SCORING

Each board in tournament bridge is scored independently. In rubber bridge if you make a partscore you have an advantage for the next deal, but in tournament bridge you do not carry forward any scores. You enter the score for the hand played, and on the next board both sides start from zero again.

As each deal is totally unrelated to what happened on the previous deal, there are significant scoring differences in tournament bridge:

(1) Honours do not count (unless otherwise stated by the tournament rules).

(2) For bidding and making a part-score, add 50 to the trick total.

(3) For bidding and making a game not vulnerable, add 300 to the trick total.

(4) For bidding and making a game vulnerable, add 500 to the trick total.

The result you obtain on the board is entered on the 'travelling score sheet' at the back of the board. You may not look at that until the hand is over, since it contains a record of the hand and also how other pairs fared on the board. Your score on each board is compared with the scores of every other pair that played the board. If you are North-South, your real opponents are all the other North-South pairs, not the particular E-W pair you play each time. On each board, a certain number of match-points is awarded (usually one less than the number of pairs who play the board). If 15 pairs play a board, the best score receives 14 match-points, a 'top', the next best score receives 13 and so on down to the worst score which receives 0, a 'bottom'. An average score would receive 7 match-points.

The scoring is done once for the N-S pairs and then for the E-W pairs. Obviously, if a N-S pair scores a top, the corresponding E-W pair against whom they played the board gets a bottom. Each pair's points over all the boards are totalled and the pair with the highest number of match-points wins.

Tactics in pairs events differ from those in rubber bridge. Careful declarer play and defence are the order of the day. Every overtrick and every undertrick could be vital. They make the difference between good scores and bad scores. In rubber bridge, declarer's aim is almost always to make the contract and the defence's aim is to defeat it. At pairs the aim is to obtain the best possible score which may mean from declarer's viewpoint that making the contract is a secondary consideration while from the defenders' viewpoint, the possibility of giving away an overtrick in trying to defeat the contract may be unwarranted.

Being extremely competitive in the bidding is essential. Almost always force the opposition to the three-level on partscore deals. Be quick to re-open the bidding if they stop at a very low level in a suit. In pairs events, re-opening the bidding occurs ten times more often than at rubber bridge.

Minor suit contracts at the game zone, should be avoided. Prefer 3NT to 5C or 5D, even if 3NT is riskier, since making an overtrick in 3NT scores more than a minor suit game. On the other hand, it is not necessary to bid borderline games or close slams. The reward for success is not so great in pairs events as to justify 24 point games or 31 point slams. You should be in game or in slam if it has a 50% or better chance. If less, you will score better by staying out of it.

What counts at duplicate pairs is how often a certain strategy will work for you, not the size of the result. If a certain action scores 50 extra points 8 times out of l0, but loses 500 twice, it is sensible at duplicate but ridiculous at rubber bridge. Penalty doubles are far more frequent at pairs since players are anxious to improve their score. The rule about a two-trick safety margin is frequently disregarded since one down, doubled, vulnerable, may be a top-score while one down, undoubled, vulnerable, may be below average.

Safety plays which involve sacrificing a trick to ensure the contract almost never apply in pairs, unless the contract you have reached is an unbelievably good one.

In the tournament world you will encounter a remarkable number and variety of systems and conventions and gradually you will come to recognise them. A most important point to remember is that a bidding system is not some secret between you and your partner. You and your partner are not allowed to have any secret understanding about your bids. That is cheating. A bidding system is not a secret code. The opponents are entitled to know as much about what the bidding means as you or your partner. If they ask you what you understand by a certain bid of your partner's, you must tell them truthfully. Of course, partner's bid may be meaningless and if you cannot understand it, all you can do is to be honest and tell the opposition that you do not know what partner's bid means.

Similarly, if you do not understand the opposition's bidding, you are entitled to ask. When it is your turn to bid but before you make your bid, you ask the partner of the bidder 'Could you please explain the auction?' You may ask during the auction or after the auction has ended, when it is your turn to play. Unless it affects your making a bid, prefer to wait until the auction is over. After all, the opposition might not understand their bidding either and when you ask, they may well realise their mistake.

If an irregularity occurs at the table, do not be dismayed if the Director is called. That is a normal part of the game and it is the Director's job to keep the tournament running smoothly and to sort out any irregularities.

ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE

Bridge enjoys immense popularity partly because of the high standards of ethics and etiquette which are observed by the players who are expected to conduct themselves in a highly civilised manner. Violations of proper etiquette are quite common from inexperienced players, either through ignorance or inadvertence. A well-mannered opponent who is the victim of a violation by such a novice player will, if comment is considered necessary, be at pains to make it clear that the comment is intended to be helpful and will never make a newcomer feel ill-at-ease.

Bridge is an extremely ethical game. All good players strive to ensure that their bridge ethics are impeccable and no more serious charge, other than outright cheating, can be made than to accuse a player of bad ethics. Unlike poker in which all sorts of mannerisms, misleading statements and bluff tactics are part and parcel of the game, bridge is played with a 'pokerface'! Beginners are, of course, excused for their lapses and in social games nobody minds very much, but in serious competition your bridge demeanour must be beyond reproach.

When you are dummy, it is poor form to look at either opponent's hand or at declarer's. If you do, you lose your rights as dummy. Do not stand behind declarer to see how you would play. In tournament bridge, do not discuss the previous hand with your partner if another hand is still to be played.

After the play of a hand is over, do not take an opponent's cards and look at them without asking permission. As a kibitzer (onlooker) try to watch only one hand and above all, make no facial expressions during a hand. Do not comment or talk during or between hands. If the players want the benefit of your views, they will ask for them.

Conversation at the table in serious games is generally unwelcome. Post-mortems after each hand, if limited, can be useful as long as they seek to be constructive. It is best to keep all post-mortems until the session is over and you can go over the score-sheets with your partner at leisure. During the session, conserve your energies to do battle at the next table. It is extremely poor taste to abuse or criticise partner or an opponent. Experienced players should go out of their way to make novice players feel at ease, so that they see bridge as a pleasant recreation, not a battleground. Never try to teach anyone at the table.

Never let a harsh word pass your lips and you will be a sought-after rather than a shunned partner. Prefer to say too little than too much. If partner has bid or played the hand like an idiot, say 'bad luck' and leave it at that. Do not harp on past errors.