Matchpoint Scoring

A “must” article for matchpoint bridge players.

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Introduction

If you’re accustomed to playing rubber bridge, then matchpoint games will seem like bridge from another planet. The strategy for winning matchpoint games arises from the peculiarities of the scoring, which is different from rubber bridge. You need a good understanding of matchpoint scoring in order to understand strategies around bidding, playing the hand, and defending.

The following discussion on matchpoint scoring may seem rather complicated. However, it’s worthwhile reviewing it if you want to improve your results.

If you've never played rubber bridge (or any other form of bridge), then ignore the comparisons because it will just be more confusing. Concentrate instead on the basic principles of matchpoint scoring.

Scoring Each Hand

In rubber bridge, you simply score each hand on the appropriate side of the score sheet, with points awarded above and below the line as appropriate. The results from each hand accumulate towards your final total. Small scores contribute a little; big scores contribute a lot. When the game is over, the pair with the highest total score wins. Simple.

In matchpoints, it’s more complicated. There is no “above and below the line”. Each hand is scored by a single number that represents the total trick value and bonuses for that hand.

Example 1: Your side bids and makes 2. Your score is +110. This represents 60 points for making 2 (as in rubber bridge), plus 50 points for a part score. Every time you make a part score at matchpoints, you receive 50 points in addition to your trick score.

Example 2: Your side bids and makes 3 NT not vulnerable. Your score is +400. This represents 100 points for making 3 NT (as in rubber bridge), plus 300 points for a nonvulnerable game. Every time you make a game contract at matchpoints, you receive 300 points nonvulnerable and 500 points vulnerable. Slam bonuses work in a similar fashion.

The Most Important Scoring Point Of All

In rubber bridge, all hands are not considered equal. If you get a large plus score on one hand (bidding and making a slam, for example), that large score will make a huge contribution to your final result. A large minus score (going down five doubled and vulnerable) is likewise a huge disaster. Hands with small scores (bidding and making 2, for example) will contribute relatively little to your final result. Therefore, you tend to pay more attention to hands being played in high–level contracts, and relatively little attention to low–level ones.

Matchpoint scoring is totally different. Every hand is equally important. You score match points on each hand individually. Therefore, a poor matchpoint score playing 2 will completely negate a good matchpoint score playing 6 NT. And a poor matchpoint score going down five doubled and vulnerable can be completely made up by getting a good score on the next board (even if your good score is just an overtrick in a 2 contract). Also, since the same hands are played at every table, all fairly obvious games and slams will be bid by everyone. You will generally only get an average score for playing a fairly obvious game or slam contract.

Remember, if you play 24 boards in a session of matchpoints, each board will contribute 1/24 of your total score, regardless of what the contract or result was for any given board.

After The Game Is Over

The scores that get written on the travelling scoresheet during the game are only the beginning. At the end of the game, the scores for each hand are compared to each other (each hand is compared separately). Your matchpoint score is determined by this comparison, not by the actual scores on the scoresheet. During the comparison, you receive (on each hand) one matchpoint for every pair in your direction that you beat, ½ matchpoint for every pair in your direction that you tie, and 0 matchpoints for every pair in your direction that beats you. Your total matchpoints are added up for all hands, and the winner is the pair that has the most matchpoints.

Your goal in a matchpoint game is to get the highest number of matchpoints. That means consistently highest plus scores and consistently lowest minus scores.

Sound confusing? Let’s look at an example scoresheet.

Example Scoresheet

This is an example of the “travelling scoresheet” that accompanies each board. Let’s assume the game is over. There were eight tables in play, and at the end of the game these were the results for Board 1.

Note: This example doesn’t represent a real movement in a matchpoint game (the pair numbers in reality would be different). It’s just to illustrate scoring.

Board No.: 1

N dealer, neither side vulnerable

N/S Pair E/W Pair Contract By Made Down Score

N/S E/W

1 1 3 N 4 170

2 3 4 N 4 420

3 5 4 E 2 100

4 7 3 E 3 140

5 8 3 E 1 50

6 2 3 N 4 170

7 4 3 N 3 140

8 7 4 doubled E 2 300

Calculating Matchpoints for N/S

Let’s look at how each N/S pair did on this board in terms of matchpoints. Since you receive 1 matchpoint for every N/S pair you beat, the maximum matchpoint score on the above hand is 7 (since there are seven other N/S pairs you can beat). The lowest matchpoint score on a board is always zero (you don’t beat any other N/S pairs).

When sitting N/S, you want to get a plus for your side. The higher your plus score, the more matchpoints you win. If you can’t achieve a plus score for your side, then you want E/W to get the lowest plus score possible (since a plus for E/W is a minus for you, and the lower your minus score the better).

N/S Pair Match Point Score Comments

1 4½ This pair beat N/S pairs 3, 4, 5 and 7 (1 matchpoint each), and tied with pair 6 (½ matchpoint).

2 7 This pair beat every other N/S pair, getting a “top” on the board (7 matchpoints).

3 2 This pair only beat two other N/S pairs (4 and 5).

4 0 This pair did the worst, getting a “bottom” on the board (0 matchpoints) by getting the lowest N/S score (ie, highest E/W score). This was the only pair to let E/W get a plus score.

5 1 This pair only beat N/S pair 4.

6 4½ This pair got the same matchpoint score as N/S pair 1. They beat the same N/S pairs (3, 4, 5 and 7) and tied with N/S pair 1.

7 3 This pair beat N/S pairs 3, 4 and 5.

8 6 This pair came second on the board, beating every N/S pair except pair 2.

Calculating Matchpoints for E/W

Now let’s look at how each E/W pair does on this board in terms of matchpoints. When sitting E/W, you want to get a plus for your side. The higher your plus score, the more matchpoints you win. If you can’t achieve a plus score for your side, then you want N/S to get the lowest plus score possible (since a plus for N/S is a minus for you, and the lower your minus score the better).

When N/S get a good matchpoint score on a board, the corresponding E/W pair will get a poor score, and vice versa.

E/W Pair Match Point Score Comments

1 2½ This pair beat E/W pairs 2 and 7 (1 matchpoint each), and tied with E/W pair 3 (½ matchpoint).

2 0 This pair did the worst by getting the lowest E/W score (ie, the highest N/S score).

3 2½ This pair beat E/W pairs 2 and 7 (1 matchpoint each), and tied with E/W pair 1 (½ matchpoint).

4 5 This pair beat all other E/W pairs except for pairs 6 and 8.

5 4 This pair beat all E/W pairs except 4, 6 and 8.

6 7 This pair did the best, beating every other E/W pair. This was the only E/W pair to get a plus score.

7 1 This pair did poorly, losing to all E/W pairs except pair 2.

8 6 This pair did second best, winning 6 matchpoints, beating every E/W pair except pair 6.

Reviewing All Results

Let’s combine all these tables into one, and see what we can learn.

Board No.: 1

N dealer, neither side vulnerable

N/S Pair E/W Pair Contract By Made Down Score Matchpoints

N/S E/W N/S E/W

1 1 3 N 4 170 4½ 2½

2 2 4 N 4 420 7 0

3 4 4 E 2 100 2 5

4 6 3 E 3 140 0 7

5 8 3 E 1 50 1 6

6 3 3 N 4 170 4½ 2½

7 5 3 N 3 140 3 4

8 7 4 doubled E 2 300 6 1

The following points show more clearly on this combined table:

Since this board is played eight times, the board has a maximum of seven matchpoints (each pair has a chance of beating seven other pairs).
Each time the board is played, the seven matchpoints available will be divided between N/S and E/W. The total must equal seven each time the board is played.
For scores on your side (eg for most N/S pairs on this hand), you get more matchpoints for a higher score on your side. N/S pair 4 did particularly poorly because they allowed E/W pair 5 to get a score on their side.
For scores on the opponent’s side (eg for most E/W pairs on this hand), you get more matchpoints for a lower score on the opponent’s side.

Just Beat Other Scores

A key factor in matchpoints is that to get a good score, you only have to beat the scores of other pairs in your direction. It doesn’t matter how much you beat them by. Here’s a scoresheet to illustrate the point:

Board No.: 1

N dealer, neither side vulnerable

N/S Pair E/W Pair Contract By Made Down Score Matchpoints

N/S E/W N/S E/W

1 1 4 N 4 420 3 4

2 2 4 N 4 420 3 4

3 4 3 NT N 4 430 7 0

4 6 4 N 4 420 3 4

5 8 4 N 4 420 3 4

6 3 4 N 4 420 3 4

7 5 4 N 4 420 3 4

8 7 4 N 4 420 3 4

On this hand, everyone played 4 by North, except for N/S pair 3 who played 3 NT. Everyone made the same number of tricks, but pair 3, because they played in notrump, gained an extra 10 points on the trick score (430 versus 420). This measly 10 point difference on the trick score resulted in a whopping 4 extra matchpoints and a top board. I feel sorry for E/W pair 4, who received zero matchpoints through no fault of their own. That’s the way matchpoint games go; bad results aren’t always your fault, so learn to roll with the punches.

In Conclusion

Now that you understand the principles of matchpoint scoring, you can use them to help your bidding, play of the hand, and defence.

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