Club Qualifying N. A. P. Dates: June 1 - August 31, 2019

Masterpoints:

Flights: A (Open), B (0-2500 Master Pts), C (0-500 Master Pts and Non-Life Master)

Check your Masterpoint totals in the June 2019 Bridge Bulletin to determine 

which flight you are qualified for 

District winners in each flight will be recognized on the web site.

Championship Finals will be held at the Spring NABC in 2020 in Columbus, OH 

A highly prestigious "grass roots" event, the North American Pairs starts at the club level in June, July and August. Club-level qualifications may be earned at any club in any unit in any district. A player may qualify as often as desired and with as many different partners as desired. Unit-level qualifiers are optional and held after Sept. 1 and before the district final, which may be held after the unit final until the third week in January.  At the district final, both players must have qualified at the club level and must be members of the parent district.  A fixed amount prize will be awarded in all flights as follows:

1. The 1st place qualifiers will receive $700 per person and the 2nd place qualifiers will receive $300 per person + Entry fees to the Finals. The 3rd and 4th place qualifiers will be invited to participate in the national level finals, but will not receive any prize.

2. No individual may collect two concurrent prizes.

The monetary award will be available on site.  Qualifiers must play in the national level event until eliminated to receive the award.

There will be no entry fee for the national level of the event.

Check with your district to learn whether it provides additional funding.  Some districts provide additional funding

The winning pairs of EACH flight will receive a subsidy from Unit 194-230 which will be the net proceeds from the District finals after expenses.

The American Contract Bridge League offers each District an opportunity to send players to the Spring Nationals to participate in the NATIONAL NORTH AMERICAN PAIRS EVENT.    

There are THREE flights available.

ª      Flight “A” (open) is available for ALL members of the ACBL.

ª      Flight “B” is limited to players with LESS THAN 2500 Masterpoints

ª      Flight “C” is limited to Non-Life Master players with less than 500 Masterpoints

( Masterpoint limits as of May 6th, 2019 - See your June 2019 bulletin)  

YOU CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN THE DISTRICT FINAL UNLESS YOU QUALIFY AT THE CLUB LEVEL.  Club level games are held from June 1^st to August 31^st ONLY!!

Check your local bridge calendar and see when you have an opportunity to QUALIFY to win a trip to the Nationals and represent the Maritimes in the FINAL EVENT.

District - 1 Finals are 2 sessions ( 1 day event )  only as follows:

ª      Entry Fee is $ 50.00 per pair 

District  Finals:

North American Pairs (NAP)

Special Conditions for District 1 - Qualification to the ACBL NAP Finals

District 1 holds a “split final”: one final takes place in the Eastern portion of the district, and another in the Western portion. The following describes how the representing pairs will be selected for participation in the ACBL NAP finals in the Spring NABC.

The District finals will generally be completed by the first half of November. The District coordinator will work diligently with the coordinators in each portion of the district and the finalists, to confirm the participating pairs to the ACBL finals and confirm their participation to the ACBL.

Flight A (Open)

ž  District 1 can send three (3) pairs to the ACBL NAP finals.

1^st place: $700.00 subsidy per player from ACBL

2^nd place: $300.00 per player from ACBL

3^rd place: earns the right to attend the finals with no ACBL subsidy.

ž  In the odd numbered years of the ACBL Finals, the 1^st place subsidy is awarded to the Western portion of District 1 and the 2^nd place subsidy is awarded to the Eastern portion.

ž  In the even numbered years of the ACBL Finals, 1^st place subsidy is awarded to the Eastern portion and the 2^nd place subsidy is awarded to the Western portion.

ž  The 3^rd place invitation is first awarded to the portion of the district that holds the 1^st place. If that pair doesn’t wish to accept the invitation, then the invitation reverts to the other portion of the district, and back and forth until a pair accepts the invitation.

ž  If, for some reason, no pair from one portion of the district wishes to participate to the NAP Finals, the available seat will be offered to the other portion of the District (and subsidy if applicable).

Flight B (0-2500) & Flight C (Non-Life Master under 500)

ž  District 1 can send four (4) pairs to the ACBL NAP Finals.

1^st place: $700.00 subsidy per player from ACBL

2^nd place: $300.00 per player from ACBL

3^rd and 4^th place: earn the right to attend the ACBL Finals with no ACBL subsidy.

ž  In the odd numbered years of the ACBL Finals, the 1^st place subsidy and the 3^rd place non‑subsidized participation are awarded to the Western portion of District 1, the Eastern portion being awarded the 2^nd place subsidy and 4^th non-subsidized seat for the finals.

ž  In the even numbered years of the ACBL Finals, the 1^st place subsidy and the 3^rd non‑subsidized participation are awarded to the Eastern portion, the Western portion being awarded the 2^nd place subsidy and the 4^th place non‑subsidized seat for the finals.

ž  If, for some reason, 1^st or 2^nd place pair chooses not to attend the finals, their place will be offered to the next pair on the list of their portion of the district and that pair will receive the subsidy allotted to their district portion as described above. Each portion of the district goes down its own list to send two pairs.

ž  If one portion of the District cannot fill its two seats for the ACBL NAP Finals, the available seat will be offered to the other portion of the District (and subsidy if applicable).

Tie-Break: If there is a tie between two or more pairs in a district final, the score of these pairs will be recalculated to determine the pair that finishes before the other. For comparable boards, the calculations will be as follows: +1 for a win, +½ for a tie, 0 for a loss.

“Grass Roots” funds: It is the District board’s decision whether or not to allot some subsidy from the funds. Individual Units can also decide where or not to subsidize players who may be winners from their Unit. 

National  Finals:

Your finish in your District's NAP Finals has earned you an opportunity to represent your District in the National Finals of the North American Pairs at the NABC in Columbus, Ohio  

Districts are entitled to send four pairs in Flight B: (0-2500) and Flight C: (under 500 Non-Life Master) and three pairs in Flight A: (Open).

Event Dates

Flight A:  Baldwin Pairs March 18 and 19, 2020

Flight B:  Golder Pairs March 28 and 29, 2020

Flight C:  President's Cup Pairs March 28 and 29, 2020

The monetary prizes are as follows:

1st Place :   District Qualifiers will receive $700.00 per person.

2nd Place : District Qualifiers will receive $300.00 per person.

3rd Place :  District Qualifiers will be invited to participate in the national level finals, but will not receive a prize.

No individual may collect two concurrent prizes.

The monetary award will be available on site. Qualifiers must play in the national level event until eliminated to receive the award.

There will be no entry fee for the national level of the event.

If any pair in any eligible position declines to participate, their prize be will forfeited and will be awarded to the next finisher in line who accepts the invitation. For example, if the 2^nd place finishers decline to participate, the original 3^rd place finishers will move up to 2^nd place and receive the $300.00 prize. The original 4^th place finishers will be invited to participate with no subsidy.

< Click here for 2020 Spring NABC website Columbus, Ohio >

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