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Matchpoints, IMPs and Teams
Learn how matchpoint and IMP scoring change your decisions on contracts, overtricks, safety plays, doubles and sacrifices, and how to play teams and Swiss events.
The same hand can have a different “right answer” depending on how it’s scored. A safety play that’s clearly right at teams may be wrong at pairs. A risky double that wins at pairs may be foolish at teams.
By the end of this module you’ll know:
- How matchpoints and IMPs work.
- How each scoring method changes your bidding, play and defence.
- How to play teams and Swiss events.
1. Matchpoints: frequency, not size
In most pairs events, your score on each board is compared with every other pair who played the same cards in the same direction.
- You get one point for each pair you beat and half a point for each tie.
- Your score for the session is the percentage of the available points you won.
What matters is how often you beat the others, not by how much. Beating the field by 10 points is worth exactly as much as beating them by 1,000.
What this means at the table
- Overtricks matter. Making 4♠ with an overtrick (450) beats everyone who made only 420.
- No trumps scores more. 3NT making ten tricks (430) beats 4♥ or 4♠ making ten tricks (420). With a choice between 3NT and a major game on a balanced hand, 3NT is often the matchpoint choice.
- Part-scores are fought hard. +110 beats +100, and +140 beats +110. Small differences change many matchpoints.
- +200 beats a part-score. Doubling vulnerable opponents for one down (+200) beats every pair who scored +110 or +140 with your cards.
- Safety plays need care. Give up an overtrick only when you’re in a contract the rest of the field may not reach, or when the safety play is very cheap.
2. IMPs: size matters
At teams, your result on each board is compared with your teammates’ result at the other table. The difference in points is converted to International Match Points (IMPs):
| Difference | IMPs | Difference | IMPs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 | 0 | 750–890 | 13 |
| 20–40 | 1 | 900–1090 | 14 |
| 50–80 | 2 | 1100–1290 | 15 |
| 90–120 | 3 | 1300–1490 | 16 |
| 130–160 | 4 | 1500–1740 | 17 |
| 170–210 | 5 | 1750–1990 | 18 |
| 220–260 | 6 | 2000–2240 | 19 |
| 270–310 | 7 | 2250–2490 | 20 |
| 320–360 | 8 | 2500–2990 | 21 |
| 370–420 | 9 | 3000–3490 | 22 |
| 430–490 | 10 | 3500–3990 | 23 |
| 500–590 | 11 | 4000 and over | 24 |
| 600–740 | 12 |
The scale grows slowly: a big swing is worth more IMPs than a small one, but not proportionally more. An overtrick (30 points) is worth only 1 IMP.
What this means at the table
- Make your contract. Use safety plays freely: an overtrick is worth 1 IMP, but going down in a cold game can cost 10 or more.
- Bid your games, especially vulnerable ones (see the table below).
- Don’t double part-scores lightly. Turning +100 into +300 gains a few IMPs; letting them make a doubled contract can lose many.
- Choose the safest game, not the highest-scoring one. 4♠ in a 5–3 fit is often safer than 3NT with a weak stopper.
When to bid game or slam at IMPs
The table shows how likely a contract must be to make before it’s worth bidding, compared with stopping one level lower:
| Contract | Not vulnerable | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| Game (instead of a part-score) | About 45% | About 37% |
| Small slam (instead of game) | About 50% | About 50% |
| Grand slam (instead of a small slam) | About 57% | About 57% |
Example: a vulnerable game. If 4♠ makes, you score 620 against teammates’ 170 in 3♠: a difference of 450, or +10 IMPs. If 4♠ goes one down, you score −100 against 140: 240, or −6 IMPs. You gain 10 and risk 6, so bid game whenever it makes about 37% of the time or more.
3. Comparing the two
| Decision | Matchpoints | IMPs (teams) |
|---|---|---|
| Safety play costing an overtrick | Usually no, unless your contract is unusual | Yes |
| 3NT or 4♠ on a balanced 5–3 fit | Often 3NT for the extra 10 points | The safer game |
| Close vulnerable game | Bid it if it’s more than about 50% | Bid it at 37% or more |
| Penalty double of a part-score | Often right if it scores +200 | Only when you’re confident |
| Sacrifice | Right if it costs less than their contract | Right if the IMP swing is in your favour, allowing for phantom sacrifices |
| Competing for a part-score | Fight hard: small differences matter | Less important: small swings are worth few IMPs |
4. Teams and Swiss events
Teams
A team has four players (sometimes five or six). One pair sits North–South at one table, the other East–West at the other table, and both tables play the same boards.
- Think about your teammates. At the other table, your teammates hold the cards your opponents hold now. A normal result is fine; you don’t need tops.
- Avoid big swings against you. Most teams matches are lost by one or two disasters, not by lots of small mistakes.
- Comparing scores. At the end of a match, compare scores calmly. Be kind to your teammates: everyone makes mistakes.
Swiss events
In a Swiss event, you play several short matches. After each round, teams (or pairs) with similar scores play each other.
- Each match result in IMPs is converted to Victory Points (VPs) on a scale, usually out of 20. A close win gives a little more than half; a big win gives close to all 20.
- Swiss pairs events may be scored by matchpoints or by IMPs (often cross-IMPs, where your result is compared with every other table and converted to IMPs). Read the conditions of contest so you know which method is in use.
Masterpoints
ABF events award masterpoints in colours:
- Green points at club sessions.
- Red points at congresses and some special events.
- Gold points at national events.
Some ABF events also award Playoff Qualifying Points (PQP), which count towards qualifying for Australian team selection. Your masterpoint record is on My ABF.
Rules worth remembering
- Matchpoints: frequency, not size. Beat as many pairs as you can.
- At matchpoints, overtricks and no trumps matter, and +200 beats a part-score.
- IMPs: size matters. Make your contract first.
- At IMPs, bid vulnerable games at about 37%, small slams at 50%, grand slams at about 57%.
- At IMPs, safety plays are cheap insurance.
- At teams, a normal result is fine: avoid disasters.
- Read the conditions of contest in Swiss events.
Try these
1. At matchpoints, you’re in 4♠ and can make ten tricks safely, or try for eleven with a finesse that, if it fails, could also cost the contract (a 10% risk). Most of the field will be in 4♠. What do you do?
2. Same hand at teams. What do you do?
3. Your team scores +620 at one table and −170 at the other on the same board. How many IMPs do you win?
4. At teams, both vulnerable, you’re deciding between 3♠ and 4♠. You think 4♠ makes about 40% of the time. Do you bid it?
5. At matchpoints, the opponents are vulnerable and stop in 2♥. You expect to beat it by one trick if you double. Your side can make 2♠ (+110) if you bid on. Which is better?
Answers
1. It depends on the size of the gain and the risk, but at matchpoints an overtrick in a normal contract is worth a lot. If the finesse is 50% and the risk to the contract is small, taking the finesse is usually right: you beat the field half the time and risk only a 10% disaster.
2. Take your ten tricks. At teams, the overtrick is worth 1 IMP, and going down costs about 10. Safety first.
3. 620 − 170 = 450 points, which is 10 IMPs.
4. Yes. A vulnerable game needs only about 37% at IMPs.
5. Double. Beating 2♥ by one trick doubled scores +200 (vulnerable opponents), which beats every pair scoring +110 or +140 your way.
Words to know
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Matchpoints | Scoring where each result is compared with every other result on the board; you score for each pair you beat |
| Top / bottom | The best / worst possible matchpoint score on a board |
| IMPs | International Match Points: a scale that converts point differences into a smaller number |
| Cross-IMPs | Comparing your result with every other table and converting each difference to IMPs |
| Victory Points (VPs) | A scale that converts a match result in IMPs into points out of a total (often 20) |
| Swiss | An event where teams or pairs with similar scores play each other in each round |
| Conditions of contest | The rules for a particular event, including the scoring method |
| PQP | Playoff Qualifying Points, awarded in some ABF events towards Australian team selection |
What next?
- Before every session, check the scoring method and say it out loud with your partner: “Tonight is matchpoints: overtricks matter.”
- Play in a teams event: the GNOT, a club teams championship or a congress Swiss teams.
- Move on to Module 11: Congress readiness: everything you need to know before your next congress.
Further reading and external documents
Official
- ABF Tournament Regulations 2026 (PDF): sections on masterpoints, PQP and the conduct of ABF events.
- My ABF: your masterpoints and congress entries.