Game: Bridgette

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sroney — 2007-12-14T05:57:29+00:00

Back of 1991 Mayfair edition

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sroney — 2007-12-14T05:56:46+00:00

1991 Mayfair Edition Box Front

Thread: Bridgette: A Review of the new Showdown edition

Rick Mathews — 2006-02-19T00:23:43+00:00

Bridgette has a long and illustrious history, being considered a classic in most circles. Since I had read glowing reviews of the game, I snapped up a copy of the 25th anniversary “silver label” edition when I came across it a couple years ago. When I discovered that the game is now back in print in a new deluxe 35th anniversary edition from Xanadu Leisure, I decided to pick that up as well. This latest edition emphasizes a completely new version of the game named “Bridgette Showdown”. Since I have now had some experience with both editions, this review will evaluate the Showdown version as well as cover the differences between it and “classic” Bridgette. I won’t describe the basic mechanics of Bridgette, or the role of the “Colon” cards that are the centerpiece of the system, since those things have been well covered elsewhere. Rather I will focus on the differences the new version brings to Bridgette.

First of all, the reader should know that I am not a Bridge player. The closest I have come to playing regular Contract Bridge is against a computer. Bridge has always interested me, but three things have kept me from taking it up. These are: 1) the requirement of four players, 2) the requirement to memorize arcane bidding systems, and 3) the fact that it is in some senses a “lifetime” game, in that becoming good at it requires a single-minded devotion that I am simply not willing to give to it. It is somewhat like Chess or Go in this latter respect. For me, Bridgette solves all three problems. It requires only two players, it has its own internal and relatively simple bidding system, and it can be enjoyed even when played occasionally or casually. With these things said, I’ll move on to the review.

The physical components of the new edition are very good. The game comes in a box with a padded “batik” cloth cover. The label on the top is easily peeled off without damage to the cloth, yielding a nice-looking package. The box contains two complete card decks allowing faster play because one player can shuffle a deck while the other deck is being dealt. The cards are of high quality with a linen finish. As in previous editions, each suit is color coded. Other components facilitate the Showdown version: two wooden dice, two dice cups, eight wooden chits in colors to match the four suit colors, two cardstock “bidding boards”, scorecards, and a scorepad. Interestingly, the dice cups are used to throw the wooden chits, not the dice!

The new edition is centered on the entirely new Bridgette Showdown version, though the rules for “classic” Bridgette are also included in the box. The Showdown version differs primarily from the classic version in its bidding and scoring systems. Rather than alternating bids to gather information about the opponent’s hand and settle on a “declarer” (the player who tries to win a declared number of tricks), Showdown uses additional physical components to accomplish both goals. Information about the opponent’s hand is handled by having both players shake up four of the chits (one of each color) in a dice cup and throw them. Any face-up chits are placed on a row of the player’s bidding board corresponding to the highest card of the suit of that color. For example, if a green chit (corresponding to the Club suit printed in green) is face-up, the player puts the chit on the board row that corresponds to the highest Club card held. Armed with the resulting information (or lack thereof if all or most of the opponent’s chits were thrown face-down), each player uses a die to secretly indicate his or her bid on another portion of the bidding board. The dice are never rolled for any purpose. Thus each player submits a single bid. There is no alternate bidding in Bridgette Showdown.

The hands are then played out as in classic Bridgette, which is identical to regular Bridge except for the Colon cards (three per deck) that can affect the trick-taking in several ways. The hand is then scored. Classic Bridgette uses a scoring system nearly identical to Contract Bridge. Bridgette Showdown uses a greatly streamlined scoring system that is simple and fast. Players earn points for making their own bid or setting their opponent’s bid. The match is finished in four hands, whereupon a winner is declared. Multiple matches may be combined into a series if desired.

In addition to the changes in the bidding and scoring systems, Showdown changes the game in two other ways. In all versions of Bridgette, before bidding begins extra cards are dealt to both players per a simple formula. The players use these cards to improve their hands, and then discard cards to bring the hand size back to 13 cards. The Showdown version significantly expands the number of cards dealt for this “Exchange”. Additionally, play of the famous “Colon” cards has been liberalized so that they have an even greater effect on the outcome of trick taking. These two changes are now also incorporated into the Classic version rules included in the package. Thus, even the Classic version has now changed!

The main question, of course, is whether these changes are an improvement. I believe they are. The changes to the rules for the Exchange and the Colon cards give the players more flexibility even when playing the classic version of Bridgette. The Showdown rules form a whole new game, to the extent that even though I own an earlier version of Bridgette, I don’t feel that I have purchased the same game twice! The Showdown version is even better than the original for casual play. It is faster and simpler, but presents its own set of interesting decisions and tense moments. It stands on its own as a fascinating game, apart from whether it is similar to Contract Bridge or not. I believe the designer has a winner here, and a worthy addition to any game collection.

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Rick Mathews — 2006-02-19T00:10:08+00:00

Showdown edition: Suit colors and colon cards

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Rick Mathews — 2006-02-18T23:55:03+00:00

Some components of the Showdown edition

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Rick Mathews — 2006-02-18T23:29:02+00:00

Open box--Showdown version

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Rick Mathews — 2006-02-18T23:28:51+00:00

Bridgette Showdown box cover. The label peels off easily.

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belial1134 — 2004-12-30T15:30:24+00:00

1972 version

Thread: User Review

RandallPeek — 2004-11-12T19:52:53+00:00

Bridgette is a game with a history dating back to the early 1960's, although the Geek entry claims that it may go back as far as 1959. It was invented by Joli Kansil, and is perhaps the best two-handed bridge variant ever created.
While I doubt that it would really stand up as an introduction to bridge, it does stand nicely on its own legs as a variation on a classic game and an extremely good game in any respect. The rules have been fine-tuned over many years and the resulting game has amazing subtlety.
The standard bridge deck is enhanced by the addition of three colon cards. These cards, the Grand Colon, Royal Colon, and the Little or Small) Colon, match up to the aces, royals, and low cards, respectively. Much of the strategy of the game centers around these cards, with the other changes to the basic game coming from cue bidding.
Anyone familiar with beidge knows that there is a lot of information passed between players simply in the way that the bidding takes place. What to bid, what to raise, what to re-raise, and passing all combine in a subtle dialog that informs partners of their various strengths and how best to play out the hand. Since there are no partners in Bridgette, this is replaced by cue-bids, which are bids that force the opponent to return a bid that shows, depending on the type of cue-bid, where one has a null suit (no high cards), a short suit (two or fewer cards), or a particular strength (such as a suit in which a player has an ace). The person initiating the cue-bid must either take the responding bid himself (transferring), or make a higher bid.
What this means is that a player with a reasonably strong hand can identify some of the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, just as in regular bridge, and can vary his play of the hand accordingly.
The scoring of Bridgette is only slightly modified from the original game, with the lowest bid possible being zero no-trump, for ten points. There are also some changes at the top end of the point scale, with different bonuses for slams.
All in all, this is a great adjunct to the four-handed garden variety of contract bridge. It is portable, plays out quickly, and has much of the feel and texture of the parent game. If you enjoy bridge, there is every reason to believe that you will enjoy Bridgette as well.

Thread: Bridgette Is Available Again

bgriggs — 2004-09-21T23:44:05+00:00

Jolie Q. Kansil is the creator of many games most notably (in my mind) Indochine 2000 and Bridgette. I have owned both games for about two years. I purchased Indochine from Xanadu direct and picked up a pristine edition of Bridgette from eBay. Jolie has decided to release a new edition of Brdigette that will include Bridge Showdown per an email I received a few days ago from Xanadu Leisure, Ltd. :

J. Q. Kansil
to ...

More options Sep 20 (1 day ago)
A D V A N C E D N O T I C E :

BRIDGETTE IS BACK . . . AND IN A NEW, MODERN EDITION FOR THE GAME’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY!

The classic two-handed Bridge game, BRIDGETTE®, is out in a beautiful new edition, which includes BRIDGETTE SHOWDOWN®, a modern version that is fast-paced and filled with lots of action. Take your choice which game to play!

BRIDGETTE has delighted thousands since 1970 and is one of only 20-odd products in the Games Magazine Hall of Fame. The game has a special 55-card deck — three extra cards called 'Colons' add skill to the play.

The new BRIDGETTE SHOWDOWN uses exciting extra equipment — bidding boards, dice, suit chips, and dice cups — and the game features a very easy system of scoring. Only four deals comprise a match — you'll want to play a whole series of matches! For the casual Bridge player or the expert, this new version of Bridgette is addictive!

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“’BRIDGETTE SHOWDOWN’ IS SUPER-FUN FOR CASUAL BRIDGE PLAYERS — AND
HIGH-STAKES EXCITEMENT FOR EXPERTS.”
— Zia, internationally top-ranking Bridge champion and one of the great personalities of the game today.

————————————————————————————

BRIDGETTE SHOWDOWN was invented in Bali, Indonesia in 1989 and developed over the next 15 years by noted game inventor, Joli Quentin Kansil, the creator of the classic game Bridgette years before. 'JQK' was the protégé of Albert H. Morehead, who was the first Bridge editor of The New York Times — and the first of many famous Bridge players to wholeheartedly endorse Bridgette.

TALK ABOUT QUALITY . . . THE NEW EDITION OF BRIDGETTE IS LOADED WITH IT! The special Bridgette packs are of the finest finish with the four suits in four different colors! The wooden suit chips and dice are hand-made from Thailand, and the dice cups and beautiful batik box for the game are crafted in Bali. This is one handsome product indeed!

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BRIDGETTE IS NOW AVAILABLE AT THE SPECIAL PRICE OF $27 from Xanadu Leisure,
Ltd. Kindly add $8 for airmail shipping & handling. Order from:

Xanadu Leisure, Ltd.
Drawer 10816
Honolulu, HI 96816
USA

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'Bridgette Showdown' will be available in selected stores later. if you are
not delighted with the game, return it within 10 days for a prompt refund.

Questions? Write to us at jqk001@hotmail.com

— Residents of Europe, Australia, & Asia may order Bridgette direct from:

Xanadu Far East Enterprises, 26 Paterson Road, #02-06, Singapore 238518,
Singapore

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loomis — 2004-08-26T19:36:29+00:00

1972 version - box front

Thread: User Review

lyman — 2004-04-09T22:39:33+00:00

First, playing Bridgette should not be seen as a substitute for playing Bridge, and neither is entirely fair to doa head to head. That being said, Bridgette represents an enjoyable two-player game with a Bridge flavor, and is certainly easier to teach than Bridge and therefore is a good stepping stone (particularly because you can play one on one with the person being taught).

Without going into all the rules, the main innovation of Bridgette is the addition of three new cards, the "colons". There is a "small colon" for cards from 2-10, a "royal colon" matching cards from j-k and a "grand colon" matching aces. The function of the colons differs depending on whether they are played first or second.

If a colon is played second and matches its type of card i.e., the small colon played on a small card, etc.) then the player playing the colon loses the trick, however, the player who wins is forced to switch suits for the next trick if possible.

If a colon is led, it can be beaten only by a matching card (e.g., if one has nothing smaller than a K lleft, one loses to the small colon).

The game is interspersed with other rules including a form of bidding for information in which the opponent is forced to answer questions about his hand or outbid you.

Overall Bridgette has a great deal of integrity as a game in its own right and feels much more substantial than a mere "variant".

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2002-02-08T20:00:49+00:00

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2002-02-08T20:00:44+00:00