Competitive Behavior

Fight It Out -- At the Table. Hard-fought competition allows all four players to enjoy duplicate or tournament bridge all the time -- with good cards or bad. It's the reason we enjoy a close tennis match more than a one-sided one.

But the only way it works is for everyone to obey all the rules all the time, and for everyone to behave properly at all times. Competition doesn't mean over-intensive or rude behavior or dominating tactics. It simply provides a way for all the players to participate fully in the game.

The Bad Old Days Are Gone. Formally, bridge players -- Duplicate players, especially -- had a reputation for intimidating newcomers and even their own partners. This is rarely found today, as tournament and club directors don't' put up with obnoxious behavior for even one second anymore. Don't let your competitive juices make you a bore or a boor.

Remember, bridge is only a game -- even Duplicate.

Duplicate Competitors

Opponents vs. Competitors. In competitive bridge, your competitors are not at your table !

Winning in competition means scoring more points or giving up fewer points than your competitors -- those pairs that who play the same cards you do - - either as East and West or as North and South.

The people at your table are opponents -- not competitors. In this way, luck is removed from Duplicate, and skill is the name of the game.

Competitive Bidding. Competitive bridge is noticeably different from social or party bridge in the area of bidding after the opponents have opened. Competition like this surfaces the skilled players quickly. Learning those skills is the purpose of the Series.

The ability to compete effectively and to wrestle the contract from the enemy or push them too high is the most exciting part of advanced bridge bidding. Because of the intense competition, Duplicate is heavily regulated in terms of conduct and behavior. This is the only way strangers can play a competitive game and enjoy the activity equally.