thanks pilowsky for taking the time to reply. I was playing with 3 friends who had been attending a bridge class before lockdown and we all wanted to take our time but on one occasion a robot took over and made the bid. This has happened to a few other ex students I know who just want a friendly game with no time pressure. You say "if you start the table you can think for as long as you like ". Can that person do something to extend that option to the rest of the table?