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Man v Machine - The Bridge Match of the Millennium
by Marc Smith
£6.45 available from Bridge Plus

Foreword by Andrew Robson: Zia Mahmood is not only the most colourful character in the world of bridge today, but a wonderful, intuitive player with amazing table presence. While on the golf course, he casually mentioned to me an idea he had been mulling over - that he should challenge the world's best computer bridge programs. I was intrigued. I wondered if his table feel would be affected by having two machines, rather than humans, as opponents.

Of course Zia, one of the greatest rubber bridge players in the world and thus used to handling all kinds of partners, would also have to deal with a machine sitting opposite him too. That computer programs are rapidly improving is evidenced by the fact that Zia had withdrawn his famous offer of a million dollars to any program that could defeat him - a mere $10,000 would be a stake for this challenge. American World Champion bridge player Chip Martel said of the program recognised as the best in the world, Matt Ginsberg's GIB, 'It will be a top expert in the year 2000, and the best bridge player in the world by 2003'.

I was sufficiently excited to want to host the event at my new bridge club in Fulham - a club benefiting from the sudden upturn in the popularity of bridge in London. The club seemed to be an ideal venue as it has plenty of space to accommodate the necessary computers, a Vu-Graph theatre, and a potentially large audience. And large it certainly proved to be. Hundreds of spectators poured through the door.

Amongst them were luminaries such as Robert Sheehan, bridge correspondent for The Times, Jean-Paul Meyer, editor of Le Bridgeur, Patrick Jourdain, editor of the International Bridge Press Association Bulletin, Mark Horton, editor of Bridge Magazine, Elena Jeronimidis, editor of Bridge Plus, David Bird, bridge correspondent for the Mail on Sunday and The Evening Standard, and Boris Schapiro, bridge correspondent for The Sunday Times.

The question on everybody's lips was, 'Could a human still outwit a machine in the most widely played game of all?'

The bridge was of a very high standard, surprising the few cynics, and the result was in doubt until the very end. Whilst computers will never overthrow humans - bridge will always be primarily a social game - it was fascinating and instructive to observe the variations in strategy between the artificial and the human brains. The matches were full of drama and excitement, and I have little doubt that this contest will prove to be a milestone in the history of bridge.

Andrew Robson