INTRODUCTION TO DUPLICATE by Simon Ainger and updated by David Stevenson
f I had not derived great pleasure compared with all the scores achieved made of rigid plastic (sometimes they Ifrom playing duplicate bridge over by the other North-South pairs. The are soft plastic wallets) with slots for many years, I would not have been quality of the hand that you hold is individual hands. It might look like this: persuaded to write this booklet. I say therefore irrelevant to success; it is this because there are things which, on whether you do better than the other the face of it, may cause the social North-South pairs that is critical. You do player some concern; all this talk about not need good cards to win. ‘alerts’ and ‘stops’ and such like. Be This is what happens. At the start, the assured that the techniques of duplicate players at any one table shuffle the are easily and quickly absorbed and cards and deal the initial deals (usually that it is played, in the great majority of two or three) for the first round of the clubs, as among friends and completely competition. Suppose that there is a free of any legalistic hassle. total of nine tables and 27 deals are to Certainly, of its nature, duplicate be played overall, then each table will bridge is competitive and success or deal three deals initially. These same Since each original hand is placed (or, failure is both measured and evident. deals will subsequently move round all subsequently, replaced) in its designated You can still bemoan your bad luck, from the other tables. For this to happen, it is slot, the same hands are played when the time to time, but, overall, it’s a level obvious that, firstly, each player must sets of boards are moved from table to playing table and you can’t hide behind retain his individual hand intact and, table. poor cards and wrong finesses. Maybe it secondly, that the individual hands must You will notice that both the dealer is enjoyed most by those who relish the be stored so they can be moved to and the vulnerability for each hand challenge to improve but, to all, it offers another table. (board) is given. In duplicate, every hand stimulation and the opportunity for new The first objective is achieved in the is a separate entity with both the dealer friendships. Simon Ainger manner of playing to each trick. Instead and the vulnerability determined accord- of playing the cards in the centre of the ing to a set pattern. The dealer might be The Basics table, as you would do at rubber bridge, indicated in writing or with an arrow; each player plays his card directly in the vulnerability in writing or colour- In duplicate, compass points are front of him. When his side wins a trick, coded (red or orange for vulnerable, assigned to distinguish the two pairs he turns his card over upright and, when white or green for non-vulnerable). playing at the same table. Thus North- he loses a trick, sideways. Progressively There also has to be a record of every South play against East-West. In rubber it looks like this: pair’s score (you will be assigned a bridge, these two pairs are in direct number for identification) on each deal opposition. Success or failure depends and this is handled by having a scoreslip partly on skill, but very much on luck in which travels with the board (it goes into the quality of the hands that you are that slot at the bottom) and is known as dealt. a ‘traveller’. They vary in size and In duplicate pairs, North-South and design but a simple example is given on East-West are not in direct competition Your side lost the first trick, won the the next page. against each other but, instead, each next two and lost the fourth. The pattern Finally, there needs to be a pair is competing against every other continues until all the cards are played. ‘movement’ to determine how the pair sitting in the same direction and The second objective is achieved by boards and the pairs will move during who will hold exactly the same cards. having what is called a ‘board’ into the session. This is the responsibility of As North-South, for example, your which the hands are placed after the a ‘director’. Movements and directors score on every hand played, will be play of the hand ends. These are usually will be discussed later.
i Introduction to Duplicate continued Pair 1 has a better score than five other pairs (5 x 2 points) and has the same score as one other pair (1 point), giving them 11 points on this board. You can see that the matchpoints for East-West, The Traveller ability. There is no bonus for ‘honours’. shown in the right-hand column, are The actual score plus the value of over- complementary to the North-South The initial, uncompleted, travelling tricks and any bonus are all added matchpoints. scoreslip may look like this: together to produce a composite figure Note that North-South pairs 3 and 9 (no below and above the line). This is achieved their good result because they then entered either in the North-South had the best scores and not because they plus column or the North-South minus bid and made a game. Had they bid and column. In other respects, duplicate made just 2NT (+120), they would have scoring is exactly the same as in rubber. gained the same matchpoint scores. If a hand is passed out, North enters How a Pairs’ Event the East-West pair number on the is Scored Overall traveller, writes ‘passed out’ alongside it and enters ‘0’ in the North-South column. At the end of the session, there will be a As a matchpointed score, it takes its completed traveller for every board place midway between the North-South played. The scorer now takes over. Each plus and minus scores. board is scored independently. This Sometimes, when things go wrong at means that, if you have a terrible result the table, the director needs to award a on one deal, the worst score recorded in matchpointed score in the absence of a your direction (known as a ‘bottom’ in valid normal score. This will usually be contrast to the best score, known as a related to average, either average itself ‘top’), you will score badly only on that (50%, exactly half a top) or average plus particular board in isolation. Lose 1,700 (at least 60%) or average minus (at most The score is entered after the play of points on one deal in rubber bridge and 40%). The introduction of an average any board ends. Custom, though not it will cost dearly. In duplicate, it means will involve a slight adjustment to the law, gives this responsibility to North only a single bad board out of many other matchpointed scores. but East or West should check the entry. played. After matchpointing all the travellers, The number of the board must be The scorer takes each traveller and the scores for every pair on each board written at the top. The North-South pair matchpoints it. He assigns every North- are recorded and totalled to produce a numbers are usually pre-printed and South two points for each score they separate result for the North-South pairs North fills in the row opposite the pair have bettered and one point for each and the East-West pairs. Sometimes the number that he has been assigned score the same. He gives comple- movement is designed to produce only (beware of mistakenly using the board mentary matchpoint scores to East- one overall winning pair and number). The East-West pair number West. If North-South gain 16 match- consequently that will be the pair with goes in the next column, then the points (here the top score) then East- the highest overall percentage. It may contract (identify a doubled contract by West must get zero matchpoints for the happen that one or more pairs play adding ‘x’ and a redoubled contract by bottom score in that direction. fewer hands than the majority of the adding ‘xx’), the declarer (N, E, S or Let us look at a traveller which has field but, when this happens, their W), the number of tricks made and, been matchpointed: overall score will be factored up to finally, the score as related to North- compensate. South. The columns on the right, In practice, few scorers work by hand headed ‘Matchpoints’, are for the use of any more. Scores are entered into a the person scoring the event overall. computer, and results are nearly always If the overall scoring is done by shown in percentages. 50% is an average computer, the North-South pair number session, 60% is good, 70% is brilliant. column may be blank and the score is Normally, 62%-63% will win a session. entered on the first available line. More and more clubs use Bridgemates for scoring. North enters the score The Scoring into an electronic box designed for the purpose, and East checks it. Then the Since each board is a separate entity, percentage score at the time on that with pre-determined vulnerability, board is shown and earlier scores may duplicate scoring is slightly different be seen. from rubber bridge. A vulnerable game Since the scores are transmitted earns a bonus of 500 points, a non- immediately by radio to the central vulnerable game 300 points and a part- computer, clubs with Bridgemates often score 50 points, irrespective of vulner- have screens showing everyone’s
ii m p Introduction to Duplicate continued it in sequence down from 2 to 1 are laid in a stack on the table with only the 2NT card visible on top of the stack. The same is done with subsequent bids; each stack being laid left to right overlapping score, which is updating constantly. Above is a Convention Card. This card the previous stack so that the sequence Travellers are not needed when using is very simple, but perfectly acceptable can be seen. Be careful to be sure of Bridgemates. for a basic system. It has been filled in your call before handling the cards in where appropriate. It shows that the pair the bidding box. The cards must remain The Personal is playing an Acol-based natural system on the table until the initial lead is Scorecard with Stayman, Blackwood and faced. They are then replaced in the ‘Double’ (X being used as shorthand) bidding box in the appropriate sections. In duplicate pairs, the travellers are used for take-out after an opening pre- The front section of the box contains as the official record for the scores, but emptive bid by the opposition. different coloured cards marked ‘Pass’, there are personal scorecards for your The second part of the card shows ‘Double’ (X) and ‘Redouble (XX)’. own use. It is normal, though not carding methods. These are placed in sequence on the required, for at least one of the partner- This shows that the pair’s basic lead table exactly like the bidding cards. ship to keep a scorecard. In format, it style accords with the table of standard Now, however, you extract only the one looks much the same as the traveller. leads and that signals and discards are card from that section of the box. The main reason for such a card is for high to encourage and low to Additionally, this section holds cards your own interest so do not keep one if discourage (HELD). marked ‘Stop’ and ‘Alert’. The Stop you do not want to. card takes the place of saying “Stop” Score cards are often on the back of a before making a jump bid (see later basic ‘Convention Card’, which is section). It should be placed on the table discussed below. When playing before adding the appropriate bidding duplicate teams, keeping a personal card stack from the back section of the scorecard is usually essential for the box, but replaced in the box after a pause overall scoring. In the Score columns, of about ten seconds. The Alert card you record your own plus or minus replaces the need for the partner of a score (as distinct from only the North- player making an alertable call to tap on South score on the traveller) and, when the table, see next section. When your converting to IMPs, the left-hand Pairs who play more sophisticated partner makes such a call, you extract Matchpoints column is used to record a systems will have a larger and more the alert card, show it to both opponents plus IMP score on each hand and the detailed card. However, in most clubs and replace it in the box. Other odd right-hand column a minus. The scale you will find that the majority of cards, eg marked ‘director’ or ‘No for conversion to IMPs is printed on the players play only simple conventions, smoking’ are not used any more. scorecard (see TEAMS). which are easy to understand and there There is an additional asset to a are restrictions on the complex methods bidding box, thoughtfully provided on The that are allowed. most sets: all the scores are given on the Convention Card reverse of a bidding card. Suppose you The Bidding Box need to calculate 3m doubled and made with an overtrick. Look on the back of The use of bidding boxes, as a substitute the 3m bidding card and you will find for calling out the actual bids during the the correct score. auction, is becoming increasingly The bad news is that your first popular and nearly all clubs now use encounter with a bidding box will add a them. They vary in style and layout and distraction to your game that you would some designs cater for left-handed rather do without. The good news is that players. it is not difficult to become at ease with In their most common form, the four them and you will soon come to boxes on each table are set up at the appreciate their value. start of a session, by extracting cards Some clubs still use spoken bidding from the base and slotting them into the as in rubber bridge. two sections of the upright box. The bidding cards, with every bid from lp to Conventional Bids 7NT visible, are placed in the back section and the other coloured cards in In all forms of bridge, you are entitled the front. When a bid is made, the to know the meaning of an opponent’s appropriate card is removed, together call and you are allowed to ask the with all the cards stacked behind it, and partner of the person making such a call laid on the table. For example, to bid what their agreement of its meaning is. 2NT, that card and all the cards behind The enquiry may only be made:
iii Introduction to Duplicate continued he will immediately tell the opponents the strength: “Weak”, “Intermediate”, “Strong, not forcing” or “Strong, forcing”. These are the only bids announced: if your partner responds 2p a) when it is your turn to call, or Be clearly aware that it is the partner of to 1NT and you play something else b) before you make the opening lead, the person making the call who alerts. artificial that is not Stayman, then you or Never alert your own call (you would be just alert. c) if you are the partner of the defender alerting your partner as well, wouldn’t making the opening lead, after the you?). Always alert a call which you The Stop Bid lead, but before it is faced (opening know should be alerted even if you are leads in duplicate must be made face unable to explain its meaning. If asked, A player who makes any bid which down) or simply explain and suggest that the misses out one or more levels of bidding d) during the play, when it is your turn opponent looks at your convention card (ie a jump bid) must show the Stop card to play. or calls the director. before the bid, and leave it on the table Generally, you alert by showing both for about ten seconds after making the You should not usually ask a question opponents your alert card. If bidding bid. The reason is to allow time for the during the auction unless it affects your boxes are not in use, then you tap the player next to call to reflect after what call. If you have no intention of bidding, table, or say ‘Alert’ if you are unable to may be an unexpected development. best is to wait until it is finished. Such a tap the table. This next player is required to pause for question could be deemed to give your The rules for alerting are a little about ten seconds (and may not call partner unauthorized information. For different in Scotland and Ireland: the until the Stop card is removed) before example, your opponent opens a natural following is true in England and Wales: making a call and this imposed pause is bid of 1p and, before making your call, Conventional calls should be alerted to avoid any inference that the partner you ask the meaning. After being told, up to 3NT. For example, if your partner of the overcaller might make from a you pass. Should your partner now lead bids Fourth-Suit Forcing, you must natural hesitation. If bidding boxes are a club against a no-trump contract, alert. You should also alert any call not in use, a player should say ‘Stop’ doubts will be raised about the lead. In which is natural, but which your before a jump bid. Scotland and Ireland, satisfy yourself opponents would interpret differently. about the strength of the opponents’ Doubles are a bit tricky: if partner What Else is opening 1NT bid before you start to makes a double of a natural suit bid, you Different? play against them. alert for any meaning except take-out: if As declarer, you are also entitled, at partner makes a double of an artificial The Face Down your turn to play, to enquire about your suit bid or no-trumps, you alert for any Opening Lead opponents’ agreement about their meaning except penalties: again, this is This is a sensible rule which should carding methods: what they lead from only up to 3NT. prevent the lead being made from the suit combinations and what agreement There is no denying that what should wrong hand (it is then withdrawn) and they have when signalling or discarding. and should not be alerted can be which allows the partner to ask Playing duplicate, you meet many confusing. Even experienced duplicate questions about the auction without different pairs during the session and players go wrong and you shouldn’t be influencing the lead. Before facing your therefore, possibly, a variety of unduly alarmed if you do. If in doubt, initial lead, you should ask your conventions. Apart from the fact that alert and, if you fail to alert when you partner: “Any questions?” or, as you you can ask for explanations, there are should have, there will only be a lead face-down, your partner should two other aids. The first is the problem if the opponents have been either ask or say “No questions”. ‘Convention Card’, which both damaged. members of a pair are required to Playing Dummy complete. An opponent is entitled to The Announcement In rubber bridge, declarer physically consult it (but you are not allowed to selects a card. In duplicate, declarer use it as a memory aid). The second is In England and Wales only, some of the must call for a card to be played and the ‘Alert’. simpler positions are covered by dummy does the job by picking it up Announcements. This is a method of and placing it on the table in front of The Alert shortcutting the question and answer him. Be careful to specify both the suit process: after certain simple bids are and the rank, and check that your The requirement to alert your opponents made, partner immediately makes a partner plays the card that you called. that a bid made by your partner is either simple description. conventional or carries a meaning that If you open a natural 1NT, partner Quitted Tricks may be known to your side, but not to will immediately give the range, eg. A trick is quitted when all four players the opponents, is not in the laws of “Twelve to fourteen”. If he opens 1NT, turn their cards over. Thereafter declarer rubber bridge, although it gets a then, if you bid 2p (Stayman), he will or either defender may inspect, but not mention as an optional extra which a say “Stayman”: if you bid 2o or 2n expose, his own last card played group can use if they wish. However, in (Transfer) he will say “Hearts” or provided a card has not been led to the duplicate, alerting is required. “Spades”. If you open a natural 2-bid, next trick.
iv Introduction to Duplicate continued locate the person in charge of getting the session organised. You might ask if you can sit East-West so that you do not have the responsibility of doing the scoring or you might ask for a Having None, Partner? Inevitably, you will not do yourself stationary seat if you find moving Dummy may ask declarer in the justice on your first visit. You will be difficult. You may be directed to a table interests of preventing a revoke and nervous and you will be paying more and allocated a compass position or you defenders may ask each other. attention to the mechanics of the game may have a free choice. than to playing. Do not worry that the You will be expected to pay ‘table Checking Tricks lower standard of your game might money’ (a fee for the session) and, since Won and Lost upset those you play against. Your you are a visitor, this will be a little As dummy or defender, you may notice opponents will accept a good result more than the members pay. The money that your partner has a card pointing the happily! You may annoy yourself but may be taken when you arrive or wrong way and, therefore, he may you are unlikely to annoy them. collected at the table. At some stage, wrongly assume that he has won or lost Nevertheless, you want to play your your names will be recorded, perhaps a trick. You may tell him before the next first duplicate in the most suitable when you are assigned a position, or trick starts, but should not do so at a environment. It is advisable, although North, at the starting table, will fill in a later time until the hand has ended. sometimes not essential, to have a name slip or put the names and pair partner in tow. Some clubs will be able to numbers on the back of a traveller. Timers arrange a partner for you and others may Some clubs have a timer which shows have a system whereby a member is on At the Table which round it is, and how many duty to play if a spare player turns up. minutes are left. There also may be an But many clubs will require a On your table, or shortly to arrive, will audible warning when there are three complete partnership and you will, be paper and apparatus. Because there minutes left in the round. While a little anyway, feel more comfortable playing are various possibilities as mentioned strange at first sight, these are an with someone you know. There are elsewhere some (or all) of the following excellent idea, and make life easier for various ways of finding the appropriate will be present. both players and directors to run an club. If you have recently learnt bridge, evening to time. ask your teacher. You may have a friend 1) Your personal scorecard, probably who plays duplicate and who can advise including a simple convention card ‘Duplimates’ you. There is a Directory of Bridge on the back which you should fill in Some clubs have these (or the Clubs which should be available in your while you are waiting. Put your equivalent). The boards are dealt by local library or which you can buy from names on the front but wait for computer and the cards put in the Mr Bridge. Similar details are available further instructions before adding a boards by machine. This saves anyone on websites of the home bridge unions or pair number. Usually, it will be the having to deal, the hands tend to be you could contact them. Of course, you same number as the starting table, fairer, and copies of all the hands will be may have no choice of club for reasons but this is not certain. Do sit available at the end of the evening for of accessibility or the days on which you opposite your partner while you you to see all your brilliancies and your are able to play, but, if there is a choice, chat, since, if one is sitting in the partner’s mistakes! do not be put off approaching a ‘big’ North seat and the other in the East club. Frequently these clubs have special seat, the director may assume that A Board is Passed Out sessions catering specifically for the your table is complete and that your When all four players pass, the hands inexperienced player and offer courses respective partners will shortly fill are returned unplayed to the board. which you might consider. it. Note that there is a requirement to North scores ‘Passed out’. By law, a Never turn up out of the blue. Contact fill in a convention card but keeping board that is passed out must not be the secretary of the club and check your own score is optional. redealt. whether you will be welcome. You will 2) Name slips to be filled in with the get a ‘feel’ about this if you talk on the pair numbers once these are known. Your First Duplicate telephone. Say that it is your first 3) Boards, once the director has duplicate but that you are fully briefed decided on the most suitable You have decided to give duplicate about the mechanics, you have, after all, movement. These are the hands that bridge a try and now you must find a read these pages. Check the location you will be required to deal for the club that will welcome you, and where and time of starting carefully since late initial round. Generally, to speed you will feel at ease. This first step is players can rarely be accommodated. things up and provided at least one critical since a bad experience could put Ask whom you should contact on member of both pairs is present, you off trying again. The first point to arrival. players each take a board and deal it be made is that most bridge clubs will in front of them, putting the dealt positively encourage you. They At the Club hands in the appropriate slots. Then, understand that novice duplicate players when the action starts, all the hands have to start somewhere and that fresh Let us assume that you have arrived in for the first round are dealt and blood needs to flow into most clubs. good time, with your partner, and can ready to play. Usually, these are
v Introduction to Duplicate continued to that table sits out for that round. Some- times, there is no half-table but, instead, a ‘floating’ pair displaces a different North- South pair on each round. The displaced pair sits out for one round and then the only boards that you will appropriate to the number of tables in returns to its original table. actually deal for the whole session. play and the number of boards that time The director should always give clear Rarely, boards will need to be dealt permits. He will also be responsible for instructions. If in doubt, just ask. during the session. Often, the boards arbitrating on any problems, in will be pre-dealt. You should be accordance with the ‘Laws of Duplicate During the Session instructed but, if in doubt, always Contract Bridge’, that may arise during check with the director. the auction or the play. The director Barring dire emergency, you must stay 4) Hand record cards, if present, are should always be called if any for the complete session; we have known as ‘curtain cards’. These are irregularity (lead out of turn, revoke, known occasions when someone wants slips of thin card on which, after a disputed claim or the like) occurs. to give up in mid-session. A session will board has been newly dealt, each Very rarely, a player may elect to normally last three to three and a half individual hand is recorded, suit by ‘reserve his rights’. This sounds hours. Since a definitive number of suit. The relevant compass position ominous but it is in no way an boards must be played in a set time, the is identified on the back (make sure accusation of improper conduct. It is director will require the completion of a you have the right one) and there is simply a courtesy to the opponents to two-board round in roughly 15 minutes a space for the suits on the other alert them, at the time rather than later, and, therefore, your opponents may get side. They are generally filled in by to something that has happened which agitated and the director worried if you each individual player after the play might cause an unfair result and that the play unduly slowly. There are some of the hand has finished. Write each director might be asked to adjudicate. time-saving tips. If you are on lead suit in descending order eg. A K 7 2. The director need not be called when a initially, lead before entering the When returning the hand to the player reserves rights. It is sufficient, contract on your personal scorecard. board, put the curtain card on top of provided the facts are not in dispute, to Similarly, dummy should expose his the stack with the hand details face register the point with the opponents and hand before writing down the contract. down. call the director only if one side thinks it If you are North, enter the score on the The curtain cards are a precaution might have been damaged. Do not get traveller or Bridgemate before updating to ensure that, should an error be upset if an opponent reserves his rights. your scorecard. Never discuss a hand if detected when the boards are played Look upon the director as a completely there is another in the set to play and, if by another table (eg fewer or more impartial judge like a football referee, you have time after completing the set, than 13 cards in one hand), the even if sometimes you don’t agree with remember that other tables will not have director has the data to rectify the his judgement. played the board in question and your problem. Consequently, before you The way to summon the director is to comments might be overheard. look at any hand, you should count call “director, please” and hold up your After a round has been completed, the the cards. When you look at your arm so that he knows who is calling. A director will call “move” and the pairs hand, you should check that it playing director may not be able to required to move will go, as instructed, corresponds to that written on the arrive instantly, and may reserve to a new table. The boards will also have curtain card. Call the director, if judgement if it requires seeing hands to move to a different table, usually the necessary. To avoid being the cause which he has not played. next lower-numbered table. of a problem, count your cards once Both pairs should check that they are again, after the play, before putting The Movement playing the correct boards against the them back in the board. correct opponents and that a board is 5) Travellers, one for each board. Frankly, you do not need to worry too placed in the correct compass direction 6) Bidding boxes, one for each player. much about movements. They are the on the table. During both the auction and 7) A ‘Bridgemate’ for North to enter director’s responsibility and you simply the play, the board should remain in the the score. follow instructions. There may be move- centre of the table. 8) A table number. ment cards on each table, telling you Remember that you are playing to 9) A table card, describing pair numbers your pair number and where to go for enjoy the game, and so is your partner, and boards to play each round, and the next round. If not, your pair number whom you should not criticise adversely; where to move at the end of the will be the same as the table number for no partner plays better under fire. Thank round. both North-South and East-West (unless your partner when, as dummy, he spreads the director says otherwise) and the his hand, even if it is not what you expect. The Director director will announce the move at the Be courteous to your opponents. end of the round (eg East-West pairs up Introduce yourselves and never tell them The role of the director is to ensure that one table, boards down one table – up is how they should have bid or played the session runs smoothly. He (or she) from 1 to 2 etc). unless asked specifically. will be an experienced member and will It can happen that there is an odd Perhaps now is the time to warn you sometimes be playing in the event. The number of total pairs and consequently that clubs tend to have their own director will choose a movement that is there will be a half-table. A pair directed eccentricities: practices which are
vi Introduction to Duplicate continued bridge holidays. Almost certainly, this will be your first experience of duplicate. There are other forms.
TEAMS not strictly correct although they do not to know the rules: just call the Instead of being a pair, competing unduly disturb the game. A board director. against other pairs sitting in the same thrown in on the first round might get, direction, you are a team of four players unlawfully, redealt; players may have However, it does speed the game up a competing against one or several other no convention cards (their system being bit if you are aware that: teams, depending on the event. This is well-known to the regulars); boards how it works. might be moved from the centre of the 3) Any call or lead out of turn or Suppose that there are just two teams table; bidding box cards might be taken insufficient bid may be accepted by playing a head to head match. One pair up before a lead is made, and so on. As the next opponent even without the of the team plays North-South at the a visitor, you will not want to make director. first table and their team-mates play waves but being aware of the correct 4) When a player takes the wrong call East-West at the second table. A set of procedure is no disadvantage. out of the bidding box by accident boards is played at both tables, with the Clubs may also have their own he may immediately change it even hands being retained as in pairs, and eccentrics! Don’t be upset by a pair without the director. then the boards are switched between arriving at your table and ignoring your the two tables and replayed. greeting. Their minds are probably on Note also: There is a direct comparison of the the poor result that they got at the scores (computed on each board) previous table. Very rarely, you might 5) As declarer, you think that you can achieved by both teams. When the set of come across players who seem win all the remaining tricks and you boards has been played at both tables, aggressive or rude. By far the most make a claim accordingly, stating the East-West pairs return to their effective riposte is to respond with your proposed line of play. A North-South team-mates to score. Each excessive politeness, though, if they are defender disputes your claim and board is taken in isolation to arrive at an really rude, you should call the director requires you to play the hand as he aggregate score on every board. and explain to him what was said. directs. Is he allowed to do this? Suppose Team 1 achieves a North- At the end of the session, you may be No. If there is a disputed claim, South plus score of 420 on one board asked to remove the curtain cards and to play must cease and the director and their East-West team-mates score is restore the bidding boxes by replacing called. He will adjudicate on the minus 170. There is a net overall plus to the cards in the base. disputed claim taking into account Team 1 (and consequently a net overall any statement made about the minus to Team 2) of 250 (420 less 170). Do You Need to Know proposed line of play when the Usually, this score then gets converted the Laws of Duplicate? claim was made. The director will to ‘International Matchpoints’, known assume that you could play as IMPs, by reference to a set Basically, no, because the director carelessly but not irrationally. conversion scale which is printed on the should be called when anything goes Claims are a good thing because personal scorecards. In fact, 250 wrong, and, armed with the book of the they speed the game up enormously converts into 6 IMPs so that, on this Laws, will give a ruling. Most duplicate but when one goes wrong, do not particular board, Team 1 gains 6 IMPs players, though having some knowledge argue about it: call the director! and Team 2 loses 6 IMPs. After all the of the Laws through experience, do not boards have been scored, the IMP totals see the need to read and understand How Did You Do? in the plus and minus columns are them. But they often do not know them aggregated to produce a plus or minus as well as they think, so do not believe Some clubs, with their own premises score (in overall IMPs) for both teams. them! Having said that, there are some and a computer, may produce a result An overall plus score wins this match. Laws that it can be valuable to be aware within minutes of the end of the session, Usually head to head matches are of when you play. but, usually, the result will only be played in ‘stanzas’: eg if there are 24 The most important Laws you need to known the next time you go to the club. boards to be played overall, they might know are: Hopefully, you will have enjoyed the be played in stanzas of 6, 8 or 12 experience enough for there to be a next boards, which are scored before the next 1) You are required to be courteous to time. Many clubs post results on the stanza. everyone else, whether opponents, internet these days. Sometimes, after determining the partner, director, coffee-maker or overall IMP score, a further conversion general hanger-on! Other Forms of is made to ‘Victory Points’ (VPs). Again 2) When attention is drawn to Duplicate this is on a set, published scale. something going wrong you (even if When several teams are competing dummy) are required to call the We have concentrated on against one another in a ‘Multiple director. It does not matter which ‘Matchpointed Duplicate Pairs’ since Teams’ event, there are movements to side did something wrong: it does this is by far the most common form of make sure that the same boards are not matter if your opponents claim duplicate played in bridge clubs and on played against the same team.
vii Tactics with Introduction to Duplicate continued Teams Scoring
Tactics at teams scoring are very similar to those at rubber bridge. You should In teams matches, scoring is done by Simultaneous Pairs always try to make your contract if you keeping a record on the personal National and international sponsoring can and you should always try to defeat scorecards. After converting the bodies regularly hold ‘Simultaneous your opponents if you can. You should aggregate difference to IMPs, an IMP Pairs’ duplicates, providing details of certainly never let overtricks interfere plus score is entered on the left-hand the hands to all participating clubs, so with these objectives. column of the two columns headed that the event can be matchpointed over The only difference is that you should ‘Matchpoints’ (on the right of the the whole field. The clubs arrange for be more aggressive when bidding game personal scorecard) and a minus IMP the boards to be made up. contracts, particularly when you are score in the right-hand column. The The scores are sent off to the vulnerable. This is because, when the scores are totalled and subtracted to get organising body to be matchpointed, aggregate score on any one hand is the overall plus or minus IMP score for often by e-mail (though a local result converted to IMPs, there is a bias in both teams. The scores must may also be scored) and there is an favour of a successful game contract. complement each other. overall national or international results list. This is frequently done on the Tactics with match- Individuals internet these days: players can see their pointed Pairs Scoring As the name implies, these are duplicate scores there almost immediately, and events in which you compete as an watch them change as more results It is very important to appreciate the individual rather than a pair or a team. come in. different tactics needed when playing They are good fun, but rare, since the matchpointed pairs. This difference is movements can be complicated and the Masterpoints due to the method of scoring. Let us scoring time-consuming. They are run as look at a traveller for Board 2. a pairs event, except that you change A club which is affiliated to one of the partners every round and therefore, when home unions is entitled to issue it is scored, there is an individual winner. ‘Masterpoints’ for success in any of its duplicates. Swiss Competitions There is a graded award to the top You may see some competitions third of the field (or, in a major event, advertised as ‘Swiss Pairs’ or ‘Swiss the top half) and they are usually given Teams’ and both are popular formats out as actual certificates. When although the latter, being easier to run, members of a home union (the points are more favoured. The principle in both are interchangeable) accumulate a total is that competitors who are doing of 200 such points, they can send them equally well, or equally badly, are to headquarters and they are recorded as matched to play against each other. ‘club masters’, the first rung in the scale Short matches are played against one of achievement in duplicate bridge. pair or one team and, after the result of The collection of additional points each match is known, the pairs or the enables members to achieve teams are re-matched according to their progressively higher rankings. County, running scores. Generally, a minimum National and Congress competitions of six separate matches is involved and award Masterpoints on a higher scale. the format means that a pair or a team Basic Masterpoints are known as ‘local This looks a pretty dull hand: a cold which starts badly has the chance to points’ or ‘black points’ but, to achieve game contract and bid by every North- climb up the ladder in the course of the the higher levels of the system, you South pair in the room. All have made competition. need to acquire ‘green points’ or ‘red two overtricks except for Pair 1. At points’, awarded in major competitions teams or rubber bridge, this would be of Newcomer Duplicates organised at national, county, area or minimal importance. But, at pairs, it has Sponsoring bodies, which include the district level. resulted in a ‘bottom’ for North-South home bridge unions, county, district and Masterpoints are valid for three years and a consequent ‘top’ for East-West. area associations and bridge clubs, are and this means that you can start Was North careless? Did East-West keen to encourage newcomers to collecting them without being a find a brilliant defence? Either way, it duplicate and there are competitions member of a union and register them, if has significantly cost one side and organised to suit them. and when you decide to become one. rewarded the other. I
Why not try your first duplicate at a Mr Bridge Gentle Duplicate event, designed for newcomers to duplicate? For full details 01483 489961.
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