Saitek PRO BRIDGE PROFESSOR User Manual
CONTENTS
Welcome
Table of Contents 1
1.0 Introduction 2
2.0 Operating Reference 2
2.1 Installing the Batteries 2
2.2 Display 3
2.3 Keys 4
2.4 Starting Up 8
3.0 The Professor as Tutor 8
3.1 Dealing 8
3.2 Bidding 8
3.3 Playing the Hand 9
3.4 Hints 10
4.0 Additional Features 11
4.1 Changing the Position 11
4.2 Status of the Hand – View Info 11
4.3 Review Bids, Review Play – History 12
4.4 Seeing the Other Hands – View Hands 12
4.5 Redealing 13
4.6 Replaying a Hand – Fast Forward 13
4.7 Sound 13
4.8 Changing the Bidding System 14
5.0 Technical Information 14
5.1 Care and Maintenance 14
5.2 Troubleshooting Guide 15
5.3 Technical Specifications 17
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Pro Bridge Professor has been developed
with the specific purpose of helping you to improve
your bridge game. The computer program has been
written in a way that allows you to concentrate on
your bidding, or on playing out the contract, or you
can play complete hands and cover both. You can
begin from any one of 600 illustrative hands that you
can specify, or you can let the computer choose one
of the hands at random from its library. These have
been specially designed to demonstrate particular
points of skill and are divided into three groups for
your convenience: 1-112 beginners, 113-512
intermediate, and 513 to 600 advanced. Please see
the accompanying book “Pro Bridge Professor - A
Guide”, which is an important partner with the
Professor. It explains all about these hands and how
you can extract the most benefit from them. It also
explains the basics of Bridge, so you can refer to it if
you are not familiar with the game.
The Pro Bridge Professor includes the following
features:
• A library of 600 hands with studied bidding/
playing sequences and categorized into three
levels of difficulty.
• Choice of hands at random for the element of
surprise.
• Repeat selection of the same hands for
practice.
• Sight of other hands on request to improve
understanding.
• Correct solution available on request.
• Recall of current contract and number of tricks
won.
• Recall sequence of bids or playing for study.
• Choice of positions at the “table”.
• Purpose-designed computer, with large clear
display, and easy-use key set.
• Pleasant audio tones to support actions.
In addition the computer can be easily modified
to offer a choice of popular AcoL, American, or
French bidding systems.
2.0 OPERATING REFERENCE
2.1 Installing the Batteries
Remove the cover of the battery compartment
on the back of the computer. Insert four AAA, AM4,
2
or R03 batteries as shown in Figure 2-1. (Note: Only
use alkaline batteries in your computer.) Replace
the battery compartment cover, and press GO/STOP
to turn your computer on. Occasionally a spurious
signal, created by putting in the batteries, can cause
the computer to lock up, so if your computer does
not respond, press GO/STOP again to turn off the
computer, and press the ACL on the back of the
computer. You will need a sharp instrument, such as
a paper clip, to reach in to the button. Press the
Insertin
g
Batterie
s
(Note: Under normal conditions of switching the
computer Off and then On, the computer will activate
with the game situation as it was at the moment of
switching Off. However, replacing the batteries will
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cause this information to be lost from memory.)
ACL for at least 2 seconds to clear and reset the
computer memories. You are now ready for play.
2.2 Display
The elements of the display of the Pro Bridge
Professor are explained below.
Refer to Figure 2-2.
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) – Displays all the
necessary information. Contrast is adjustable for
different light conditions.
Dummy’s Hand – In Figure 2-2, your partner is
dummy and has ace, king, jack, eight, four, and three
Four AAA, AM4, or R03
alkaline batteries
Figure
2-
1
of spades, ace, queen, eight of hearts, and so on.
The top four horizontal rows of information on the
screen show the contents of the dummy’s hand, or if
your partner is declarer, the Declarer's hand. The
line under the spade indicates that spades are
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trumps. For no trumps, no symbol would be
A
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
DUMMY
K J 8 4 3
♥
♦
♣
♠
A
Q
8
J
J 6
♥
♦
♣
♠
10
7 5 2
7 2
9
J
A
Q
6
3
4
♣
3
♣♣
Dummy's
Hand
Centre
Selection–
Information,
Bids, Cards
Played
Your
Hand
underlined.
Your Hand – The bottom four horizontal rows of
information always show the contents of your hand,
which may be declarer or some other hand,
depending on which one you selected to bid. In
Figure 2-2 you are South, and SOUTH would be
flashing to indicate that it is your turn to play. The
line under the spade indicates that spades are
trumps. For no trumps, no symbol would be
underlined.
Figure 2-2 Sample Screen During Play
Center Section – The center section is used to
display the bids or the cards played out as each
round progresses. Figure 2-2 illustrates queen of
clubs having been played by West, king of clubs by
North, three of clubs by East, and South would be
flashing to indicate South to play. North is indicated
as dummy. The center section is also used when
you request it, to display other information about the
4
game or for the tutorial process.
2.3 Keys
The keys are illustrated in Figure 2-3
1 Value Keys and Suit Keys – 2 to 10 and A, K,
Q, and J are used in conjunction with a Suit Key
(♥, ♠, ♦, ♣) to play a card. Bidding is done in
virtually the same way. However, note that A is
used for playing the ace, but 1 is used for a bid
of one. The suit key, NO TR UMPS, is used only
for bidding. The 1 key is shaped and colored
differently from the other Value Keys to remind
you not to use it to play a card.
Value keys (1-10) are also used to input a
number to select a deal.
When selecting a deal number, the 10 is used
like a Zero. So deal number 410 would be
selected by 4, 1, 10, or deal number 300 would
be 3, 10, 10.
2 ENTER – Enter is used for the following
purposes:
To initiate a random deal or to confirm the deal
number you have entered at the beginning of a
hand.
To confirm the selected bidding position.
To use an offered hint.
To initiate playing out a round. (The display
gives you a cue with the words PRESS ENTER.)
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To start the next round at the end of a trick.
(Again, you are cued by the words PRESS
ENTER.)
To see the results at the end of a hand. (You are
cued by the words PRESS ENTER.)
To return to the starting conditions after viewing
the results of the hand. (The PRESS ENTER
cue shows.)
3 DOUBLE – Press this button during bidding to
“Double” the opponent's bid; a “d” will show on
the display for your bid. You can also press
DOUBLE to redouble an opponent’s double. A
bid of Redouble will be indicated by “R”.
4 PASS – Press this button during bidding to
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Contrast
Control
LCD
Display
Value
Keys
Enter
Suit
Keys
16
indicate that you do not wish to bid.
When a bid of “Pass” is made, - will
show under the position making the bid.
14
16
History
View Hands
13
View Info
12
Scroll
11
5 ESCAPE – Press to end viewing score,
viewing other hands, viewing information,
or viewing a hint. When pressed at any
other time, Escape will return the
program and display to the starting
conditions of waiting for a deal to be
ACL
15
Sound
10
1
2
1
9
7
6
8
3
4
5
Hint
System
Go/Stop
Position
Double
Pass
Escape
selected.
6 GO/STOP – Press the Go/Stop key to
switch the computer On or Off. When
switched Off, the computer retains the
game situation in memory, and reproduces it when the computer is next
switched On.
7 SYSTEM – See Section 4.8. This key is
inactive unless the computer has been
modified to make other bidding systems
Figure 2-3 Computer Keys
available.
6
8 POSITION – Press after the deal to
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