Source: BBO News
New BBO Hybrid Screen Concept
Fred»s New Screen Concept; Anti-cheating screen tested in Denver
BBO»s Fred Gitelman has been working on a new design for bridge screens with the main purpose being to increase security at high level bridge events. The first prototype has been built and was tested today, December 4th, at the Denver NABC.
With the general sentiment of the expert community being that «table presence» is too important a part of the game to sacrifice for the sake of the best possible security, Fred»s screen design is a hybrid between a fully electronic system and the way that bridge is traditionally played with screens.Here»s what the prototype looks like:
Advantages over traditional screens:
- It is impossible to make visual contact with your partner casino or the cards he plays
- There is no bidding tray or anything else that passes under the screen
- You can see both of your opponents (compared to only one opponent with traditional screens). «Table presence» is greatly increased as a result.
- Many irregularities (revokes, bids out of turn, etc) become a thing of the past. Different explanations of both sides of the screen are eliminated.
- Any table that uses such a screen can be shown live on BBO vugraph with a completely accurate record of the bidding (including alerts and explanations), the play sequence, and the number of tricks taken.
- The screen can be «collapsed» into something that is small enough for a single person to carry with ease. It can be set up in about 10 seconds. It is easy to ship.
- Match scores, board by board results, and even play records can be made instantly available on sites like ACBL Live without the need for any extra data entry.
Fred brought his prototype to Denver, to give players a chance to try it and hear how they feel about it. Based on such feedback various improvements can be made. Read more about how this works here.