User:Maproom/bridgehist

= History of the Laws of Contract Bridge =

Scoring of tricks in no trump contracts
In the 1932 Laws of Contract Bridge, no trump tricks bid and made, and undoubled no trump tricks made but not bid, score 30, 40, 30, 40, 30, 40, 30.

In 1935 this became 40, 30, 30, 30, 30, 30, 30.

Scoring of undertricks
Redoubled undertricks have always scored twice as much as the same doubled undertricks.

The 1987 change, to the scoring of the fourth and subsequent non-vulnerable undertricks, was made after a hand in the finals of the 1981 Bermuda Bowl. Munir and Fazli, playing for Pakistan, bid skilfully to reach a vulnerable 7 hearts, which would have scored them 2310. But their non-vulnerable Meckstroth then sacrificed in 7 spades on a weak hand with fives spades to the jack. This went nine off doubled for a score of -1700, a profitable sacrifice. The change of scoring increased the penalty from -1700 to -2300.

Also, the "insult bonus" for making a redoubled contract used to be only 50. This was changed to 100, so that playing 5 of a minor, redoubled, making an overtrick, is always worth more than an undoubled small slam.

8-Level bids
It has always been the intention of every official set of Laws of Contract Bridge to forbid contracts for more than seven tricks. Some versions have stated this more clearly than others, but this intention of the Laws has never changed.

International Match Points
When International Match Points were first introduced in Europe, they were as in this table.

On September 1st 1962 they were changed to the table below.

(after 1972, before 2002) they were changed again (FBDis, p. 22, p. 74)