Matchpoint Pairs

At bridge, some decisions can sometimes seem to depend a bit on luck, based on your good or bad inspiration. However, the two options you must choose between are not always equivalent, and certain factors can strongly push you to…

Dealer East, All Vul. W N E S 1♣ 1♥ Pass  2♣ Pass 3♥(*) Pass 4♥ (*) Shows a solid six-card suit and a good opening hand. The start of the playWest leads the 2 of Clubs for your King…

In matchpoint pairs, where the tiniest point difference matters already, offering your opponents an undue trick can produce a catastrophic score. Sitting East, what would be your defense against this major-suit game? Dealer South – All Vul: W N E…

Have a look at the following deal, where you play as West in a Club game: Dealer West, None Vul. The bidding: W N E S 2NT Pass 3NT North leads the Spade 5, and your partner lays down his cards.…

When playing matchpoint pairs, in uncontested auctions you must more often than not give preference to the bid that immediately describes your hand rather than choose the one that would require further development. Concise bidding won’t make your opponents’ task any easier,…

In matchpoint pairs, when the deals are very competitive, the contracts played and the scores entered (in both columns) can vary greatly. Conversely, there are other deals in which the auction is uncontested, and all pairs reach the same contract…

You pick up the following hand as West (None Vul): ♠ J97542 ♥ 52♦ A73 ♣ AQ The auction starts as follows: W N E S 1NT Pass 2♣ ? It’s your turn… Are you going to pass or intervene? Your meager arguments for making…

The way of calculating the results is an essential part of the game. Scores are entered in the same way in teams and pairs, but the way they are used to determine the result differs according to the form of bridge:…

Have a look at the following deal, where you are sitting East: Dealer North – All Vul. The bidding: W N E S 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 2NT Pass 3♦ x West leads the 9 of Clubs, declarer calls for…

In duplicate, you almost systematically use Stayman in response to a 1NT opening as soon as you hold 8 or more HCP and at least one four-card major. However, in matchpoint pairs you sometimes take the risk of leaping directly to the No-Trump…

The previous article dealt with the search for the extra trick in a very comfortable situation, where the contract being played could not be jeopardized. But declarer does not always have such peace of mind and sometimes has to ask…

In previous articles, we have discussed the importance of the extra trick in matchpoint pairs, and the measured risks that declarer was sometimes led to take in an attempt to obtain a better score. The purpose of this article is to deal…