Slam Competition

Do you dare?

Bidding a slam is the most exciting thing bridge has to offer: all or nothing. Whoever dares and delivers deserves applause — and from now on, stars too. With the Slam Competition, StepBridge rewards every slam that is bid and made. Participation is free!

At a glance

• How do you participate?
  All StepBridge members participate automatically — every slam bid in a tournament or competition board counts by itself.
• Can I unsubscribe from the notification emails?
  Yes, via your profile.
• Which boards count?
  All tournament boards, QuickStep and non-recreational competition boards.
• When do results appear?
  New results appear shortly after the end of the board or tournament.
• Where do you find your overview and the rankings?
  • Your personal slam overview: click here
  • Rankings of all participants: click here

How does it work?

If you and your partner bid a slam (a contract at the six or seven level) and make it, you both earn stars — bidding and making a slam is an achievement of the whole pair, so declarer and dummy receive the same. Overtricks are not needed and your percentage does not matter: making is enough.

If the slam goes down, it costs you a little. That keeps slam bidding what it should be: a bold but considered gamble — trying hopeless slams at random gets you nowhere.

Star scoring

Stars are the only unit in the competition: they determine your place in the rankings.

Why that bottom row? Sometimes you deliberately sacrifice in a slam: better to go down yourself than to let the opponents make their contract. That is simply good bridge. If your slam goes down but you still achieve a positive score (more than 50% or more than 0 IMP), it costs you nothing.

Quarterly seasons

The competition runs in quarters: Autumn (October–December), Winter (January–March), Spring (April–June) and Summer (July–September). Every season everyone starts again from zero — a new ranking and new chances every quarter. The kick-off is on 25 October 2026 with Autumn 2026, which runs until 31 December.

Milestones

Every slam you make earns you a congratulation email. When you reach 10 stars, and again at every 25th star after that (25, 50, 75, and so on), the email marks the milestone. A milestone you have reached stays yours, even if your star balance drops again afterwards.

The Autumn 2026 season is played for the honour: there are no prizes attached. The season winner is announced in our weekly email in January. Whether later seasons carry a prize is decided after the first season and announced in advance.

Questions

• Do I need to switch anything on to participate?
  No, every slam you bid counts automatically.
• Do I need to play with a fixed partner?
  No, it doesn't matter who you play with.
• Does a slam with Sabi as my partner count?
  Yes. When you play with Sabi as your partner, you receive the stars whether you or Sabi play the slam. Sabi itself takes no part, so the Sabi Tournament on Friday counts as well.
• Is claiming allowed?
  Yes. The Slam Competition looks at the contract result, so a claimed slam counts as normal.
• Do defenders count too?
  No, only the pair that bids the slam takes part on that board. As a defender you cannot win or lose anything.
• What happens with an adjusted score?
  Boards with an adjusted or cancelled score do not count — neither positively nor negatively.
• Can I claim a slam that was missed?
  No, the registered StepBridge result is always decisive.

Terms and conditions

You can find the official rules and participation conditions on the terms and conditions page.

Other

You don't need to do anything extra: just play your boards and dare to bid that slam when the cards call for it.

Have fun and good luck in the Slam Competition!