What Are IMPs in Bridge?
IMPs (International Match Points) are the scoring units used in team bridge. The raw point difference between your table and the other table on the same board is converted to IMPs on a fixed scale that runs from 0 to 24. Jump to the full bridge IMP scale below, or convert any result with the bridge score calculator. For a full guide to team scoring and IMP tactics, read IMPs in bridge.
Bridge IMP Scale Table: How Points Convert to IMPs
| Point difference | IMPs |
|---|---|
| 0 - 10 | 0 |
| 20 - 40 | 1 |
| 50 - 80 | 2 |
| 90 - 120 | 3 |
| 130 - 160 | 4 |
| 170 - 210 | 5 |
| 220 - 260 | 6 |
| 270 - 310 | 7 |
| 320 - 360 | 8 |
| 370 - 420 | 9 |
| 430 - 490 | 10 |
| 500 - 590 | 11 |
| 600 - 740 | 12 |
| 750 - 890 | 13 |
| 900 - 1090 | 14 |
| 1100 - 1290 | 15 |
| 1300 - 1490 | 16 |
| 1500 - 1740 | 17 |
| 1750 - 1990 | 18 |
| 2000 - 2240 | 19 |
| 2250 - 2490 | 20 |
| 2500 - 2990 | 21 |
| 3000 - 3490 | 22 |
| 3500 - 3990 | 23 |
| 4000 and up | 24 |
IMPs come from a fixed conversion scale set by the World Bridge Federation. You first find the raw point difference between the two tables, then look up how many IMPs that difference is worth. The scale is deliberately compressed: doubling the points does not double the IMPs.
How to read the IMP table: add your table score and the other table score, both from your side, and find the row that holds the total. Example: vulnerable, you bid and make 4 Hearts (+620) and at the other table the opponents stop in 3 Hearts with ten tricks (-170 for your side). The net is +450, which sits in the 430 - 490 row: your team wins 10 IMPs. The sign only says which team gets them.
A difference of 20 to 40 points is worth 1 IMP; 50 to 80 is 2 IMPs; 90 to 120 is 3; 130 to 160 is 4; 170 to 210 is 5; 220 to 260 is 6; 370 to 420 is 9; 430 to 490 is 10. From there it keeps slowing: 500 to 590 is 11 IMPs, 750 to 890 is 13, 1100 to 1290 is 15, and it tops out at 24 IMPs for any difference of 4000 or more.
Two lessons fall out of the scale. First, small differences vanish: Winning a partscore battle by 20 or 30 points is only 1 IMP, so overtricks barely matter. Second, the game and slam bonuses create big jumps, which is why bidding a thin but making game (versus stopping in a partscore that makes an overtrick: 6 IMPs non-vulnerable, 10 IMPs vulnerable) is worth the risk at IMPs but not always at matchpoints. The full scale is in the table above; the bridge score calculator applies it for you when you compare two results.
Two Scoring Systems, Two Different Games
Bridge is played under two main scoring formats: matchpoints (MP) and International Match Points (IMPs). The format you are playing changes how you should bid, play, and defend. A decision that is brilliant at matchpoints can be a blunder at IMPs, and vice versa.
Most club games use matchpoints, while team events and online challenges often use IMPs.
How Matchpoint Scoring Works
In matchpoints, your result on each board is compared to every other pair who played the same hand. You get one matchpoint for each pair you beat and half a matchpoint for each pair you tie. Your final score is a percentage of the maximum possible matchpoints. A fully scored board and the tactics that win pairs games are in matchpoints in bridge.
This means every overtrick matters. Not vulnerable, making 4 Spades with an overtrick (450) scores better than making 4 Spades exactly (420), even though both are "making game." At matchpoints, that 30-point edge is as valuable as a 1000-point edge - you still beat exactly one pair. To check how any contract, overtrick, or penalty scores, use the bridge score calculator.
How IMP Scoring Works
In IMP scoring, your result is compared to one other team. The difference in total points is converted to IMPs on a fixed, compressed scale. Small differences (under 20 points) convert to 0 IMPs, while large swings (500+ points) produce big IMP gains.
The IMP scale rewards bidding and making close games, because the game and slam bonuses create the big swings. Bidding 4 Hearts making versus stopping in 3 Hearts and making 10 tricks is worth 6 IMPs non-vulnerable (420 vs 170) and 10 IMPs vulnerable (620 vs 170). But overtricks barely matter - one overtrick in 4 Hearts is worth only 1 IMP.
How Strategy Changes by Format
At matchpoints, play the lines that maximize your expected number of tricks. Go for overtricks when you can do so without risking the contract. Choose the opening lead that holds declarer to the fewest tricks on average, even if it beats the contract a little less often. The bridge odds tables show the suit-break and hand-pattern frequencies behind these percentage decisions, and the opening leads guide covers how the format shifts your lead choice.
At IMPs, play to make your contract above all else. A 50% game is worth bidding. Take the safe line for your contract rather than risking it for an overtrick. On opening leads, choose the lead most likely to defeat the contract, even if it sometimes gives away an overtrick.
A useful rule of thumb: At matchpoints, think about frequency (how often does this work?). At IMPs, think about magnitude (how big is the swing when this fails?).
Go Deeper: IMPs and Matchpoints Explained
This page is the quick reference: the IMP scale and the main differences between the two forms. Each form has its own full guide.
IMPs in bridge covers how a team match is scored board by board, the common swings in IMPs, the break-even odds for games and slams (45% for a game not vulnerable, 37.5% vulnerable, 50% for a small slam), safety plays, doubles and sacrifices, victory points and IMP pairs.
Matchpoints in bridge scores a full board with ties step by step, shows how board scores become a session percentage, and explains the matchpoint habits: overtricks, notrump over a major, the +200 double and playing in the field contract.
Which Format Should You Practice?
Both. Playing matchpoints forces precise play on every board, while IMP practice builds judgment for team games and helps you learn when to bid aggressively. BridgeDummy offers both MP and IMP puzzles so you can train each skill independently.