Scores 8X63 MainChallenge


December 2005 Scores


Analyses by Richard Pavlicek

The “I Heard the Bells” play contest had 1108 participants, and everyone scoring above average is listed here. Ties in the rankings are broken by the date and time of submission (earliest wins). At the end of this page is a “Bot’s Eye View,” which shows how various computer programs fared.

Top 100101201301401501Location RankingBot’s Eye View

Number of participants1108
Number of locations119
Highest score60
Median score42
Lowest score16
Average score42.18

Top 100

RankScoreCCName123456
160PLDarek KardasDBFEAF
260USinTim DeLaneyDBFEAF
360AUBruce NeillDBFEAF
460NLPerry GrootDBFEAF
560DERainer HerrmannDBFEAF
660HULajos LinczmayerDBFEAF
760SECarsten KofoedDBFEAF
860UScaJim MundayDBFEAF
960ZWLeif-Erik StabellDBFEAF
1060ROEduard MunteanuDBFEAF
1160NLThijs VeugenDBFEAF
1260USpaSteve WhiteDBFEAF
1360BGZahary ZaharievDBFEAF
1460USnyJoel WooldridgeDBFEAF
1560USmdMichael GillDBFEAF
1660INMadhukar BapuDBFEAF
1760USilCharles BlairDBFEAF
1860USflSteve BarcusDBFEAF
1960UKenJonathan MestelDBFEAF
2060CNWeidong YangDBFEAF
2160USmaJoon PahkDBFEAF
2259USwaHenry LortzDBFEAA
2359USnyChuck LampreyDBFEFF
2459CAonDale FreemanDBFEFF
2559ITValter BoettiDBFEAA
2659TRErdem OzturkDBFEAA
2759USorBarry WhiteDBFEAA
2859CNNing LiuDBFEAA
2959CNRoy YuDBFEAA
3059UKenJohn ReardonDBFEAA
3159UKwaJulian PottageDBFEAA
3259DKSkafti JonssonDBFEAA
3359AUStephen FischerDBFEFF
3459UScaRob StevensDBFEAA
3559USilEugene DilleDBFEAA
3658HKWing-Kai HonEBFEAF
3758USmdBrad TheurerDBFEAD
3858FRLed BeauvillainDEFEAF
3958UKenGiles WoodruffDBFEAD
4058UKenAnthony GoldingDBFEAD
4158BRPaulinho BrumDEFEAF
4258TWStar ChenDBFEAD
4358HRDean PokornyEBFEAF
4458USohJerry FinkDBFEAD
4558CNLiqiang HeDBFEAD
4658HUImre CsiszarDEFEAF
4758NLRuud von SeidaEBFEAF
4858INSatish DiwanjiDBFEFA
4958USorJohn LuskyDBFEAD
5058FIJouko PaganusDBFEAD
5158UKenGeraint HarkerDEFEAF
5258JPMasayuki HayasakaDBFEAD
5358PLJacek MasiarekDBFFAF
5458INVenkatesh RamaratnamDBFEAD
5558UKenToby KenneyDBFEAD
5658UKenJulian WightwickDBFEAD
5758CNBluetooth WuhanDBFEAD
5858USnyAlbert FeasleyDBFEFA
5957USnhRon MakDEFEAA
6057CNWuping LuDEFEAA
6157UScoDavid CapreraDBEEAF
6257UScaLen VishnevskyDEFEAA
6357TRErdinc ErbilDBFEFD
6457CAbcAlan ChapelleEBFEAA
6557CNWei Victor ZhangDBEEAF
6657HKPui Kong ChiuDEFEAA
6757UScaRob BalasDBEEAF
6857USnvCarol SimonABFEAF
6957USnjLeonard HelfgottDEFEAA
7057AUDavid BrooksEBFEAA
7157USmoDing-Hwa HsiehDBEEAF
7257USwaN. Scott CardellDBEEAF
7357CAonBala IyerDEFEFF
7457UKenTim DickinsonDBEEAF
7557PTManuel PauloDBEEAF
7657USmaBrian LeeDBEEAF
7757USgaJoel HaywoodDEFEAA
7857USilJon SorkinDBEEAF
7957CAabSheldon SpierDBEEAF
8057CAnsBryson CrowellDBEEAF
8157CAabDaniel BertrandDEFEAA
8257UKenDavid KenwardDEFEAA
8357DEArend BayerDEFEFF
8456UKenGareth BirdsallDEFEAD
8556BESebastien LouveauxDBEEAA
8656UKscMark LincolnDBFECF
8756NLPeter van de LindeEEFEAF
8856USinDan MytelkaDEFEFA
8956CApqSolange BouchardEBFEAD
9056USnyBill DalyDEFFAF
9156NLPieter van der KleinDEFEFA
9256TWCheng Chun WeiDBEEAA
9356ESJordi SabateDBFECF
9456UKenShahid HamidDBEEFF
9556USmnPaul MeerschaertDEFEAD
9656HKSimon CheungDEFEAD
9756EEMeelis TiitsonEEFEAF
9856BGIvan KolevDBFFFA
9956UKenJames MatesDBEEAA
10056FRThibault WolfDEFEAD

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

Places 101-200

RankScoreCCName123456
10156RODorin ToparceanuABFEAA
10256UKenRichard MorseDBFECF
10356ROCosmin MindrutaEBFEAD
10456PLAndrzej KrakowiakDBFDAF
10556PLMarcin ZbrojaDBFDAF
10656TRBaran KarakurtDBEEAA
10756TRTamer CokgorDBEEAA
10856BYDmitri ShabesDEFEAD
10956BGAntonio KotsevDEFEAD
11056UKenDouglas DunnDBEEFF
11156AUBill PowellDBEEAA
11255MYTimothy Liang KanDEEEAF
11355LBFadi FattoucheDEEEAF
11455USnvJoshua DonnDBCEAF
11555NLMichael ReuserDBFECA
11655INRaghavendra RajkumarAEFEAF
11755ITMarco CatellaniDBEEAD
11855UKenPaul HugginsDCFEAA
11955CApqRichard WildiABFEAD
12055FRPire CusiAEFEAF
12155NLNico KlaverDBFECA
12255UScaJohn StrauchDCFEAA
12355UScaCon SeraEEFEFF
12455TRAhmet Rifat SahinDCFEAA
12555TRReha AkgunEBEEAF
12655NLBas OosthoekDBEEAD
12755UKenWolf KleweDBEEAD
12855CAonDaniel KorbelDEEEAF
12955UKenRich JohnsonEEFEAA
13055CAonKevin ConwayDEFEFD
13155PTManuel OliveiraDBEEAD
13255CNXinjian HuangDBEEAD
13355PLSlawek CwiekDBFAAF
13455PLWojtek UrbanDBFAAF
13555HRMilko PravdicEBEEAF
13655UScaHarold SimonDEEEAF
13755USwaKeller WightmanDEEEAF
13855CAnsJim MathersEEFEAA
13955EEAivar TihaneEEFEAA
14055UKenJohn HaslegraveDEEEAF
14154AUDavid WiltshireDCFEAD
14254CApqLise LapointeEBFECF
14354AUEd BarnesAEFEAA
14454ESGonzalo GodedDBFEAE
14554USnjJason ChiuDEEEAA
14654SEJohnny JohanssonDBFECD
14754UKscSam PunchAEFEFF
14854USnyBruce RossEEFEFA
14954UScoAnne BrennerDEEEAA
15054USohGary SikonAEFEAA
15154USmiMartin HirschmanDEEEAA
15254CNChina CaacDEEEAA
15354CAbcMichael DimichEEFEAD
15454CNPeter LeeDEEEAA
15554HULaszlo SztrapkovicsEEFEFA
15654ROAdrian PetculescuAEFEAA
15754USscJeff ZiemerEEFEAD
15854USnySteve ZlotnickAEFEAA
15954UStxBill BreslinAEFEFF
16054FRJean-Christophe ClementDEEEAA
16154NLRuurd RiewaldDBEEFD
16254UKenMike TuckerDEFECF
16354UKenWilliam ZhangDEFECF
16454ILMichael TillesDBCEAA
16554USilJon GreimanAEFEAA
16654USmnMike CasselEEFEAD
16754JPAtsuyo MiyakeABFEFD
16854USvaAlan SchwartzDEEEAA
16954UKenDavid HodgeDBFEAE
17053USilGeorge KlemicDEEEFA
17153CAonJohn CunninghamABEEAA
17253USazSteven PriceAEFEFA
17353UScaEdward WangDEEEFA
17453AUNevena DjurovicDBFFCA
17553RORadu BlejeruDEFECA
17653CNAihua ZhaoAEFEFA
17753FIMauri SaastamoinenDFFEAF
17853INSubhransu PatnaikDEEEAD
17953HKMo Yee SumDEEEFA
18053ROGeza Stanca-VassDEFECA
18153FIJyrki LahtonenABEEAA
18253BGOgnian SmilianovEBFEAB
18353ZASid IsmailABEEAA
18453PLJulka KowalskaDBFBAF
18553SIAleksandra JesenicnikABFECF
18653HKChen HongyanDCEEAF
18753ITFelice CupaneEBEEAD
18852USilMicah FogelBEFEAF
18952USmoJames YeagerAEEEAF
19052HUGabor SzotsDEFEDF
19152TROmer KizilokDEEEFD
19252TRDeniz UnluEEFECF
19352NLRobert SandorDEFEAE
19452UKenBill MarchDBFBAA
19552ATMichael PalitschDEFEAE
19652UKenPeter ButteryABFECA
19752UKenStephen TurnerDBFBAA
19852UScaRichard SteinDECEAA
19952ITMargherita GagnaDBEEAB
20052CNDing QiangAAFEAF

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

Places 201-300

RankScoreCCName123456
20152PLKazik DrozdzDBFCAF
20252USscRich ReganABFECA
20352PLJacek ZwolinskiDEFEAE
20452ROAdrian PopescuABEEAD
20552TRGuven DalkilicDAEEAF
20652FRGilles KorngutDBEECA
20752SEMarcin CzechowskiACFEAA
20852USpaDavid KlausEEFFAD
20952UKscTerry LillieDFFEAA
21051NLLuuk NaardingEFFEAF
21151BGGeorgi BachevDAFECF
21251USilChristopher MonsourEEEEFA
21351USnjMichael MayerAEEEAA
21451UKenAndrew RobsonDEFEDA
21551USflJoseph LaneDCFECA
21651NLVincent MesACFEFA
21751BEEric DebusDCFECA
21851CAonJunaid SaidDBEEAE
21951UScaBilly BlanchardAEFECF
22051UKenJoseph MelaDCFECA
22151USokDavid HamptonAEFECF
22251USvaYi ZhongEEEEAD
22351TWHang ChangECFFAA
22451USwaDave SetterholmABEFAA
22551ITRenato EuterpeDBEFCF
22651USnyGerald CohenDBEECD
22751DEMartin RehderDBEEAE
22851PTJorge GoncalvesCBFEAA
22951USvaRick SalkovEEFECA
23051UKenMalcolm BurchDCFECA
23151USmiRobert JohnsonAEFECF
23251UScaDiane EisenbergEBEECF
23350USpaTravis CrumpAEEEAD
23450UScaSandy BarnesAEFECA
23550AUMichael SeldonDBFFBA
23650LVIvars RubenisABCEAD
23750CAonJeff MayhewDEEEAB
23850UScaMichael BaianoABFBAF
23950CAonJack ShinehoftAEFECA
24050ROCatalin LazarAEFECA
24150CNMichael LiuBBEEAA
24250USvaDarwin AfdahlBBFECF
24350ILInon LiranEBFEBA
24450UKenDodo GeorgevicAEFECA
24550EGSamer ElSheikhDCFFCF
24650USnyRichard WhiteheadDEFEBA
24750USwaDave GrubbsAEFECA
24850NLNiels de GrootECEEAA
24950UScaNarayan MohanramAEEEFA
25050FREmmanuel AmiotEEFEAE
25150UScoRoger MillerABFFCA
25250ROViorica MladinDAEEAD
25350CAonRoss TaylorDEEECA
25450ITDaniela TontiDEEFFD
25550SECharles BjorklundEEFEDF
25650USmaJeffrey GertzDAFECA
25750USpaKathy MillerEBCEFD
25850NLFrans BuijsenDFEEAF
25950USpaJess StuartEFFEAA
26050INGowniyan VaideeshwarDEFEBA
26150DKPeter SkafteAEFECA
26250INSivakumar SalemDEFEBA
26350SGJunyi ZhuDBEBAF
26450UStxJonathan FergusonDEEECA
26549USilDan GoldfeinFBFFAD
26649USnyBarry RigalEEFBAF
26749FIJoakim FabritiusDCFEBF
26849BEAlon AmselDBEEAC
26949TROkan OzcanDCFFCA
27049USwaHendrik SharplesECFECA
27149CAnfRahul ChandraABEECA
27249ROSorin IvancuABFEBA
27349UScaBob KleinECFECA
27449AUAngelo GianazzaDBEEBA
27549TRTayfun OzbeyACFECF
27649SGJulian LimAFFEFF
27749UScaJames WeeksECFECA
27849USwaRobert GetzDCFFCA
27949USazKurt OelzeBBFECA
28049INJai GramaECFECA
28149NLDaniel de Lind van WijngaardenDBEFAE
28249UScaPatrick ChyeDEEEDF
28349USnjIgor PogrebinskyECFECA
28449CNDongsheng SongFBEEFF
28549IDTommy SuhendraEBFECB
28649UKenTeymur TahseenAEFEAE
28749HUJozsef SzikszaiDFEEAA
28849UScaEddie SunEAFFAD
28949INChandra PrakashDEEFCF
29049CApqMarius MoldovanACFECF
29149UScaRoger CloughABEECA
29249UKenRoger MortonDBEBAA
29349NLRob WijmanDAFECD
29449USgaDon HowardBCFEFF
29549USorIsolde KnaapABFFAE
29649UKenJohn GuilfoyleDEEECD
29749UStxDavid WarnerDCEECF
29849PLMarek MalowidzkiEBEEAE
29948CAbcLaurent CoquetDCEECA
30048USgaRichard WimberleyACFECA

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

Places 301-400

RankScoreCCName123456
30148USohCraig SatersmoenEEBEAD
30248TROsman OzcanDFFECA
30348USpaFrank AbelAEFFAB
30448AUKeith BarrieBCFEFA
30548CAbcRobert GerrieACFECA
30648TRNoyan EkiciABEEAE
30748TRLeyla KezerEAFECA
30848IEPadraig O’BriainDEFFBA
30948UKscMyles EllisonAEFEDA
31048DEHarro WimmelAEEECF
31148FRJerome RombautDFEEAD
31248UScaJohn HardyACFECA
31348ROGelu SerpoiDEEEBF
31448UKenMark TaylorACEEAD
31548TRUgur TasAEFEDA
31648EGEssam AlyBEEEAA
31748BEBram AmselBCFEFA
31848USwvJim BuckFCFEAA
31948TREmrah SenBBEEFD
32048UKenNick WeddECFEDF
32148USnySheng LiEEEECA
32248FIMatti NiemiEEEECA
32348BEPat CornelisEBFECE
32448PTCarlos CabrinhaDEFECE
32548USmoMarcus RodhouseDAEECF
32648CAonDoug McAvoyAFFEFA
32748UKscShelagh LorimerACFECA
32848CAnsDel KnoxABBFAA
32948IEJeannie FitzgeraldAEEECF
33048CNWayne SzetoDBEBAD
33148CZMirek StanekDCEECA
33248USctHenry AndrewsACFECA
33348FIHarri Kivi-KoskinenACFECA
33448INVenkatesh RamanathanDEEFCA
33548EEJaak KandDCDEAA
33648UKenGraham CopeEEBFAF
33748USalJ. Larry MilesDEEFCA
33848UScaSteve MagerDCFBAA
33947UScaJohn R. MayneAEBEAD
34047UKenGabriel IpBEFECA
34147FIJussi TamminenDEEEBA
34247PLStanislaw MakowkaAEFEBA
34347UScaBabu BakshaniAAFECA
34447TRNiso EskinazDCEEAE
34547NLHans KelderEAFEDF
34647PTMiguel RamosAEEECA
34747USnjJiang GuEEEEFB
34847USmdJay WeinsteinCBFECA
34947ROGabriel DinescuAEEECA
35047ROMarius GeorgescuFEEEAA
35147ITFranco GalleniACFECD
35247ROBogdan AgicaAEEECA
35347USnyPetar LjubicicFEEEAA
35447USwaJim WiitalaEEEECD
35547HKTheo ChinDEEBAA
35647ATHarry RopperFCFEFA
35747RUEugene HlyzovEBEEBA
35847USnjSteven ShulmanAEFBAA
35947USazJerry GaerDAEECA
36047USohTim CrankAEEECA
36147NOJostein AmundsenBEFECA
36247CNWind ZhangFEFECF
36347ILRafi AmadoEFFECF
36447USflJudith SimonBEFECA
36547USflArthur HoffmanAEFEBA
36647HUPeter BreuerBEEEAD
36747INShyam SashitalDAEEAB
36847UKenCarlos DabeziesBBFBAF
36947USflBaxter CliffordEFEEAA
37047USpaStephen HamiltonDECEAE
37147CAnsGerald MurphyAEAEAF
37247PLRoman KujaczynskiEBFFCB
37346NOMagnus SkaarDEFBCA
37446USmnGabrielle UzABFEDB
37546USflEdward SchulteDEEBAD
37646USnyGene SaxeACEECF
37746USflDick BurnsACFFCA
37846SERoger KarlssonBBEECA
37946NLJacco HopDBEEDB
38046UKenPeter StewartAEEFCF
38146ROCostin GeorgescuFAFEFA
38246DERoland WatzdorfEBFBCA
38346NLKaren de LeeuwACEECF
38446IEConor FoxAFFFAD
38546INShreerang JoshiAEEFCF
38646USwiBryan DelfsBCFECF
38746BMSven PrideAEEEAE
38846TRGursel SarikayaEFEFAF
38946HKSing LamCEFFFA
39046USnyPeter FriedesAEFECB
39146UScaRonald KowAEFECB
39246CNCong ZhangDFFFCA
39346USmoCharlie LynnFAFEAD
39446USpaMark PascaleECEECA
39546TRYavuz OvacikAEFEBD
39646PTFernando NevesEEFECE
39746USalDon KempACFFCA
39846USnyWilliam BascomEBEEBD
39946USctRamesh AbhiramanEAFBAF
40046USnyBrian MeyerBBEECA

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

Places 401-500

RankScoreCCName123456
40146INDinesh PanchamiaDAEECD
40246SETorsten TimmermanBEFECD
40346SEMats WaltreFBEECF
40446UScaSteve CoopersteinABEEDD
40546UKscNigel GuthrieDEEBAD
40645ROCatalin DorasEBEECE
40745USnjAleksandar LishkovACBEFA
40845USsdShirley GentryDEFCCA
40945AUFletcher DaviesECEEFB
41045VEGustavo de LemosBEFEBF
41145UScaGopal VenkateshFEEEFD
41245USazMike MironAEFECE
41345SISimon PirjevecAEEFCA
41445ROAndrei CosmanescuAEBECF
41545GRAthanassios AkylasDAFECE
41645ITAlessandro PardiAEEEDA
41745ATPeter SeidnitzerDBEBCA
41845DEGeorg EdelmannAEEEBF
41945FIJonna KaminenACFFFB
42045UKenRoger CourtneyBCFFFD
42145RORazvan StoiceaABCFCA
42245HKJonathan NgDFEEAB
42345USdeFiroza CooperBEFBAF
42445USmiJoel SingerFCEEAA
42545USohBurt FrankelCEFECA
42645UScaMilton SpinnerDFEECA
42745TRErgun BolekAFFECA
42845DEGuenni GaulobACEECA
42945HRSrdjan KatusicFBFEBA
43045SITomaz ButinaACEECA
43145USokNell ReedEBAECA
43245USmdJay RottierFCFECF
43345UStxRobert SzafranskiAEBECF
43445GRTasos KoukouselisACFEBA
43545USwaDavid RobertABFECC
43645ITPierluigi SessoloACEECA
43745USpaJim BoyerACFFAE
43845NLPeter SeliACFEBA
43945DEThomas MaertenACFEBA
44045HRZoran BohacekAEFECE
44145CAnbMarilyn BarryAECECA
44245UScaPaul NelsonBCFECA
44345TRUfuk CotukDFFEBA
44444RSZoran RadojcicDCEBFA
44544NOGeir NostdahlBEEECA
44644PTFrancisco EspregueiraACFEBD
44744UKscPaul GipsonDECEBD
44844BEAnne de BackerBEEECA
44944UKenJohn HallBAEEFA
45044UStxLarry SmithFEFEFE
45144UStxSteve TuggleEEFFCE
45244EEAllar PadariBEFEBA
45344NOHans LahneDDFFCA
45444UScaHank MurphyFEEECF
45544NLBart TrakselFEBEFF
45644TRAltay AlpAAEECA
45744NOMagnus GulbrandsenEFFFCA
45844USmdAudrey WarrenEEEECB
45944PTAntonio PalmaBEEECA
46044CAmbDavid SiredFEDEAF
46144USinBrian RossCCFFFA
46244CNJet ChjAEEBAA
46344CNXiaobiao LvCCFECF
46444ROLiviu OpreaBEEECA
46544USnjAustin FitzgeraldFCFECA
46644SGCharles LeongCAFFAA
46744UKenOwen Cotton-BarrattFCEEFA
46844USohScott JeggleFCEEAD
46944USazPaul GlickACAEAA
47044UScoPaula WarrenCFFEAA
47144HUMate MrazEDFECA
47244UKwaAlan StephensonFCFECA
47344USmaJason RosenfeldAFFFCF
47444USksL.N. CollierFCFEAB
47544BGChavdar KochkovBEDEFF
47644CAbcSamuel KriklerBEEECA
47744CApqClaude PoudrierFEFEFE
47844USwaRoberta TarrACEFCF
47944NZPaul CarterEEDECA
48044UKenDavid SheerinDFEECD
48144TRMehmet OkanDAEEBA
48244USnyJack PresserEBFEDC
48344UScaMatt MatuszewskiCCEEFF
48444CHEric WilliamsonECEEFE
48544FRAndrei VarlanFCFECA
48644CAnsB. Downey GroverECFFBA
48743TRHakan PeksenEEFCCA
48843USmiRose BurkeFEFEBA
48943UScoKaren LavalleyFCFFCF
49043USwaKaren SharplesBCFBAF
49143CAonJoel ShapiroAEFFCE
49243NZMichael JohnstoneFCFFCF
49343TRM. Fahir UzumcuAAEECD
49443ZAPhilip van ZijlAFFFCA
49543UScaMaria ShanleCEEECF
49643PTLuciano MachadoBCFEBF
49743USidAlison SturgulFEEECA
49843USmoHerbert CondieFBEEBF
49943UScaRai OsborneCCFECA
50043USncWilliam SchminkFEBEAD

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

All Others Above Average

RankScoreCCName123456
50143ROBogdan MitranEFFEBA
50243USmiGordon ParnesEBEEDE
50343CAabNicolae VartosuFEEECA
50443LVAigars GermanisCEFEBF
50543AMArtem BaloyanBCFFCA
50643CNDue QuAAEECD
50743ATWolfgang KovacFEFEDD
50843USpaDick HenryAEFBCA
50943CApqPascale GaudreaultBCFFCA
51043USwyRex ClothierFCFECD
51143ROAdrian CraciunFCFECD
51243UScaDouglas BakerFEEECA
51343THSomyod JaideeFEFBAA
51443UScaFranklin GonzalezAEEEBD
51543NLJohannes de LangAEEEBD
51643USnyElaine UniversalCCFECA
51743UScaJohn FreemanFCFEDF
51843PTLuis RodriguesAEFFCE
51943USflMiles ThomsonCCFECA
52043TRBirol GuvencEAEEBF
52143USohJohn KropinakECCECD
52243AUPhil KlineFEFCAF
52343USmnJack RhatiganFEFEBA
52443FIKirsi VirtanenFEEECA
52543CAnsRosemary SampsonCEFFCA
52643PTPedro MatosCCEEFA

Names with accented or non-English letters have been converted to an English representation with a 26-letter alphabet. Many people use erratic capitalization, so I determine proper case by algorithm; if this does not correctly display your name, please advise and I will add it to the exception list. If you wish to contact someone whose name you see listed (such as a lost friend) give me permission to send your address to that person, then he or she can contact you. I will not give out e-mail addresses (these are private and go nowhere from me).

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

Location Ranking

This table lists all the participating locations, ranked by the average score of their entries. The “Best” column shows the best finish (by rank) of any player in that location. Locations with less than five entries are ineligible for the top ranking and grouped separately.

RankAverageBestCCLocationEntries
150.711PLPoland14
250.136HUHungary8
348.8520CNChina27
448.6027USorOregon5
548.4525ITItaly11
648.1113BGBulgaria9
747.1210RORomania26
847.0938FRFrance11
946.8097EEEstonia5
1045.9417USilIllinois16
1145.9426TRTurkey35
1245.7571USmoMissouri8
1345.4650FIFinland13
1445.3343HRCroatia6
1545.177SESweden12
1645.1119UKenEngland71
1745.0036HKHong Kong12
1844.6444USohOhio11
1944.5022USwaWashington18
2044.435DEGermany14
2144.2995USmnMinnesota7
2244.13172USazArizona8
2344.0086UKscScotland10
2443.7815USmdMaryland9
2543.684NLNetherlands40
2643.1916INIndia27
2743.1114USnyNew York27
2843.002USinIndiana8
2942.8061UScoColorado10
3042.248UScaCalifornia76
3142.17195ATAustria6
3242.1079CAabAlberta10
3341.9280CAnsNova Scotia13
3441.9285BEBelgium13
3541.89361NONorway9
3641.80185SISlovenia5
3741.44168USvaVirginia9
3841.40157USscSouth Carolina5
3941.3812USpaPennsylvania24
4040.5021USmaMassachusetts14
4140.30164ILIsrael10
4240.2977USgaGeorgia7
4340.00263SGSingapore9
4439.583AUAustralia38
4539.5275PTPortugal25
4639.4764CAbcBritish Columbia17
4739.42151USmiMichigan12
4839.40332USctConnecticut10
4938.9224CAonOntario37
5038.8369USnjNew Jersey23
5138.46159UStxTexas24
5238.29479NZNew Zealand7
5338.0059USnhNew Hampshire5
5437.8993ESSpain9
5537.44308IEIreland9
5637.20183ZASouth Africa5
5737.1589CApqQuebec26
5836.86484CHSwitzerland7
5936.7918USflFlorida42
6036.00624USkyKentucky5
6134.00500USncNorth Carolina11

RankAverageBestCCLocationEntries
6260.009ZWZimbabwe1
6358.0041BRBrazil1
6456.0068USnvNevada2
6556.00108BYBelarus1
6655.00112MYMalaysia1
6755.00113LBLebanon1
6851.2542TWTaiwan4
6949.00271CAnfNewfoundland1
7048.00318USwvWest Virginia1
7148.00331CZCzech Republic1
7246.50236LVLatvia2
7346.00387BMBermuda1
7445.00408USsdSouth Dakota1
7545.00441CAnbNew Brunswick1
7644.33337USalAlabama3
7744.0052JPJapan4
7844.00221USokOklahoma3
7944.00444RSSerbia1
8043.0031UKwaWales4
8143.0032DKDenmark4
8243.00497USidIdaho1
8342.00535UKjeJersey & Guernsey1
8441.50505AMArmenia2
8541.00357RURussia2
8641.00575USvtVermont1
8740.25245EGEgypt4
8840.00645AEUnited Arab Emirates1
8939.75415GRGreece4
9039.50510USwyWyoming2
9139.00513THThailand3
9239.00677MTMalta1
9339.00685USmeMaine1
9438.50564SKSlovakia2
9538.25386USwiWisconsin4
9637.67285IDIndonesia3
9737.67602USdcWashington DC3
9837.33474USksKansas3
9937.00755CRCosta Rica1
10036.00423USdeDelaware2
10135.00844BWBotswana1
10235.00852CLChile1
10335.00853MZMozambique1
10434.75614USlaLouisiana4
10534.00886ECEcuador1
10634.00887UYUruguay1
10734.00893UKniNorthern Ireland1
10834.00895DODominican Republic1
10933.50756USnmNew Mexico2
11032.67410VEVenezuela3
11132.00935USarArkansas1
11231.33460CAmbManitoba3
11331.00966MXMexico1
11430.00987SASaudi Arabia1
11529.50837UStnTennessee2
11629.001014CAytYukon1
11726.001065USakAlaska1
11825.001068CApePrince Edward Island1
11923.001090USneNebraska2

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

Bot’s Eye View

I posed these play problems to some of the well-known bridge computer programs, and the results are tabulated below. (These results are not included in the “number of participants” shown above, nor in the calculation of the median or average score.) Most of the programs have different skill settings (thinking time), and this was set to the highest level within reason.* The scores and rankings, based on six specific problems, are not necessarily indicative of each program’s overall capability.

*I do not allow any setting that takes more than a minute to make a play. Time considerations are also used to break ties, i.e., if two bots have the same score, the edge goes to the one using less time. Tests are conducted on a 3.4 GHz CPU with 512 MB RAM, running Windows 98.

Congratulations to Jack (Netherlands) which scored a solid 48 to top the bots, but only by tiebreaker (Jack was faster) over GIB (US) with the same score. Jack and GIB were also the only bots to beat the average human score (42.18) or even to come close, for that matter. GIB easily retained its overall lead over Jack. My tests seem to show time and time again that GIB and Jack are the bots to beat — at least as far as card play is concerned.

As usual, some of the bot choices went off my chart. On Problem 2, Blue Chip Bridge cashed both top diamonds before finessing the C Q; while GIB and Bridge Baron won the C A first (sorry, no stiff king) then led up to the C Q. These plays (indicated as G and scored 2) all lose the chance to establish clubs but aren’t quite as bad as Line D (scored 1). On Problem 5, Jack won the D K early (ruining its communication) then led a heart. On Problem 6, Bridge Buff never led trumps, winning three spades and both top diamonds; and Q-plus Bridge won the D K and S A (not bad) but then led the H 8 to block the suit. None of these aberrations (indicated as H) deserved special merit, so they’re scored the same as the worst listed choice.

There were bright spots, too. When bots find the winning play, I am usually suspicious whether they really knew what they were doing, or were just lucky. This month’s stars: On Problem 1, Jack played perfectly to establish either red suit. On Problem 4, both Jack and GIB played like pros to double-hook clubs and squeeze West. On Problem 5, GIB played flawlessly to endplay East or squeeze West (I checked both variations). On Problem 6, Bridge Baron correctly executed the ruffout squeeze, though it took an unusual view to put up the H Q first. Oh, and I almost forgot! HAL returned to form with a Perfect 10.

December 2005 Rankings
RankScoreCCProgram version123456
148NLJack 3.01DEFEHA
248USGIB 6.1.3EGFEAD
336USBridge Baron 15.0FGFFBF
434JPMicro Bridge 11.00BEAFBA
533DEQ-plus Bridge 7.1EEFCBH
630CABridge Buff 11.0ACABAH
729UKBlue Chip Bridge 4.2.6EGCDCC
810USHAL 9003CDACEC

Participants (alphabetical)
ProgramAuthor/Creator
Blue Chip BridgeIan Trackman and Mike Whittaker
Bridge BaronTom Throop and Stephen Smith
Bridge BuffDoug Bennion
GIBMatthew Ginsberg
HALSomeone with a warped mind
JackHans Kuijf
Micro BridgeTomio and Yumiko Uchida
Q-plus BridgeHans Leber

Scores 8X63 MainChallengeAnalysesTop December 2005 Scores

© 2005 Richard Pavlicek