Free Inter-Regional Challenge with GIBBO

The Free Inter-Regional Challenge is a new experimental robot individual tournament that brings together bridge players from around the world, with a local twist. You play as an individual, while also contributing to a regional team made up of players from the same country or area.

How Are Regional Teams Formed?

The first time you register for the Free Inter-Regional Challenge, you are asked to choose a country (your profile country is suggested by default) and, when available, a region within that country.

For smaller countries, regional selection may not be offered. In that case, all players from the country compete on the same team.

There is no limit to team size. If you are the only player from your country or region, you will simply be a team of one.

How Is the Regional Score Computed?

Each region’s score is calculated as a simple average of the individual scores of its players.

Tournament Format

• The tournament consists of 8 boards and is free to enter.
• You do not need a partner to participate.
• Each table consists of one human player (sitting South) and three robot players.
• Your partner and opponents are Basic GIBBO playing 2/1.
• You have 24 hours to complete your boards. You can register and play at your own pace, leaving and returning as needed, between 1am US Eastern Time (ET) and 1am ET the following day.
• After finishing, you receive a provisional result that estimates your standing based on results available at that time.
• Final results will be available the next day in the list of Completed Tournaments on BBO, in your Recent Tournaments under History, and via BBO Mail.

Other Game Features

• Human Declares: If the robot wins the bidding, the human player temporarily switches seats to declare and play the hand.
• Best Hand: The human player (South) is guaranteed to have the most High Card Points (or be tied for most HCP) at the table.
• Deal Pools: Not all players receive the same deals. This is an anti-cheating measure.

About GIBBO

GIBBO is the latest version of BBO's bridge robot, GIB. It plays a relatively straightforward 2/1 system. You can click on any bid to view its explanation or hover over possible bids to see how your partner will interpret them. Understanding these explanations helps prevent bidding misunderstandings.