TallynightThe Bridge scoring chart
A contract is a promise to take six tricks plus the number you bid, so 4 spades means 10 tricks. Only the tricks over six count. These are the values in the official Laws, the same for rubber bridge, Chicago and duplicate, except that duplicate doesn't score honours. What vulnerable means is explained under the chart.
| Score for | Not vulnerable | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| Each trick bid and made in clubs or diamonds | 20 | 20 |
| Each trick bid and made in hearts or spades | 30 | 30 |
| No trump: the first trick, then each one after | 40, then 30 | 40, then 30 |
| Trick points when doubled or redoubled | × 2 or × 4 | × 2 or × 4 |
| Each overtrick, not doubled | Trick value | Trick value |
| Each overtrick, doubled | 100 | 200 |
| Each overtrick, redoubled | 200 | 400 |
| Making a doubled contract (the insult) | 50 | 50 |
| Making a redoubled contract | 100 | 100 |
| Small slam: 12 tricks bid and made | 500 | 750 |
| Grand slam: all 13 tricks bid and made | 1,000 | 1,500 |
| Each undertrick, not doubled | 50 | 100 |
| Doubled: the first undertrick | 100 | 200 |
| Doubled: the 2nd and 3rd undertricks, each | 200 | 300 |
| Doubled: the 4th undertrick and each after | 300 | 300 |
| Redoubled undertricks | Twice doubled | Twice doubled |
| Honours: four of the A, K, Q, J, 10 of trumps in one hand | 100 | 100 |
| Honours: all five, or all four aces in no trump | 150 | 150 |
| Game bonus in Chicago and duplicate | 300 | 500 |
Undertricks go to the defenders. Doubled, they add up fast: down 1, 2, 3 and 4 cost 100, 300, 500 and 800 not vulnerable, and 200, 500, 800 and 1,100 vulnerable. Redoubled, twice that.
Older books give 200 for every doubled undertrick after the first when not vulnerable, and 50 for making a redoubled contract. Those rules changed in 1987 for duplicate and in 1993 for rubber bridge.
Below the line and above it
Rubber bridge is scored on a pad with two columns, We and They, and a line across the middle. The trick points for a contract you bid and make go below the line. They're the only points that count toward a game.
Everything else goes above the line: overtricks, slam and rubber bonuses, the bonus for making a doubled contract, honours, and the penalties the defenders score when a contract goes down.
When a side reaches 100 below the line, in one deal or by adding part-scores, it wins a game. Draw a line across both columns under it, and both sides start the next game from 0. A part-score left behind still counts in the final total, but not toward the next game.
Without a double, a game in one deal takes 3 no trump (100), 4 hearts or spades (120), or 5 clubs or diamonds (100).
Games, vulnerability and the rubber
- Vulnerable
- A side that has won a game is vulnerable. Its slams and doubled overtricks earn more, and its undertricks cost more, as the chart shows.
- The rubber
- The first side to win two games adds 700 if the other side has no game, or 500 if it has one. Then add each side's points, above and below the line. The side with more points wins, by the difference, and that isn't always the side that won two games.
- Stopping early
- If a rubber isn't finished, a side with the only game gets 300, and a side with the only part-score in the unfinished game gets 100.
- Honours
- The ace, king, queen, jack and ten of trumps. Whoever holds four of them in one hand scores 100 above the line for their side, even as a defender or dummy, or 150 for all five. In no trump, all four aces in one hand score 150. Many tables leave honours out, so agree first.
Chicago: four deals
Chicago, which the Laws call four-deal bridge, is how many clubs and homes play now. There are no long rubbers: four deals, then a new cut for partners.
Vulnerability is set by the deal, not by games won. On deal 1 nobody is vulnerable, on deals 2 and 3 the dealer's side is, and on deal 4 both sides are. By agreement, some tables switch it on deals 2 and 3, so the side that didn't deal is vulnerable, as on duplicate boards. A deal that's passed out is dealt again by the same player and doesn't count.
A game earns 300 at once, or 500 if that side is vulnerable on that deal. Part-scores carry over until either side makes a game. A part-score made on deal 4 that doesn't make a game earns 100. There's no rubber bonus, and everything else is scored from the chart. Here, We are North and South, and North deals first.
- Deal 1, nobody vulnerable
- We bid 2 spades and take 8 tricks: 60 below the line, and no bonus for a part-score.
- Deal 2, They are vulnerable
- They bid 3 no trump and take 10 tricks: 100 below, 30 above and 500 for the game. Our 60 no longer counts toward game.
- Deal 3, We are vulnerable
- We bid 2 diamonds and take 9 tricks: 40 below and 20 above.
- Deal 4, both vulnerable
- We bid 2 hearts and take 8 tricks: 60 below, which makes 100 with our 40. That's a game, vulnerable: 500.
We finish with 680 and They with 630, so We win the round by 50. Some American tables round each round's margin to the nearest 100, with 50 counting as 100.
Duplicate scoring at a club
At a duplicate club, every deal is scored on its own, the same cards are played at every table, and the board shows who's vulnerable. Add the trick points, overtricks, slam and doubled bonuses from the chart, plus 50 for a part-score or 300 for a game, 500 vulnerable. There are no honours, no rubber bonus and nothing carries over.
- 4 hearts with an overtrick, vulnerable
- 120 + 30 + 500 = 650.
- 2 spades made exactly, not vulnerable
- 60 + 50 = 110.
- 6 spades made, not vulnerable
- 180 + 300 for the game + 500 for the slam = 980.
- 3 no trump doubled, down 3, not vulnerable
- 100 + 200 + 200 = 500 to the defenders.
Your score is then compared with the others who played the same cards, as matchpoints or IMPs, so what counts is how you did against the room. If you play Bid Whist or Spades, the tricks over six will feel familiar.
A rubber, deal by deal
We are North and South, They are East and West. Each number is that side's points for the deal, below and above the line together.
| We | They | |
|---|---|---|
| Deal 1 · We bid 2 hearts and take 9 tricks: 60 below, 30 above | 90 | 0 |
| Deal 2 · They bid 3 no trump and take 9: 100 below, a game | 0 | 100 |
| Deal 3 · We bid 4 spades and take 10: 120 below, a game. We hold four spade honours in one hand: 100 above | 220 | 0 |
| Deal 4 · They bid 4 hearts, doubled, and take 8: down 2 vulnerable, 200 + 300 above for We | 500 | 0 |
| Deal 5 · They bid 4 hearts and take 11: 120 below, 30 above, and 500 for the rubber, two games to one | 0 | 650 |
| Total | 810 | 750 |
Deal 2 gave They a game, so a line went under it and our 60 stopped counting toward game, though it still counts in the total. They were vulnerable after their game in deal 2, which is why down 2 doubled cost them 500, not 300.
They won two games and the rubber bonus, but points decide: We finish 60 ahead.
Keep score for Bridge in Tallynight
Bridge isn't one of Tallynight's built-in games yet, but it takes a minute to set up. Choose Something else, then Rounds, and under Who wins pick Highest. Leave Play to off, because a rubber ends on games, not on a total. Add each side as a player, We and They, tap Add to favourites so it's ready next time, then Start game.
After each deal, type each side's points for it, below and above the line together: 90 for 2 hearts made with an overtrick, or 500 for the defenders when a vulnerable doubled contract goes down two. Tallynight adds them up. It doesn't work out the Bridge score, and it doesn't keep the line: games, part-scores and who's vulnerable are up to you, with the chart above. Tap End game when the rubber is over, or after deal 4 in Chicago.
- Both sides' points for each deal on one keypad
- The running totals after every deal
- Tap any deal to fix a miscount
- A race chart of the whole rubber at the end
A Bridge score sheet to print
Playing on paper tonight? Print a free Bridge score sheet, or save it as a PDF.
Bridge score sheetQuestions
How do you score Bridge for beginners?
Count the tricks you bid beyond six: 20 each in clubs or diamonds, 30 in hearts or spades, 40 for the first and 30 for the rest in no trump. They go below the line, toward game. Overtricks, bonuses and penalties go above the line. 100 below the line wins a game, and two games win the rubber.
How many points is a game in Bridge?
100 trick points below the line, in one deal or added up over several. In one deal, without a double, that's 3 no trump, 4 hearts or spades, or 5 clubs or diamonds. In Chicago and duplicate, a game also earns a bonus of 300, or 500 vulnerable.
What does vulnerable mean in Bridge?
In rubber bridge, a side that has won a game is vulnerable. Its slam bonuses, doubled overtricks and undertrick penalties are bigger. In Chicago and duplicate, vulnerability is set by the deal instead.
How much is down one doubled, vulnerable or not?
Down one doubled is 200 vulnerable and 100 not vulnerable. Down two is 500 or 300, down three 800 or 500, and down four 1,100 or 800. Redoubled, it's twice those.
What is the rubber bonus in Bridge?
700 if you win the rubber two games to none, 500 if it's two games to one. If the rubber isn't finished, a side with the only game gets 300, and a side with the only part-score in the unfinished game gets 100.
How do you score Chicago bridge?
Play four deals. Nobody is vulnerable on the first, the dealer's side on the second and third, and both on the fourth. Each game earns 300, or 500 vulnerable, as soon as it's made, and a part-score on the fourth deal that isn't a game earns 100. Then add up and cut for new partners.
Do honours (honors) count in Bridge?
In rubber bridge and Chicago, yes, above the line for whoever holds them, even a defender: 100 for four of the top five trumps in one hand, 150 for all five or for all four aces in no trump. Duplicate doesn't score them, and many home tables agree to leave them out.
What is party bridge?
Bridge played for fun at a party, often with several tables and players moving between them. Hosts often score each table the Chicago way, four deals at a time, before players move. Some score each deal on its own, as in duplicate. Ask the host before the first deal.
