How are trick scores recorded on a rubber bridge score sheet?
Card editor of the London Field W.H. Whitfeld published this bridge problem in 1885. South is declarer and has the lead with hearts as trump. With a sophisticated finesse, South can win every trick. South begins by leading the ace of diamonds, which, depending on what the opponents discard, opens a possible finesse of North's jack of diamonds. Next, South passes the lead to North with a spade that North trumps. North then leads the last heart, and South discards the 10 of clubs. With the lead of the last trump and then the ace of clubs, the defenders are presented with an insurmountable dilemma. East must hold two diamonds or South takes the last two tricks in the suit by discarding a spade. However, in order to hold on to two diamonds, East must discard the jack of spades, which in turn would force West to hold the queen of spades. Since West also needs the queen of diamonds and the jack of clubs to avoid losing a trick, a discard from any of the three suits will allow South to win all of the remaining tricks by an appropriate discard.
In rubber bridge, scores are recorded on a score sheet divided by a vertical line, with the scorekeeper’s side (“We”) on the left and the opponents (“They”) on the right.1
A horizontal line separates the sheet into two sections:
- Below the line: This is where trick scores are recorded. Only points earned for tricks bid and made as part of the contract are entered here. When a side accumulates 100 or more points below the line, they win a game, and a new horizontal line is drawn to signify the start of a new game.1
- Above the line: This is where honour scores are recorded. This section includes points for overtricks, bonuses (such as slam or honour bonuses), and penalties for failing to fulfill a contract. These points do not count toward winning a game.1
If a contract is doubled or redoubled, the trick points earned below the line are multiplied accordingly, while any resulting overtricks are recorded as bonus points above the line.1