Team Games vs. Pairs Events
By Larry Matheny[1]
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 used for 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-Lose or the IMPs are converted to Victory Points (VP). The purpose of VPs is to help eliminate
fractions and ties and place more value on the actual margin of victory. In Win-Lose, 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 hand you play.
Here is
a scorecard to illustrate these differences.
These are the scores for North-South with team A sitting North at table
#1 and team B North at table #2.
HAND TABLE 1 TABLE 2 TEAM A 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.
Although matches are longer than four boards, for this example using
Win-Lose scoring, team A would be awarded only a ¾ win since they did not win
by at least three IMPs. If the event is
using Victory Points, the 2 IMPs are converted to 11 VPs for team A 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 two-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. At unfavorable colors, 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 the gain is small. 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
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 &
2NT)
6. Jacoby 2NT (forcing major-suit raise)
EXERCISES
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Pass |
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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. 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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Pass
Pass Pass |
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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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*forcing
Opening lead: Queen of
hearts.
This hand demonstrates the
difference in scoring that is particularly important at matchpoints.
North-South play a 2/1 game
forcing system with a 1NT forcing response to a major suit opening.
South's 2
rebid showed at least three clubs and a range of 12-16 high card points.
North's 2
bid showed a good suit with no interest in game opposite a minimum
opener. South's raise to 3
indicated extra strength with diamond support. It seemed likely that
South had a doubleton heart so North was reluctant to play notrump but he was
strong enough to try for a diamond game. South's 4
bid showed a strong five-card suit and suggested it as the final
contract. Holding a doubleton spade, North was happy to pass.
West led a heart and declarer soon had eleven tricks. Those in 4
scored +650 while those in 5
had to be content with +600. And those brave souls who wandered into 3NT
also received +600 because the opponents' hearts were 4-4. Matchpoint is
a rough game.
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You reach what seems to be a
normal contract and after some thought West leads a low spade. What do you do? If it’s a team game, you should win the ace
and cash your ten tricks. But, what if
it’s a pairs event where overtricks are priceless? Do you finesse risking the contract and try
to make five? Who is your left hand
opponent? Would he underlead a king?
Additional thoughts: What about all of the declarers who receive a
heart or diamond lead? They get to draw
trumps, pitch a losing club on a diamond, and have the spade finesse for the
safe try for an overtrick. You are at a
distinct disadvantage and perhaps should consider the finesse. But, those receiving a club lead never have a
chance for the overtrick. Well? Are you still sitting there?
Now you know how difficult
matchpoints can be!!! :-}