Team Games vs. Pairs Events
By Larry Matheny[i]
There are several different formats in duplicate bridge as well as a
variety of forms of scoring. Team events
are usually either Swiss, Knockouts, or Board-A-Match. The scoring for the Swiss games and Knockouts
is International Match Points (IMPs). In
a Knockout match, as the name implies, if you lose you’re out of the
event. A win in a Swiss match is either
determined by Win/Loss or the IMPs are converted to Victory Points (VP). The purpose of VPs is to help eliminate
fractions and ties and put more value on the actual margin of victory. In Win/Loss, you must win by three or more
IMPs for a full win. A margin of only
one or two IMPs gives you ¾ of a win.
Board-A-Match is a difficult game with simple scoring: you win, lose, or
tie each board you play.
Here is a scorecard to illustrate these differences with team A sitting
North at table #1 and team B North at table #2.
HAND TABLE 1 TABLE 2 TEAM 1 IMPs
#1 +420 +450 -1
#2 -200 -100 -3
#3 +110 -110 +6
#4 +620 +620 _ 0_
+2
Using this example team A is ahead by two IMPs. If Win/Loss scoring is used, team A would
receive only ¾ of a win since their victory was by less than three IMPs. If the event is using Victory Points, the 2
IMPs are converted to 11 VPs while team B receives 9 VPs. To really confuse you, if Board-A-Match
scoring is used, team B would win the round because they won two boards, lost
one, and tied one.
The matchpoint scoring used in pairs events is easy to understand. You are scored against all the other pairs
who hold your cards and you receive one matchpoint for every pair you beat and
½ matchpoint for those you tie.
Now let’s move on to tactics at the table.
IMP Team Tactics
The Bidding:
Games: Bid the safest
game. At matchpoints, you may get a markedly
better score for playing in notrump instead of a major, or in a major instead
of a minor. IMP scoring, however, neutralizes the differences between these
contracts. Your best strategy is to
choose your best (longest) trump fit and bid the game that's most likely to
make -- even if it's 5C instead of 3NT.
- If you're not vulnerable, don't stretch too far to bid a
close game -- the odds favor bidding only those games that you are
reasonably sure will make.
- If you're vulnerable, it pays to be a little more
optimistic when you're considering a thin game. The IMP odds (your potential gain if the
contract makes) favor bidding any game that has even a 40% chance of
making.
Part scores: Look for the safest part
score. Don't worry about searching for a
few extra points by playing in notrump instead of a minor.
Overcalls: Matchpoint players often make light
overcalls, but it pays to beef up your overcalls at IMPs. If you're vulnerable -- or if your overcall
is at the 2-level -- you should promise a strong suit and the playing strength
of a full opening bid.
Competing and
balancing: Don't
be too bold. Unless you have a good suit
and good hand, let the opponents play in their low-level contracts, especially
if you're vulnerable. Trump length is
more important than overall strength, so don't let the opponents push you to
the 3-level unless you have a 9-card trump fit.
Doubles: There's little to gain -- and much to
lose -- by making a penalty double of a close contract, especially a part
score. Don't make a penalty double
unless you're reasonably sure the contract is going down at least two
tricks. If the opponents
sacrifice against your game and you are in doubt about whether to bid higher,
double and take your sure plus score.
Sacrifices: If you want to take a non-vulnerable
sacrifice over your opponents’ vulnerable game, you should be reasonably sure
that you won't go down more than two tricks.
If you're vulnerable, you should be virtually certain that you won't go
down more than one trick. Anything more
is "too close for comfort" at IMP play, and won't gain you many
IMPs. When in doubt, let the opponents
play the contract and hope you can beat it.
The Play:
Overtricks: When you're declarer, don't risk your
contract trying to make an overtrick.
Always choose the safest line of play to make your contract, even if it
might cost you an overtrick or two.
Opening leads: Be cautious about trying for a swing
with an unusual opening lead. In the
long run, it's usually best to make your "normal" lead -- the same
one you think your opponent will make when the board is played at your
teammates' table. Save your brilliant
defensive plays for later in the hand, when you have more information.
Defense: Be optimistic and fairly aggressive
when defending the opponents' contracts.
If there's a layout of the cards that will result in a set, choose your
leads and plays to cater to that possibility, even if it means you may give up
an overtrick if you're wrong.
Matchpoint
(Pairs) Strategy at Duplicate Bridge
The Bidding:
Bid
aggressively. Matchpoint duplicate is definitely a
bidder’s game. If the limit of the hand
is a partscore, SAFETY is the most important consideration; your primary
objective is to GO PLUS. Remember, any
plus will outscore all those pairs who go minus with your cards. Although high priority is given to locating a
major suit fit, often a good minor suit fit will yield either your only plus
score or a better plus score than notrump.
Game should be bid if you have around a 55% to 60% chance of success.
Choose the highest-scoring
game. For game contracts, you should be most
anxious to play 4H or 4S, willing to play 3NT and reluctant to play 5C or
5D. If you have game values and a club
or diamond fit, consider playing 3NT instead.
Overcall freely. At the one-level, don't be afraid to
make light, lead-directing overcalls (as few as 8 or 9 points if you have a
good suit), especially if you're not vulnerable and your opponent opens a
minor. If you have to go to the
two-level to bid your suit, though, be cautious. For a two-level overcall, you should have
good high-card strength (11-12+ pts.) and a very good suit (a strong 5-carder
or, better, a 6+-card suit). A vulnerable
two-level overcall should be even stronger.
Raise partner's suit
freely. Even if you're light in high-card points,
stretch to raise partner if you have a fit for his suit, especially in
competitive auctions.
Sacrifice more often.
If you have a good fit, sacrifice freely if your opponents are
vulnerable and you are not. But be very
conservative about sacrificing when you're vulnerable.
Don't "sell out"
too low. If the
opponents stop at a low level, you don't have to have a strong hand to balance
back into the auction. The best time to compete is when:
(1) You're not vulnerable;
(2) The opponents have stopped in 1 or 2 of a suit contract
(not 1NT or 2NT); and
(3) You hold shortness in the opponents’ trump suit.
Double more
partscores. If you bid to a partscore you think
you could have made, but your opponents bid over it, a double is sometimes
necessary for you to get even an average score.
(Be very careful in choosing when to use this tip!)
Use a simplified form of
the "Law of Total Tricks (Trumps)" for competitive decisions. In part-score situations -- those where you've
found a fit but wanted to stop in a partscore -- don't let the opponents push
you to the three-level unless you have at least a 9-card trump fit.
The Play:
Make
"normal" opening leads. Don't try for a "top" by
choosing an unusual lead. Against most
contracts, choose a safe, non-deceptive opening lead.
Look for overtricks. Unlike
in rubber bridge, it's sometimes right to make a fairly risky play trying for
the overtrick -- especially when you're in a "normal" contract that
you think will be bid by other pairs.
Play it safe if you're in
an unusual contract. Go for the sure plus score if you're
playing or defending a contract that you think probably won't be bid at most
tables.
In General:
Play with
the "field". When in doubt about what to bid or
play, try to guess what might be happening at other tables and go for a similar
result.
Consider using 15-17 pts.
as the range for your opening 1NT bids. A 1NT opening often gives you a
bidding advantage because your responses are so well defined and your opponents
will find it more difficult to enter your auction. Most duplicate players use
the 15-17 point range (rather than 16-18) because it allows them to open more
hands with 1NT. If you use this range,
responder will need to adjust his point requirements up by 1 pt. You should also change your 2NT opening range
to 20-21 or 20-22 pts.
Consider
adding popular conventions to your system. Because many
duplicate pairs play the conventions and treatments listed below, you might
want to try them, too. Recommended (in
no particular order):
1.
Negative doubles
2. New Minor Forcing
3. Weak Two bids
4. Michaels Cuebids & Unusual 2NT
(two-suited overcalls)
5. Jacoby Transfers (responses to an
opening 1NT)
6. Jacoby 2NT (forcing major-suit raise)
EXERCISES
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Opening lead:
Queen of hearts.
At IMPs it would be a routine safety play to duck the first round of
clubs. This ensures the contract against a 4-1 club split. Playing matchpoints,
this safety play would be the height of folly. The contract is easy to
reach and the opening lead appears normal. Ducking a club will cost a
trick when the clubs split 3-2, and gain one trick when they split 4-1.
Since the 3-2 split if far more likely than a 4-1, ducking will be wrong more
often than it will be right.
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Opening lead: Three of diamonds
You are in what appears to be the normal contract but it’s difficult to tell if
the same opening lead will be made at other tables. After drawing trumps (2-2), you lead a heart
to the ten and queen and back comes a club.
At IMPs your game is safe losing only two clubs and one heart. But at matchpoints, you have the chance to
repeat the heart finesse and make an overtrick if the heart king is on your
left. Of course you go down if it
loses. Is it worth it? The odds of one of the heart honors being on
your left is 75% so you will win an overtrick three times for every time you
fail. Go for it! Remember those who received an opening club
lead never had a chance to make five.
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*Game forcing heart raise
Opening lead:
Queen of spades
Here’s a
defensive problem. After a routine
auction, your partner in the West chair leads the queen of spades. You win the ace and quickly see you need
three club tricks to defeat the contract.
At IMPs you quickly lead a low club and hope that declarer with Qxx will
guess wrong and play low. At
matchpoints, it is a different problem.
There are too many combinations where this will allow declarer to make
an overtrick so you should cash your two club tricks and hold declarer to his
contract.
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Opening lead:
King of spades
You are
playing in a pairs event and after several tortured rounds of bidding, West’s
spade overcall forced you to settle in 5
rather than 3NT. West leads the king of spades and while this
was obviously partner’s fault, you must make the best of it. It’s clear that you will receive a very poor
score if 3NT is successful, so you must assume it will be defeated. Therefore, your goal is to ensure your
contract. Win the ace of spades and lead
a low club to your ten to guard against a 4-0 club split.