Summary

The Bridgemate app adds an extra dimension to playing bridge at your club. During and after the game, players can monitor their personal results and rankings live, view board percentages and hand records, and even analyse their own game. It only takes a few minutes for a club to launch the Bridgemate app, and this article is designed to help you to quickly configure your club computer to communicate with the app. It also explains how players can download and install the app on their smartphone and start receiving results and information about the club event in which they are playing.

Overview

Generally speaking, the procedure to successfully introduce the Bridgemate app to your club is as follows:

The club creates a club account with the Bridgemate app system and configures the club computer to upload event information and results to the Bridgemate app servers.
Players download and install the Bridgemate app from the appropriate app store for their smartphone. Then they create a personal Bridgemate app account and register as a member or player of your club.
The club approves the registration of the player (this is optional).
The club runs its games with the Bridgemate system as usual, and the Bridgemate Control Software (BCS) takes care of automatically uploading all the relevant information to the Bridgemate app server system. The Bridgemate app system takes care of displaying all the data in the Bridgemate app on the players' smartphones.

What you need to know

There are a few things you should know before introducing the Bridgemate app to your club:

A good-quality and stable high-speed internet connection is required. The club computer (the computer running the Bridgemate Control Software) continuously uploads information to the Bridgemate app server system, and a poor internet connection dramatically impairs your Bridgemate app experience. Dial-up connections are not recommended. Using 3G/4G internet dongles is usually not a problem, but make sure your data plan is sufficient to cover the upload.
Your club computer does NOT upload directly to the players' smartphones. The Bridgemate Control Software uploads the event information and results to the Bridgemate app server system. This system is hosted on the internet and this in turn communicates with the Bridgemate app on the players' smartphones. After the data has been uploaded by BCS, players can view their results and event information at any time on their smartphone, even if your club computer has been switched off or has disconnected from the internet.
Players' smartphones must be connected to the internet via WiFi or a 3G/4G data plan. In order to view the event information and results on the Bridgemate app, the smartphone must be connected to the internet via a WiFi connection or through the carrier's 3G/4G data plan. The data usage per session is roughly between 0.5 megabyte and 1 megabyte of data.
Using the Bridgemate app is optional. The Bridgemate app is a personal experience and not everyone in your club needs to use the app in order to make it work. Players who do use the app, will enjoy the extra information, while those who don't use it, simply go without.
Board results and rankings displayed in the app are only an indication. The Bridgemate Control Software continuously recalculates board results and rankings, and uploads them to the Bridgemate app server system, but the final and official result of the event (calculated by your scoring program) may differ from that shown in the Bridgemate app. Usually, the difference is minimal and tends to be caused by score corrections made in the scoring program that BCS doesn't know about, the use of adjusted or weighted scores, or missing scores in BCS which are added manually in the scoring program later on.

You should also note:

Only pair games are supported at the moment. IMP and cross-imp games, as well as team games will be added at a later date.
While the player downloads and installs the app on his or her smartphone, the club decides how the app behaves during an event.

Installation procedure

To start using the Bridgemate app in your club, follow these steps.

1. Create a club account and configure your club computer

Begin by creating a Bridgemate app club account for your club. Registration is simple and takes only a few minutes. After that, make sure you have the latest version of Bridgemate Control Software running on your computer and configure the program to automatically upload data. See this article with detailed instructions on creating a club account and configuring your club computer.

2. Players download the app, and create an account and register with the club

Players who want to enjoy the benefits of the Bridgemate app can download and install the app from their smartphone´s app store. Currently, the Bridgemate app is only available for iOS (Iphone, Ipod, Ipad) and Android devices. After successful installation of the app, the player must create a personal account with the Bridgemate app and register himself or herself with your club. For more information, see the articles on installing the app and creating an account and registering with a club.

3. Approval of registration by the club (optional, depending on your club account settings)

Clubs have the option to validate each new player registration before the player can use the app in the club. This verifies that the player has registered correctly and checks that the player number corresponds with the person's true identity. Read more about validation of player registration here.

4. Start your bridge games and enjoy using the Bridgemate app

You are now ready to enjoy the additional benefits of the Bridgemate app in your club. Event information and results are automatically uploaded to the Bridgemate app server. There are a few more useful things to know when using the app, and they are explained in the article about tips for using the Bridgemate app.

Additional information

Tips for using the Bridgemate app

Update history

22-01-2015 - Article published

Guide to getting started with the Bridgemate app