What is Point a Board, and why do you need to know in a Teams Match. 

Each board has a result as follows: If you make a higher score (not contract) than your opponents (the pair that you are playing against), then you score 1 point. If you score the same as your opponent, you each get ½ a point. If you score less than your opponent, then you score 0 points. Let’s explain that:-

                                                                                                    
At Point a board, 
You get either one, a half, or zero on each deal.  It follows that there is no field protection to keep your poor results from being disasters. Point a board rewards accurate decision making and a strong nerve. Bidding as at pairs, there is no premium on bidding thin games. To put it simply, you want to bid those that are better than 50%, stay out of those that are less than 50% to make. Slams are just the same - bid the ones that are over 50%, stop out of those that are below 50%. Once it becomes clear that both tables will reach slam, look to play 6NT rather than six of a minor and so on, just as you might at Pairs.

On the other hand, if you think you have done very well to get to the six level, play in the safest spot available. Accurate judgment whether to play 3NT or four of a major could turn a zero into a half, or a half into a win. These are big decisions at Point a board scoring. Partscores should, as at pairs, be played in the best-scoring denomination - only play a minor if there is no alternative or it really looks as though it will provide an extra couple of tricks compared to the alternative. Doubles in competitive auctions need to be far more aggressive than in any other form of the game. Minus 530 may be a losing board but, if your counterparts at the other table have made something your way, is no worse than -140. Be careful against strong opponents about competing too hard when vulnerable - players who understand Point a board will make speculative doubles because they know that +200 will usually win the board. High-level decisions are very tough at times. A sacrifice will pay off (assuming that the opposing contract would have been successful) if it costs less than their contract - if the alternative is -620, -500 will be just as good as -100. It follows that you should sacrifice more aggressively at point a board than at either Teams or Pairs. But now we turn our attention to the opposition, who have just been prevented from playing their making game. Should they settle for an indeterminate penalty, or should they gamble by bidding on to the five level? At this form of the game +500 will be useless if the result at the other table is -620, so the opposition will take the push to the next level far more often. Defence: Even more so than at Pairs, the defenders should be looking to take a sensible number of tricks rather than to necessarily attempt to defeat the contract.

Opening leads should often be passive, giving nothing away, while the approach to the subsequent defence can be decided after the sight of dummy, only trying to defeat those contracts that look as though the effort is likely to pay off. Conversely, you might take risks to get an extra undertrick against a normal contract. The over-riding factor is almost always, is this defence more likely than not to be successful? Just as at Pairs, if you have reason to suspect that the opposition have reached a particularly good spot which may be missed at the other table, that is the one time to be aggressive in an all-out attempt to defeat it. Again, -620 and -650 will be all the same if team-mates are in partscore. Declarer Play as at Pairs, so at Point a board. Declarer should in the first instance be looking to take a sensible number of tricks. If a contract looks to be very unlikely to succeed then declarer should not risk extra undertricks in pursuit of  a miracle - just play safe for a sensible number of tricks. In an unusually bad contract, however, one that will not be reached at the other table, go all out to make it, because one, or two, or three down may all be the same losing board. In an unusually good contract, declarer may play safely to protect the good work done in the auction. In a standard contract, or one of two or three alternative normal contracts, play aggressively. Don't aim at your contract, rather, if a play looks odds on to work, try it, even though a 'cold' contract may now go down. That overtrick could win you a full point instead of a half. Basically, most of what I have written about Pairs, applies also to Point a board, only more so. But don’t forget, we are talking about a Teams match of 2 Teams.  Multiple Teams are not  considered.