[dbarto]

what is the difference in IMP an IP

[Vampyr]

dbarto, on 2013-February-27, 13:35, said:

what is the difference in IMP an IP

Matchpoints (MP) is the most common form of scoring in pairs games, and scores are assigned based on the number of pairs you "beat". So if all of the other pairs your way are in 4♠ just making for 420, and you are in 3NT+1 for 430, you would get all the matchpoints. If all of the other pairs your way are -2210, and you are -50, you would also get all of the matchpoints. The magnitude of the difference in scores is entirely irrelevant.

International Match Points (IMPs) is the most common form of scoring for team games. Here your +420 at one table and -430 at the other tables scores 0 IMPs, which the 2000-point swing is huge. IMPs can be compared to total points. The total points are converted to a scale that dampens the effect of big swings, so that one crucial hand will be less likely to decide the entire match.