What Is the Bridge Analyzer?
The Bridge Analyzer is a client-side double-dummy solver built right into BridgeDummy. It lets you load any bridge deal, pick a contract, and then play through every trick while seeing which cards are optimal, which cost you one trick, and which cost two or more.
Think of it as a sandbox for studying card play. There is no timer, no score, no pressure. You just explore a deal at your own pace and learn from the engine's instant feedback.
Entering a Deal: Visual Editor and PBN Input
There are two ways to load a deal. The quickest is to click the Edit button above the board, then click Paste PBN. Paste a full PBN deal string (like N:AKQ.JT9.876.5432 ...) into the text field, and all four hands populate instantly.
If you prefer a hands-on approach, use the visual card picker instead. Click a suit row in any hand to expand it, then click individual cards to assign them. Once three hands have 13 cards each, the fourth hand fills in automatically. You can also type rank shortcuts on your keyboard while a suit row is open.
Not sure what to enter? Click the Example button to load a pre-built sample deal and start exploring right away.
The Double-Dummy Tricks Table
Once a valid deal is loaded, the DD Tricks table appears in the top-left corner of the board. It is a grid with five trump options (NT, spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) on the rows and four declarers (N, S, E, W) on the columns.
Each cell shows how many tricks that declarer can take in that strain under perfect play by both sides. Cells where the declarer can make a contract (7 or more tricks) are highlighted in green, making it easy to spot viable contracts at a glance.
Click any cell to select that contract. The board will set the trump suit and declarer for you, and the opening leader is assigned automatically so you can start playing right away.
Playing Trick by Trick with Color-Coded Feedback
After you select a contract, the active hand is highlighted and its legal cards light up with color-coded backgrounds. Green means the card is optimal - it loses no tricks compared to the best available play. Amber means the card costs exactly one trick. Red means the card costs two or more tricks.
Click any highlighted card to play it. The trick builds in the center of the board, and once all four cards are played the trick winner is determined and the next trick begins. A running score (NS vs EW) tracks the results as you go.
You can undo a card at any time with the Undo button, reset the entire play with Reset, or let the engine play the best card automatically with the Best button. There is also a Show/Hide toggle that reveals cards that have already been played, which is helpful for reviewing what happened earlier.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of It
Start by loading a deal from a real game you played. Paste the PBN from your favorite bridge app, pick the contract that was actually played, and replay the hand to see where you or your opponents went wrong.
Pay attention to the trick count shown as a subscript on each legal card. It tells you exactly how many tricks the current side will take if both sides play perfectly from that point forward. Comparing two cards' trick counts reveals the true cost of each decision.
Try switching declarers in the DD Tricks table after you finish a play-through. Seeing the same deal from a different seat gives you a fuller picture of the hand's dynamics.
How BridgeDummy Helps You Improve
The Analyzer is one piece of a larger training system. After you study a deal here, head over to Lead Puzzles or Bidding Puzzles to test your skills under real conditions with stars, points, and streaks.
Because the solver runs entirely in your browser, there is no waiting for a server and no limits on how many deals you can analyze. Load as many hands as you want, experiment freely, and build the intuition that makes you a stronger player at the table.