Why is Luc the first French bridge player I’ve interviewed? Because last month, IntoBridge, launched a powerful new AI coaching tool, named after him. Coach Luc is designed to help beginner and intermediate players spot their bidding mistakes(!) in real time. And I wanted the scoop!
Luc started building out IntoBridge’s own playing robot as an intern. He described himself as being “quite clueless.” But through time he has created an excellent partner and opponent. Luc walks me through how he has built Lia from the ground up. We discuss areas which need improvement, including her bidding the wrong slam recently, and how he goes about that.
Is there pressure having the coach named after you? You bet! Luc shares the debate around whether to put his own name on the feature, the controversy over Lia's full-deal access during card play(as part of a ten deal sample), and why LLMs are still no match for hand-coded bridge logic.
Luc also dates a bridge player who represents France at the international level. Amusingly, she works for rival bridge software company Funbridge! Together, they teach bridge newcomers every Wednesday in Lille, using the international bridge fishing lure of…FREE PIZZA!
Away from the table, Luc runs France's biggest YouTube bridge channel. He also refuses to fly unless he must in order to represent his country.
Key Highlights:
● 🤖 Building Lia from Scratch: Starting with zero experience fresh out of engineering school, Luc built Lia the bridge robot into my favorite robot opponent/partner.
● 🎓 Coach Luc Goes Live: The brand-new Coach Luc AI feature launched in beta last month. It gives players real-time feedback on bidding decisions. Luc shares the personal debate he had about lending his own name to the tool.
● 🃏 Full Deal Access and Transparency: Luc explains why Lia is given access to the full deal during card play - not to cheat, but to improve speed and user experience - and how IntoBridge is transparent about this design choice despite pushback from some corners of the bridge community.
● ✈️ No Flights for Ecological Reasons: Since 2017, Luc has refused to fly for personal ecological reasons, travelling across Europe by train to tournaments in Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden and beyond. He is still weighing up how to get to the European Championship in Latvia this year.
● 🧑🏫 Wednesday Night Beginners Club: Luc and his girlfriend run a free weekly bridge club in Lille every Wednesday, funded jointly by the French Federation and local bridge organisations. This year, for the first time, their beginners qualified for the inter-club competition.
● 🎥 YouTube, Bidding Systems and Bridge Rivalries: Luc runs France's biggest bridge YouTube channel, invented his own transfer-opening bidding system as a joke during a BAM session, and navigates the quirky dynamic of his girlfriend working for rival platform Funbridge.
Resources and Next Steps:
🤖 Try Coach Luc on IntoBridge - Play a game and see if Coach Luc has any notes on your bidding.
▶️ Watch Luc's French Bridge YouTube Channel for weekly bridge content and lessons.
🎬 Watch the documentary Double Dummy featuring the USA junior team - with some familiar faces from Luc's opponents.
🎧 More Stories Like This - Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge.
📱 Follow @thesettingtrick - Stay connected on Instagram for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.
YouTube Chapter Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction – Luc Bellicaud
1:53 Coach Luc: The AI Bidding Coach on IntoBridge
7:06 Learning Bridge: Beginners, Teachers & The Lille Club
14:07 Bridge Companies, FunBridge Fallout & AI Controversy
23:21 Building Lia: Coding, Bidding Logic & Design Choices
36:06 The Story Behind Lia’s Name
39:22 Bridge Life: Travel, Tournaments & Playing with His Girlfriend
49:47 Bridge Systems, Partners & Competitive Play
58:39 The Bermuda Bowl Final in Lyon
1:04:04 Double Dummy Documentary & Youth Championships
1:13:00 Luc’s YouTube Channel & Closing