[benellis58]

You may or may not agree with the lead of the GIB robot sitting West (and I personally do NOT agree with it, although on SOME layouts it COULD be the winner), but it was certainly NOT best on the actual hand. Then, after winning his diamond ace at trick two, what does West do? He returns the exact same suit (diamonds) that DECLARER just played, something that these clueless fools LOVE to do, and something that VERY rarely turns out well for them (which is not at ALL a surprise). Even the DIMMEST bulb should be able to figure out that if both sides are playing the same suit, one of them is probably very wrong!

https://www.bridgeba...HQ%7Cpc%7CHA%7C

[benellis58]

The GIB robot sitting West immediately pops his ace of hearts to simplify things for me, and later the two rubes (the hopelessly incompetent East-West GIB robots) BOTH pitch ALL their diamonds, allowing me to take eleven tricks. It's amazing how often they perform a CLOWN SHOW when they "defend".

https://www.bridgeba...SQ%7Cpc%7CST%7C

[benellis58]

Declarer play is by FAR the best skill of the GIB robots. I think we'd all agree with that, right? After all, EVERYTHING else about their game (bidding, "defending", leading, system, definitions, signalling, "logic", whatever...) is disgustingly bad.

Yet even though declarer play is the BEST part of their game, it too is absolutely woeful. Watch how the clueless GIB West robot, in a contract he should have MADE, goes down not just one, but TWO tricks. He neglects to draw a second round of trumps AND for no reason whatsoever he takes a needless "practice" finesse (which happens to lose). The GIB robots are worse at bridge than even the worst human player I have ever seen in my life, and they prove it time and time again.

https://www.bridgeba...S4%7Cpc%7CSA%7C

[pescetom]

benellis58, on 2025-November-22, 16:40, said:

But, to be fair, their declarer play is by FAR the best part of their game. It DOES seem, however, that they might have neglected to read the chapter about finessing, because:

https://tinyurl.brid...se.com/3jt77j9x

I would guess that it thought South could not have the King due to some addle-headed reasoning about Pass and total points.
The keeper of the beast @smerriman could probably explain, but he seems understandably depressed by yet another flurry of promises of fixing that lead to nothing (or even worsen things).

[smerriman]

pescetom, on 2025-November-25, 13:17, said:

I would guess that it thought South could not have the King due to some addle-headed reasoning about Pass and total points.
The keeper of the beast @smerriman could probably explain, but he seems understandably depressed by yet another flurry of promises of fixing that lead to nothing (or even worsen things).

I could provide explanations for most things in this thread, but benellis58 has made it clear he's not interested in them, so I turned off his posts. Let me know if there are any hands that you are interested in yourself.