The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (7 page)

the declarers score below the line the appropriate amount for the

number bid and the trump concerned, doubled or redoubled if

appropriate. Any overtricks are scored above the line, together with

any bonus that may apply for (a) honours, (b) bidding and making

a slam, (c) making a doubled contract.

If declarer is beaten (‘goes down’ or ‘is set’), the defenders score

above the line for the appropriate number of undertricks. The

actual amount depends on whether or not the contract was doubled

and whether or not declarer’s side was vulnerable.

Regardless of the outcome, any single player who was dealt the top

five trumps (AKQJT), or al four Aces if the contract was no

trump,scores 150 for honours. A player who held any four of the

top five scores 100 for honours. Scoring for honours may, by

agreement, be ignored. When a partnership’s below-line score totals

100 or more, they win the game and become vulnerable. Another

line is drawn across the sheet beneath the bot om-most figure, and

the next game begins at zero. When one side wins its second game,

it also wins the rubber and adds a bonus of 500 above the line, or

700 if the other side failed to win one game. Al above– and below-

line scores made by both sides are then total ed, and the dif erence

is the margin of victory.

Example of scoring. (a) We bid 2 ,made 3 , scoring 60 below for

the bid of two and 30 above for the overtrick. (b) We bid 3 , were

doubled, and made only two. They score 100 above for the

undertrick, doubled. (c) They bid 3NT and made five, scoring 40 for

the first and 30 for the other two below the line, plus two

overtricks for 60 above. One of them held four Aces, gaining 150

for honours. They win the first game to our part-score of 60. A

horizontal line is drawn to mark the game, and they are now

vulnerable. (d) They bid and make 4 , scoring 80 belowthe line.

(e) They bid 2 and make one, giving us 100 above the line for the

undertrick, they being vulnerable. (f) We bid and make a smal

slam, 6 , for 120 below the line, giving us a game and making

slam, 6 , for 120 below the line, giving us a game and making

ourselves vulnerable. We also count a bonus of 500 above for the

slam. (g) We bid 1NT, are doubled, and make three. This gives us 2

× 40 below the line, plus 200 above for the (doubled) overtrick

made when vulnerable, plus 50 ‘for the insult’ (making any

doubled game). (h) We bid and make 2 for 60 below, giving us

the second game and 500 for the rubber. Our margin of victory is

1210.

WE THEY

g 50

g 200

f 500 150 c

e 100 60

c

a 30 100 b

a 60 100 c

f 120 80

d

g 80

h 60

h 500

1700 490

-490

1210

Table of scores at Contract Bridge

tv = trick value (20 or 30), D = doubled, R = redoubled, V =

vulnerable

Contract made: Declarers score below the line for each trick bid

and won:

in a minor suit (

)

20 D 40 R 80

in a major suit (

)

30 D 60 R 120

at no trump, for the first trick

40 D 80 R 160

at no trump, for each subsequent trick

30 D 60 R 120

‘Declarers may also score above the line:

for each overtrick (if not vulnerable)

tv

D 100 R 200

for each overtrick (if vulnerable)

tv

D 200 R 400

for making a doubled or redoubled contract

D 50 R 100

making a small slam

500 V 750

making a grand slam

1000 V 1500

Contract defeated: defenders score above the

line:

for thefirst undertrick

50 D 100 R 200 ifnot vulnerable

or 100 D 200 R 400 if vulnerable

for the second and third…

50 D 200 R 400 if not

vulnerable

or 100 D 300 R 600 if vulnerable

plus, for each subsequent undertrick…

50 D 100 R 200 if not

vulnerable

Honours: scored above the line by either side holding in one hand:

any four of AKQJT of trumps

100

all five of AKQJT of trumps

150

All four Aces at no trump

150

Rubber scores:

if opponents won one game

500

if opponents won no game

700

for winning the only game completed

300

for being the only side with a part-score in an unfinished game 100

Bidding systems

Chico Marx – He bids one.

Margaret Dumont – One what?

Chico – Never mind. You’l find out. Now I bid two.

Dumont – But two what?

Chico – Er – two the same as what he bid.

(Animal Crackers, 1930)

Bidding is the subject of various systems and conventions. A system

is a whole process of bidding in accordance with agreed principles

so that a partnership which employs it wil reach the best contract

for their particular combination of hands. A convention is an

artificial bid that does not necessarily mean what it says but conveys

some other information about the hand. A given convention may be

used in more than one system, and a given system may employ

alternative conventions for the same purpose. A fundamental

principle of Bridge is that each side should know exactly what

systems and conventions are being used by the other, so that the

information so imparted may be understood by al . Abuse of this

principle would render cheating too easy.

Acol, the most popular British system, is based on principles and

practices summarized in the table on pages 9-11. The fol owing

notes also apply.

The auction Hands are assessed dif erently according to which type

of bid is in question. An opening bid is the first bid of the auction

(ignoring passes). It is the most important to the side that makes it,

as it seizes the initiative and enables them to pursue

communications at a lower level than their opponents. The first bid

made by the opener’s partner is by definition a responsive bid, and

he may expect the opener to reply in his turn with a re-bid. The

first bid made by the opponents – if any – interrupts the