Bridge Tournament Formats

Walk into a bridge club and you might play a 24-board pairs game using Mitchell movement. Go to a regional tournament and you might play a two-session Swiss teams event. Head to the nationals and you might watch a knockout match that spans three days.

Bridge tournaments come in many formats, each with different structures, scoring methods, and strategic implications. Here’s what you need to know about each one.

Pair Games

The most common format, especially at clubs. You and your partner play as a pair against the field. You’re not looking for teammates. You’re just trying to beat the other pairs who hold your cards.

How it works:

The director sets up a movement. In a Mitchell movement, North-South pairs sit stationary while East-West pairs move to the next table after each round. Boards move in the opposite direction. After playing all the rounds, everyone’s played different opponents but the same boards (or a subset of them).

In a Howell movement, everyone moves, and you play against more of the field. Howells are common for smaller games.

Scoring:

Almost always matchpoints. Each board is scored independently. You get one matchpoint for every pair you beat, half a point for every pair you tie. High percentage wins.

Strategy:

This is pure matchpoint territory. Overtricks matter. Thin games are worth bidding. Avoid complete disasters but don’t play scared. You need tops to win.

Duration:

Club games are usually one session, 24-26 boards, taking about 3 hours. Tournament pair games can be two sessions (50-56 boards total), with each session being 3-4 hours.

Why play pairs:

Pairs games are the most accessible format. You don’t need teammates, just a partner. The movement ensures you get a fair comparison across the field. And matchpoint scoring rewards careful play and good judgment on every board.

Swiss Teams

Team games where you don’t get eliminated. Win or lose, you play every round. After each round, teams with similar records play each other.

How it works:

You have a team of four (two pairs). Some events allow teams of five or six with one or two subs. Each round, your team plays another team. One pair sits North-South at Table 1, your other pair sits East-West at Table 2. You play the same boards from opposite sides.

After the round, you compare results on each board. If your pair made 4♠ at Table 1 and the opponents made 4♠ at Table 2, it’s a push. If your pair made 4♠ and theirs went down, you win IMPs on that board.

At the end of the match, total up the IMPs. The IMP difference converts to Victory Points (VPs). Winning by 1 IMP might give you 15-15 VPs (a tie with VP rounding). Winning by 20 IMPs might give you 20-10 VPs.

After each round, the computer pairs teams with similar VP totals. Win your first match, you play another winner. Lose, you play another loser. This continues for 5-7 rounds.

At the end, the team with the most VPs wins.

Scoring:

IMPs converted to VPs. The VP scale varies by event but typically ranges from 0-30 VPs per match, with 15-15 being a tie.

Strategy:

This is IMP strategy. Protect your contracts. Bid sound games and slams. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Consistency across 6 or 7 matches wins Swiss events.

Duration:

Swiss teams are usually one or two days. A typical schedule might be 7 matches over two days, each match being 7-9 boards. Total of about 50-60 boards.

Why play Swiss teams:

You get to play with teammates. No one gets eliminated, so you play the whole event regardless of results. The Swiss format means you’re generally playing against teams of similar strength, which makes for competitive matches. And IMP strategy is more forgiving than matchpoints.

Knockout Teams

The bracket format. Win and advance, lose and go home.

How it works:

Teams are seeded (or randomly drawn). First round, you play a match against your assigned opponent. The match might be 20 boards, 40 boards, or even 60 boards depending on the stage of the event.

You play half the boards at one table, half at the other table. Compare on IMPs. Whoever wins on total IMPs advances.

Knockouts often have multiple rounds. Round of 64, round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, finals. Each round is a separate match.

Scoring:

Straight IMPs. No VP conversion. Total up the IMP difference across all boards. Higher IMP total wins.

Strategy:

Same as Swiss teams but with more pressure. One bad session and you’re out. This makes the strategy slightly more conservative. You can’t recover from a disaster the way you can in Swiss.

Duration:

Depends on the event. A club knockout might be one day with three rounds. A national championship might span multiple days with each match being a full day.

Why play knockouts:

This is the pure competition format. You’re playing to win the bracket. The intensity is higher because losing means you’re done. For major championships, knockouts are the standard format because they produce a clear winner.

Board-a-Match (BAM)

A hybrid format that’s less common but interesting. You play team games but score each board like matchpoints.

How it works:

Same setup as Swiss teams. Four players, two tables, same boards from opposite perspectives. But instead of comparing IMPs on each board, you compare win/lose/tie.

If your result is better than the opponents’ result, you win 1 point. If it’s worse, you lose (0 points). If it’s the same, you tie (0.5 points).

It doesn’t matter if you won by 10 IMPs or 1 IMP. Win is a win.

Scoring:

Each board is worth 1 point. Total up your points across all boards. Most points wins.

Strategy:

This is like matchpoints in a team game. Every board matters equally. You can’t make up a bad board by winning big on another board. This encourages aggressive play similar to matchpoints, but in a team setting.

Duration:

Same as Swiss teams, typically 7-9 boards per match.

Why play BAM:

It’s a different strategic challenge. You get the team format but with matchpoint-like thinking. Some players find it more exciting than IMPs because every board feels critical.

Round Robin

Everyone plays everyone. No eliminations, no bracketing. Pure round-robin standings.

How it works:

If there are 8 teams, you play 7 matches (one against each other team). The team with the best record (or most VPs) wins.

Round robins can be scored on IMPs-to-VPs (like Swiss) or on straight IMPs, depending on the event.

Scoring:

Usually VPs, sometimes total IMPs.

Strategy:

Similar to Swiss teams. Consistency matters because you’re playing many matches. One bad match won’t eliminate you, but it will hurt your standings.

Duration:

Round robins take time. With 8 teams playing 7 matches of 8 boards each, you’re playing 56 boards total. This usually spans 1-2 days.

Why play round robins:

You get to play against every team in the field. No luck of the draw. The best team over the course of all matches wins. This format is common for high-level events and team trials.

Special Formats

Compact Knockouts:

A variant where you play a short match (like 6 boards), and the winner advances. These can run quickly, compressing a knockout event into one day.

Bracketed Knockouts:

After you lose in the main knockout, you drop into a consolation bracket and keep playing. This keeps everyone in the game.

IMP Pairs:

You play as a pair, but scoring is on IMPs instead of matchpoints. Your result on each board gets compared to average (or datum), and you win or lose IMPs based on how far from average you are. This is rare but fun because it combines pair game format with IMP strategy.

Monster Events:

Some tournaments have massive pair games with 300+ tables. These use special movements and sometimes different scoring (like Barclay, which groups you into brackets based on early results).

Choosing a Format

If you’re new to tournaments:

Start with club pair games. They’re short, low-pressure, and you only need a partner. Once you’re comfortable, try a one-session Swiss team event at a sectional or regional.

If you want to play with teammates:

Swiss teams are your format. They’re social, you play multiple matches, and you don’t get eliminated if you have a rough match.

If you’re competitive:

Knockouts are where you test yourself. The pressure is higher, the stakes are real, and winning a knockout event (especially a bracket in your section) feels great.

If you like variety:

Play pair games for the matchpoint challenge, Swiss teams for the strategic IMP decisions, and knockouts for the competitive intensity. Most tournament players do all three.

Session Lengths and Breaks

Standard session: 24-26 boards, about 3 hours. Club games usually finish in one session. Tournament events are often two sessions (morning and afternoon, or afternoon and evening).

Team matches: Usually 7-9 boards per match in Swiss, taking about 2 hours. Some matches are longer (13-16 boards).

Breaks: Most two-session events have a break between sessions. This is when you get coffee, review boards with your partner, and prep for the second session.

Late nights: Evening sessions at tournaments often run until 11 PM or midnight. Plan accordingly.

Movement Types

Mitchell: North-South stationary, East-West moving. Common for pair games. Creates two separate fields (N-S and E-W) unless you play enough boards to web them together.

Howell: Everyone moves. You play more different opponents. Good for smaller games where you want maximum comparison.

Barometer: Everyone plays the same board at the same time, and results are posted immediately. Fun for club events because you can see how you did right away.

Scrambled Mitchell: A variant that mixes up the boards so comparisons are different. Reduces the chance of score comparisons affecting play.

What Format Is Best?

There’s no single best format. The best format is the one that matches what you want from bridge.

Want to play with friends and have fun? Pair games at your local club.

Want to test your skills against top competition? Knockouts at a national tournament.

Want to play with teammates and build partnerships? Swiss teams.

Want to experience different strategic challenges? Try all of them.

The beauty of bridge is that the game adapts to many formats. The cards are the same, the bidding is the same, the play is the same. But the scoring and structure change how you think about every decision. That’s what keeps bridge interesting for a lifetime.