Just Declare, as the name suggests places you permanently as declarer. You don't bid, you don't need a partner, you just play to win tricks - simple!
So, the principle is straight forward, but why play Just Declare? OK, so it's fun (that's a given!), but it's more than just a bit of fun - there are plenty more reasons to play.
It's good for players of all levels from beginners to advanced, it's flexible and can be played at any time and it's a great way focus on your trick taking, without getting hung up over bidding conventions. In short, working on your declarer play is going to have a big impact on your overall bridge performance. It's fun, and makes you better. What's not to like?
There are two different versions, ready for you to explore.
Just Declare Solitaire - Find it here: Solitaire > Just Declare
Just Declare Solitaire has an infinite number of hands where all contracts are makeable. There's total points scoring, with the highest scorers being listed on a leaderboard. It tests your declarer skills, and your challenge is to make contract.
Just Declare Solitaire is free to play and a great place to practice when you have a few minutes. It helps make choosing your line of play come more naturally during an actual game. You can play for hours, or just a few minutes - it fits in with your schedule. If you're waiting for a tournament to start and want to warm up, then give this a try.
Just Declare Daylong - Find it here: Competitive > Daylongs > Just Declare Daylong
The Just Declare Daylong is a competitive game, scored in Matchpoints. You compare your performance with other players to see who plays the hand best. The great thing here is that it's a very pure test of skill as everyone plays with the same cards and the same contracts.
You can get a feel for the Just Declare Daylong for free every Monday and Friday, if you want to give it a try (Look for Just Declare in the list of Free Tournaments). And there's a premium one every day, awarding BBO points if you do well.
Whatever version of Just Declare you end up playing, you can be sure you'll have loads of fun, and get some cerebral exercise in the process. Give Just Declare a go and as always, let us know what you think in the comments below.
How to keep my name always the same ? I always get some different number after my name...
If you sign in to BBO to play you will not have this issue (it's free by the way).
Thanks for explaining it
Any thought being given to "Just Defend" to improve your defensive skills??
Cannot stand these tournaments. Half of bridge is the bidding. Half of the remaining half is defending. Why keep promoting this dumbed down version of bridge?
Just a bit of practice for fun, although I take your points.
Bidding is half the game. After that, defending is half the game. I despise these dumbing down tournaments.
I personally find it does not help much. Better is to get a robot and pick old Vu-graph deals to compare with their results.
The leaderboard on Just Declare Solitaire is not very useful as it stands. For example we don't know how many hands were played to make the scores. Does the leaderboard get reset at some point?
The leaderboard resets every 24 hours. Its not a duplicate leaderboard, the more you play, the more you accumulate points.
I tried - the biding comes up for two seconds then disappears and you have to play the contract
click on the contract to review the bidding
looks good to me.
Thx for information!
I’ll try!
Hi Bernie - all contracts are doable with solitaire, but not with the daylong.
Is every contract doable?
À partir de quelle date?
Solitaire
Should be FUN … thanks BBO
Can we get daylong reward versions of just declare tournaments?
Love to try it
Looks good, particularly for those of us who no longer play at a competitive level.