# US 11,439,912 B2 · Detecting cheating and changes in playing ability in partial knowledge and trick-taking games > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,439,912 B2 - Document ID: US11439912B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/328,080 - Filed: 2021-05-24 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-09 - Assignees: Hammond Software, Inc. - Applicants: Hammond Software, Inc. - Inventors: Nicolas Hammond - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11439912B2 ## CPC - A63F 13/75: Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players - A61B 5/164: {Lie detection} - A61B 5/4088: {Diagnosing of monitoring cognitive diseases, e.g. Alzheimer, prion diseases or dementia} - A63F 13/71: using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players - A63F 13/798: for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame - A63F 2300/558: by assessing the players' skills or ranking - A63F 2300/5586: for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract Examples herein include systems for detecting cheating and changes in mental performance in card games, including bridge. The system can acquire board data for multiple events, the events including bridge games. For each event, determining performance values for a player based on the board and play data, wherein the performance values may additionally be based in part on timing data. The system can detect a deviation of by comparing the performance values against a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on past performance of known cheating players or the individual player. Then the system can alert a user when the likelihood of cheating or other changes exceeds a threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for detecting cheating players in a card game, including: a non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions; and a processor that executes the instructions to perform stages comprising: acquiring board data for multiple events, the events including bridge games, wherein the board data corresponds to boards in the bridge games, and wherein the board data includes hand records, a table result, contract, and declarer from the respective bridge game; for multiple of the boards in each event, determining performance values for a player of the respective board based on the board data; detecting, by the processor, a deviation by comparing the performance values from a first event against a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of past performance of known cheating players and optimal bridge behavior, wherein the optimal bridge behavior is based on performance values for non-cheating players from the multiple events; and alerting an administrative user for the first event regarding a likelihood of cheating when the deviation is detected, wherein the alert includes automatically sending an electronic message to the administrative user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein acquiring the board data includes crawling a website that displays bridge tournament results, and wherein names acquired from the crawling are normalized. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the stages further comprising determining a skill level rating for the player based on a contract and comparison of that contract to a most possible number of tricks taken, wherein the threshold is based on the skill level rating. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the stages further comprising determining a skill level rating for each player based at least in part on whether a card played by each player took more, the same, or fewer tricks than a predicted number based on all cards for all of the players at the beginning of a board in the event. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the deviation includes comparing declarer ratings and records for two players with partnership defensive rating and records for those two players. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the deviation includes comparing against a threshold for improper partnership agreements. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the performance values are determined for a partnership that includes the player. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the stages further comprising detecting metal deterioration based on a change in double dummy ratio (“DDR”) values for the player, indicating a loss in playing ability. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, the stages further comprising: detecting mental deterioration based on a change in double dummy calculations based on played cards for the player, indicating a loss in playing ability; and detecting cheating based on a sudden value increase based on in double dummy calculations for played cards by the player, indicating a loss in playing ability. ### Claim 10 A method for detecting cheating players in a card game, comprising: acquiring, by a processor board data for multiple events, the events including bridge games, wherein the board data corresponds to boards in the bridge games, and wherein the board data includes hand records, a table result, contract, and declarer from the respective bridge game; for multiple of the boards in each event, determining performance values for a player of the respective board based on the board data; detecting, by the processor, a deviation by comparing the performance values from a first event against a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of past performance of known cheating players and optimal bridge behavior, wherein the optimal bridge behavior is based on performance values for non-cheating players from the multiple events; and alerting an administrative user for the first event regarding a likelihood of cheating when the deviation is detected, wherein the alert includes automatically sending an electronic message to the administrative user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a skill level rating for the player based on a contract and comparison of that contract to a most possible number of tricks taken, wherein the threshold is based on the skill level rating. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a skill level rating for each player based at least in part on whether a card played by each player took more, the same, or fewer tricks than a predicted number based on all cards for all of the players at the beginning of a board in the event. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the deviation includes comparing declarer ratings and records for two players with partnership defensive rating and records for those two players. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the deviation includes comparing against a threshold used to indicate improper partnership agreements. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the performance values are determined for a partnership that includes the player. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising detecting onset of Alzheimer's based on a change in double dummy ratio (“DDR”) values for a player, indicating a loss in playing ability. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory, computer-readable medium including instructions for detecting cheating players in a card game, wherein the instructions are executed by a processor to perform stages comprising: acquiring board data for multiple events, the events including bridge games, wherein the board data corresponds to boards in the bridge games, wherein the board data includes hand records, a table result, contract, and declarer from the respective bridge game; for multiple of the boards in each event, determining performance values for a player of the respective board based on the board data; detecting, by the processor, a deviation by comparing the performance values from a first event against a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of past performance of known cheating players and optimal bridge behavior, wherein the optimal bridge behavior is based on performance values for non-cheating players from the multiple events; and alerting an administrative user for the first event regarding a likelihood of cheating when the deviation is detected, wherein the alert includes automatically sending an electronic message to the administrative user. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein acquiring the board data includes crawling a website that displays bridge tournament results, and wherein names acquired from the crawling are normalized. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising determining a skill level rating for the player based on a contract and comparison of that contract to a most possible number of tricks taken, wherein the threshold is based on the skill level rating. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein detecting the deviation includes comparing declarer ratings and records for two players with partnership defensive rating and records for those two players.