Ep: 108: Luc Bellicaud on Building Lia, the Bridge Robot Beating Humans at Their Own Game

In this episode, I sit down with Luc Bellicaud - a three-time Junior World Champion from France and the developer of Lia, the AI bridge robot at IntoBridge.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 Lia as an intern, describing himself as "quite clueless." Through time he has created an excellent partner and opponent. We discuss how he built her from the ground up and how he fixes her mistakes.Having the coach named after you comes with pressure! Luc shares the controversy over Lia's full-deal access and why LLMs are still no match for hand-coded bridge logic.Luc dates a bridge player who represents France internationally - and amusingly, she works for rival company Funbridge! Together they run a free weekly beginners club in Lille, fuelled by…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.10:20 PMKey Highlights:🤖 Building Lia from Scratch: Starting with zero experience, Luc built Lia into a top bridge robot opponent and partner.🎓 Coach Luc Goes Live: A brand-new AI feature giving real-time bidding feedback, now in beta.🃏 Full Deal Access: Lia sees the full deal during card play - not to cheat, but for speed and better user experience.🎥 YouTube & Bidding Systems: Luc runs France's biggest bridge YouTube channel and invented his own bidding system as a joke.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 Bellicaud1:53 Coach Luc: The AI Bidding Coach on IntoBridge7:06 Learning Bridge: Beginners, Teachers & The Lille Club14:07 Bridge Companies, FunBridge Fallout & AI Controversy23:21 Building Lia: Coding, Bidding Logic & Design Choices36:06 The Story Behind Lia’s Name39:22 Bridge Life: Travel, Tournaments & Playing with His Girlfriend49:47 Bridge Systems, Partners & Competitive Play58:39 The Bermuda Bowl Final in Lyon1:04:04 Double Dummy Documentary & Youth Championships1:13:00 Luc’s YouTube Channel & Closing