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ACBL Handbook: Clubs
Chapter 4: Part 3 - page 33-51


Go to:  Index   Part 1 - page 1-16     Part 2 - page 17-32

 

 This document is provided courtesy of the
American Contract Bridge League

2990 Airways Blvd. S Memphis TN 38116–3847
901–332–5586
S Fax 901–398–7754

NOTE: to view the latest revision of the handbook go to ACBL
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR CHAPTER 4 and 5 OF THE HANDBOOK  JANUARY 2000
INDEX FOR HANDBOOK CHAPTER 4 AND 5  JANUARY 2000

     V.   AWARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.31

          A. Awards to Members, New Members

             or Non-Members by ACBL. . . . . . . . .   CHAPTER.4 pg.31&32

          B. Computation of Club Championship Awards . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.32

             1. Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.32

             2. One-section events . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.32

             3. Newcomer championships . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.33

             4. Invitational and point restricted

                 championships . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.33

             5. Individual events. . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.33

             6. Two session events . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.33

     VI.  CHARITY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP. . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.33&34

          A. Allocation of Sessions. . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.34

          B. Substituting a Charity Session for a Club

             Championship Session. . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.34

          C. Two-Session Charity Club Championships. . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.34

          D. Table Fees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.34

          E. Beneficiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.34

             1. Official ACBL beneficiaries. . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.34

             2. Secondary beneficiaries. . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.35

             3. Local beneficiaries. . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.35

             4. Two-Session events . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.35

          F. Charity Club Championship Awards. . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.35&36

          G. Reporting Charity Club Championships. . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.36

     VII. INTERNATIONAL FUND CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.36

 

     VIII.MEMBERSHIP GAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.36

          A. Scheduling a Membership Game. . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.37

          B. Additional Membership Games . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.37

          C. Type of Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.37

          D. Eligibility to Play . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.37

          E. Membership Game Director. . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.37

          F. Point Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.37

          G. Reporting the Membership Game . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.38

          H. Conflicts in Scheduling . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.38

     IX.  OTHER FREQUENT CLUB EVENTS . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.38

          A. Grand National Teams. . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.38

          B. North American Pairs. . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.38-40

          C. North American 49er Pairs . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.40

          D. Membership/Guest Club Championship. . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.40&41

          E. Additional Club Championships . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.41

          F. Inter-club Championship Games . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.41

          G. Super Club Championship . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.41

          H. North America Bridge Championship

             Fund-Raising Events . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.41&42

          I. Sectional Tournaments Held at Clubs . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.42

 

     SECTION SEVEN: CLUB TEAM EVENTS . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.42

     I.   TYPES OF EVENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.42

          A. Board-a-Match Teams . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.42

          B. Swiss Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.43

             1. Win Loss (W/L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.43

             2. Victory Points (VPS) . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.43&44

             3. Board-a-Match (BAM). . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.44

          C. Round-Robin Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.44&45

          D. Knockout Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHAPTER.4 pg.45

          E. Masterpoint Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.45&46

             1. Match awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.45

             2. Overall awards . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.46

          F. Conditions of Contest . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.46

     II.  SCHEDULING CLUB TEAM EVENTS. . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.46&47

          A. Open Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.47

          B. Invitational Clubs and Intermediate

             or Newcomer Games . . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.47

          C. Industrial Leagues. . . . . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.47

     III. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM GAMES . . . . . . . . CHAPTER.4 pg.48-50

          A. Round-Robin and KO Team Championships . . CHAPTER.4 pg.48&49

          B. Round-Robin overall masterpoint awards. . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.49

          C. Knockout overall masterpoint awards . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.49

          D. Board-a-Match Team Championships. . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.49

          E. Swiss Team Championships. . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.49

             1. Two-session Swiss Teams by clubs sanctioned

                 for two or more games . . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.49

             2. Two-session Swiss team co-sponsored

                 by two different clubs. . . . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.50

 

     SECTION EIGHT: CLUB-UNIT RELATIONSHIPS. . . . . . .  CHAPTER.4 pg.50

 

     CURRENT PRICES AND FEES . . . . . . . . . . . . . .APPENDIX.G pg.1-5


                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 33)

                                                       ___________________

      B. COMPUTATION OF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS

      To facilitate the computation of awards, charts of club championship

      awards for all Open, Invitational/Restricted and newcomer events

      (overall) are shown in Files MPPAIRS, MPSWISS, MPKOS.  Except when ties

      occur, the awards given in the charts need no adjustment and should be

      issued as shown.  Overall awards for club championship games in Open

      clubs will be 65% of sectional rating. (charts are in Files MPPAIRS,

      MPSWISS, MPKOS.)  Second place will be 75% of first, etc. through a

      maximum of six places.  Overall awards for Invitational games,

      masterpoint limited games and newcomer games will use the same

      percentages of this chart as they do for regular club games.  All

      section awards will be the same as they are for a regular club game.

      Bridge Plus games are not eligible for club championship games.

 

      FIELDS: The overall award for a club championship is given for the top

      score in an event, without regard to the field (seating direction) in

      which the score was earned.  For example, it is possible that all

      overall awards could be won by pairs seated in the same direction in a

      one-session Mitchell event.

 

      In contrast, section awards are given for the highest scores in each

      field without regard to scores in any other field.  Thus, in the above

      example, while the East-West field may have won all the overall awards,

      the scores that topped the North-South field still would earn their full

      quota of section awards.

 

      There are two fields per section in pair events that use a straight

      Mitchell progression, but there is only one field when a Howell or

      scrambled movement is used.  An individual event with a Rainbow-type

      movement has four fields per section (a separate field for each position

      or direction), but only one field per section if a Shomate-type (single

      winner) movement is used.  As noted above, section awards are issued for

      all four fields.  (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section Two, IV for definition of game

      movements.)

 

      ONE-SECTION EVENTS: A one-section event that uses a one-winner movement

      may award points for more positions in the section than it does for the

      overall award.  For example, in a 13-table open pair club championship

      that uses a scrambled Mitchell movement, there is only one field.  Six

      pairs earn overall awards but ten pairs earn section awards.  In this

      case, the first six pairs receive awards as shown on the overall scale,

      and the seventh through tenth place pairs receive awards as shown on the

      section award scale.

 

      NEWCOMER CHAMPIONSHIPS: Awards for newcomer club championship games are

      determined from the appropriate newcomer awards chart.

 

      INVITATIONAL AND POINT RESTRICTED CHAMPIONSHIPS: Invitational and point

      restricted club games must issue masterpoints according to the

      appropriate award charts for club championships, even though the

      particular event may have been open to all players invited to

      participate (such as the members of a country club, a women's club, or

      an industrial league).


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 34)

                                                       ___________________

      INDIVIDUAL EVENTS: As noted in "Fields" (above), section awards are

      earned by all four fields in a Rainbow movement but only by one field in

      a Shomate movement (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section Two.V for definition of

      "movement").  Overall awards remain consistent and are based on the

      total number of tables in the event and the level of competition.

 

      TWO-SESSION EVENTS: In a two-session club championship a player receives

      the sum of his or her section awards for both sessions, or the overall

      award, whichever is greater, but not both.  When a player receives an

      overall award, the number of tables shown on the award certificate is

      the number entered in the event, followed by an explanatory 2S in

      parentheses; that is, Tables 10 (2S).  A two-session event with 10

      tables playing in each session would be shown as 10, not 20, tables.

 

      When the sum of the section awards is greater than the overall award,

      the player is issued a separate certificate for each session in which

      the points were earned.  For example, a player ranks second in his or

      her section in the first session and fourth in the second session.  Two

      masterpoint certificates must be issued: the first one filled in with

      the section box checked and ranking listed as second, and the second one

      with section box checked and ranking listed as fourth.  All other blanks

      are filled in, with the type of event, such as master pairs or open

      pairs, entered in the open space following event.

 

      The overall awards for two-session events are 50% greater than the

      overall awards for one-session events.  If for any reason a two-session

      event has a different number of tables in each session, the smaller size

      session becomes the basis of the overall awards.

 

     VI. CHARITY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

     In addition to its allocation of club championship events, each club that

     conducts regularly sanctioned game sessions is entitled to a number of

     charity club championship sessions.  Charity club championships award

     masterpoints on a scale that is different from that of an open

     championship.  In an open game, charity club championship awards are 85%

     of sectional rating.  In an invitational game, these awards are 80% of

     those for an open game and the appropriate percentage is used for the

     awards for restricted games.  In a newcomer game the charity club

     championship award is 50% of the open game award.  The club that sponsors

     a charity club championship is not required to pay the table fee or the

     session fee for this event but must provide to the appropriate charity a

     per table donation as established by ACBL regulation.

 

     Every club that conducts 18 or more sanctioned game sessions a year must

     hold at least one charity event annually to benefit the ACBL Charity

     Foundation or the Canadian Bridge Federation (CBF) Charitable Fund (Note

     that Canadian clubs may choose to have their International Fund Game {SEE

     CHAPTER.4, Section 6, VII} meet this requirement).  Only the chief

     executive officer of ACBL can waive this requirement.  Such an exemption

     may be granted when no fund-raising activities are permitted on the

     premises where the club normally meets.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 35)

                                                       ___________________

      A. ALLOCATION OF SESSIONS

      ACBL allocates to a club two charity club championship sessions per

      calendar year for each regularly scheduled weekly session the club

      operates.  It also allocates one charity club championship session per

      calendar year to a club that operates a regularly scheduled game session

      less often than weekly (for example, every two weeks or monthly) but at

      least 12 times annually.

 

      B. SUBSTITUTING A CHARITY SESSION FOR A CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP SESSION

      A club may use one or more of its allocated club championship sessions

      as an added charity championship session but may not use a charity

      championship session as an added club championship session.  A weekly

      game is entitled to four sessions of club championship rating and two

      sessions of charity championship rating annually.  The club may elect to

      conduct only three club championship sessions in order to schedule three

      charity championship sessions.  Such additional charity events receive

      only club championship rating.

 

      C. TWO-SESSION CHARITY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

      Clubs may use their allocated charity club championship sessions to

      conduct one two-session charity club championship.  The same ACBL

      regulations that pertain to two-session apply to two-session charity.

      This includes the right to schedule the charity championship at a time

      and place that differs from that of the regular game.

 

      A club entitled to only one charity club championship session may

      combine one of its club championship sessions with the charity

      championship session in order to schedule a two-session charity club

      championship as above.

 

      Both sessions give masterpoints based on 85% of sectional rating.  The

      entire contribution must be made to an official ACBL beneficiary

      (SEE E below).

 

      D. TABLE FEES

      A club may charge any table fee that it chooses.

 

      E. BENEFICIARIES

      OFFICIAL ACBL BENEFICIARIES: The first charity club championship held

      each year must name the ACBL Charity Foundation or the CBF Charitable

      Fund (for games held in Canada) as its principal beneficiary.  Under

      exceptional circumstances and on written application, the ACBL Charity

      Foundation will permit a club to hold its first charity game of the year

      for a local beneficiary and its next game for an official ACBL

      beneficiary.  Of the proceeds from the first charity game, a minimum

      amount per player must be contributed to the principal beneficiary.

 

      SECONDARY BENEFICIARIES: A club that has selected a secondary

      beneficiary may make whatever contribution it chooses out of the surplus

      proceeds from the charity session.  Some local charities provide playing

      space and publicity in exchange for a portion of the proceeds.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 36)

                                                       ___________________

      LOCAL BENEFICIARIES: The second charity club championship may be

      conducted on behalf of a local charity, if the charity is approved as

      tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service.  A minimum amount per player

      must go to the beneficiary.

 

      A club that elects to utilize more than one of its allocated club

      championship sessions for added charity championship sessions may

      conduct its second, fourth, and sixth charity championships for the

      benefit of approved local beneficiaries.  The first, third, and fifth

      games, however, must be run for the ACBL Charity Foundation or the CBF

      Charitable Fund.  In each instance a minimum amount per player per

      session must go to the beneficiary.  Each club may also hold one

      additional charity game per year for the benefit of the local

      organization of the official ACBL charity of the year.

 

      TWO-SESSION EVENTS: A club may divide the proceeds from a two-session

      event equally between an official ACBL beneficiary and local

      beneficiaries.  If the sessions are unequal in size, the official ACBL

      beneficiary receives a minimum amount per player from the larger session

      and the local beneficiary a minimum amount per player from the smaller

      session.

 

      F. CHARITY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS

      Charity club championship awards for Open games will be 85% of sectional

      rating.  Invitational games, masterpoint limited games and newcomer

      games will use the same percentages of the charity Club Championship

      (SEE Files MPPAIRS, MPSWISS) as they do for Club Championship awards.

      These special awards apply only to those games that fall under the

      charity allocation.  For example, a regularly scheduled game session

      that meets weekly has an allocation of two such games, and a regularly

      scheduled game session that meets once or twice a month is allocated one

      such game.  These rules apply also to charity events conducted as

      invitational and newcomer games.

 

      Subsequent charity championships held by a club conducting open

      sanctioned games will award masterpoints in accordance with those listed

      on the Open Charity club championship charts for the type of event held.

 

      A club conducting invitational games may hold allocated charity

      championships as open events in which all ACBL members are allowed to

      participate, rather than conduct them as invitational events.  The club

      must adequately advertise the fact that the game will be open.  The

      rules for awards for an open charity championship held by an

      invitational club are the same as those for an open club.

 

      Except as provided in the preceding paragraph, awards for the first two

      allocated charity events held by an invitational or newcomer game may be

      found in the Masterpoint Award Charts.

 

      Clubs give awards for subsequent charity championships in accordance

      with the masterpoint award charts appropriate to the type event held,

      including those with masterpoint restrictions.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 37)

                                                       ___________________

      G. REPORTING CHARITY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

      ACBL awards the masterpoints for first overall.  Club managers make all

      other awards on the monthly club masterpoint report.

 

      Clubs must report the results of charity club championships on the

      Charity Club Championship Report form.  On this form they must report

      the number of entries and submit the form and the fees to the ACBL Club

      Membership Department.  They should submit this report and the money

      separately from the regular Monthly Report Form.  ACBL distributes the

      funds to the ACBL Charity Foundation or the CBF Charitable Fund.

 

      Clubs also must report on the Charity Club Championship Report form

      games conducted for local beneficiaries, listing the name of the

      beneficiary and the net amount contributed.  In this case, however, they

      should send the contribution directly to the charity.  ACBL waives all

      table and session fees for sanctioned charity events held by clubs.

 

     VII. INTERNATIONAL FUND CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

     In addition to its allotment of club championships and charity club

     championships, each weekly session may hold an annual one-session club

     championship for the benefit of the ACBL International Fund (not to be

     confused with the ACBL-wide International Fund game).

 

     The club sets the entry fee for this event.  When filing the report of

     the results of this event with ACBL, the club must remit a minimum fee

     per player for the benefit of the International Fund.

 

     The club should handle reporting the results of the game and the issuance

     of masterpoint awards in the same manner it handles these items for

     charity club championships (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section Six VII.G).  The

     awards are of the same amount and are based on the rules established for

     an allocated club charity session (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section Six-VI.F). ACBL

     waives the table and session fees for this event.

 

     Canadian clubs may hold one International Fund Game per year benefitting

     the CBF to meet the mandatory annual charity event requirement.

 

     VIII. MEMBERSHIP GAMES

     Each club that operates a minimum of 18 regularly scheduled sanctioned

     game sessions under one sanction during the year is entitled to conduct a

     membership game.  Only clubs, not units, may conduct membership games.

     Players can pay their dues just prior to the game and become eligible to

     play.

 

      A. SCHEDULING A MEMBERSHIP GAME

      A club may schedule a membership game any time during the year, as long

      as the dates do not conflict with the dates of sectional or higher-rated

      tournaments or qualifying games for the NAP, the GNT, or the North

      American 49er Pairs (NA49erP) which are being held in the same

      community.  The session designated for the game must be one for which

      the club is sanctioned.  A club entitled to hold more than one

      membership game must schedule each one on a different session (for

      example, not two Friday nights).


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 38)

                                                       ___________________

 

      A club may change the playing site of a membership game from that of its

      regular playing site to another location by obtaining prior written

      approval from the unit that has jurisdiction over the new site.

 

      Club managers should publicize the dates and locations of their

      membership games in advance.

 

      B. ADDITIONAL MEMBERSHIP GAMES

      The number of membership games a club is allotted is proportionate to

      the overall club activity.  ACBL measures this activity by noting the

      number of regularly scheduled weekly games the club operates.  A club

      sanctioned for and conducting one through five game sessions a week may

      hold one membership game; for six through 10 game sessions per week, two

      membership games; and for 11 or more game sessions per week, three

      membership games.

 

      C. TYPE OF EVENT

      A membership game must be a one-session event.  Usually it is an open

      pair contest.  However, a club may conduct any type of standard event it

      deems appropriate for its players (SEE CHAPTER.4, Section Six-III).

 

      D. ELIGIBILITY TO PLAY

      Only Life Masters and paid-up ACBL members are eligible to play in

      membership games.  Before the game begins, the director should make it

      clear to all participants that if an ineligible player enters, neither

      the player nor his or her eligible partner will receive point awards.

 

      E. MEMBERSHIP GAME DIRECTOR

      Non-playing directors are encouraged but not required for games having

      not more than one section of 17 tables or less).  The membership game is

      operated exactly the same way as a club championship.  If using

      ACBLscore, this game should be included on the masterpoint disk

      submitted at the end of the month.

 

      F. POINT AWARDS

      Point awards in the membership game are based on sectional rating.  Only

      ACBL may issue the awards.  Open games receive full sectional rating,

      Invitational/Restricted games receive 80% of sectional rating, and

      newcomer games receive 50% of sectional rating.

 

      G. REPORTING THE MEMBERSHIP GAME

      The club manager must report the game results on the ACBL Membership

      Game Report form within 48 hours of the conclusion of the event.  The

      ACBL Club Membership Department supplies this form along with the yearly

      club supplies.  The player number of every player entitled to an award

      must appear on this form and new member and reinstated member dues

      submitted along with this report.

 

      Fees due ACBL for this game are the same as the fees for a club

      masterpoint session, and should be remitted with the Monthly Report

      Form.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 39)

                                                       ___________________

      H. CONFLICTS IN SCHEDULING

      A membership game may not be run at the same time as an ACBL-wide event,

      a sectional tournament, or a regional tournament if its playing site is

      located within 25 miles of the playing site of the higher-rated

      tournament.

 

     IX. OTHER FREQUENT CLUB EVENTS

     Events that are not specific club games are often held in clubs.  Club

     managers should be familiar with the general operation of these events.

     For example, unit championships and ACBL-wide events often are held in

     clubs (SEE Chapter 6), as are the initial qualifying stages of the NAP

     and GNT, which are unit and district events.

 

      A. GRAND NATIONAL TEAMS

      Throughout ACBL, except in Canada, which holds the Canadian National

      Team competition, the Grand National Teams is divided into three

      flights: Flight A (open), Flight A (0-5000), Flight B (0-2000

      masterpoints), and Flight C (non-Life Master with fewer than 500

      masterpoints).  The CBF may qualify three teams from the 0 to 5000

      flight, 0-1500 flight, and the non-Life Master flight to the North

      American final of the GNT.  Should three teams be qualified, one from

      each flight must be a Canadian team residing in District 18 or District

      19.  The district has the option of conducting any fair bridge

      competition it chooses to select a winning team for each flight, which

      is then entitled to play in the National Finals at the Summer NABC.

 

      District and Unit GNT Coordinators work with the clubs.  Sometimes a GNT

      club round qualifying is scheduled, but participation by an individual

      club is optional.

 

      A district may permit each club within its area to hold one

      sectional-rated event (for as many game sessions as the club has

      sanctioned) as a fund raiser for the Grand National Teams or the

      Canadian National Team Championship.  Each district sets the amount its

      clubs remit to it, to a maximum of $6.00 per table.

 

      B. NORTH AMERICAN PAIRS

      The North American Pairs is divided into three flights: Flight A (open),

      Flight B (0-2000 masterpoints), and Flight C (non-Life Master with fewer

      than 500 masterpoints).  The club qualifying rounds for all NAP flights

      are held in June, July, and August.  A club may conduct qualifying

      events in each flight for every weekly game sanctioned during these

      months.

 

      If the games are held as a stratified event, a club may use all

      allocations for Flights A, B, and C, for a maximum of nine games in a

      month.  If there is a separate Non-LM qualifying game, it may be

      stratified as 0-20, 20-100, 100-500 (non-LM).

 

      A club may move the site of its NAP qualifying game to accommodate

      increased attendance, but the club must hold the event at the same time

      as one of its regular sanctioned game sessions.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 40)

                                                       ___________________

 

      ACBL issues report forms and certificates of qualification for NAP

      events.  Clubs not using ACBLscore must return the report form to ACBL

      within 48 hours of the event.  ACBLscore users must return the financial

      report and fees within 48 hours of the conclusion of the event and the

      masterpoints be included on the masterpoint disk at the end of the

      month.  Each club must schedule its NAP game on one of its sanctioned

      sessions (exceptions can be approved by the unit) within the specified

      month for qualification.  Clubs entitled to two or more games must

      schedule them on different sanctioned sessions (for example, not two

      consecutive Friday nights).

 

      ACBL recommends that games of 18 or more tables be divided into two or

      more sections.  Duplicated boards across all sections are desirable but

      not mandatory.  A minimum of 22 boards must be played, and all games

      should be seeded.

 

      ACBL issues all masterpoints earned at NAP events.  A club level

      qualifying event must be a one-session open pair, conducted by a

      non-playing director with club or higher rating.  In emergencies,

      substitutes may play up to 50% of the boards.  Substitutes who play more

      than 50% of the boards acquire the rights of the original contestants.

      Points are sectional rated.

 

      An invitational club may participate and may qualify players for the

      unit level competition.  Masterpoint awards for invitational flights are

      all black and are equivalent to 65% of sectional rating.  With prior

      unit approval, an invitational club may open its games to all ACBL

      members, with players earning the same masterpoint awards as they would

      at open clubs.  Before approval is granted, however, the unit must be

      satisfied that the club will adequately advertise the fact that the game

      will be open.  If a unit refuses permission for an open game, a club may

      appeal the unit's decision to the district organization.

 

      Players may participate in club level NAP competitions outside their

      home districts.  These players will receive any masterpoints earned and

      qualify for the next level of play in their home district.

 

      At a club level qualifying game, all eligible individuals who earn

      masterpoints or finish in the top half of the field, and any individuals

      who score 50% or better, earn qualification to play at the unit level.

 

      For the unit level competition, both members of the pair must play in

      their home district.  In addition, at least one player from each pair

      must be a member of, or have written permission from, the unit

      sponsoring the game.  No player may enter more than one unit level

      competition per flight.

 

      All participants at the unit level must be ACBL members in good

      standing.  Non-members may join ACBL at the time they register to play.

      To accommodate non-members and others who do not wish to play in the NAP

      event, a club may conduct a regular game at the same time as the

      qualifying event.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 41)

                                                       ___________________

      C. NORTH AMERICAN 49ER PAIRS

      The North American 49er Pairs is an annual event.  Games are held only

      at the club level during the month of September.

 

      Only players who hold fewer than 50 masterpoints may participate.

      Appropriate forms and conditions of contest are sent to every club.

      Clubs may run as many NA49erP games as they wish, whether or not they

      have regular sanctioned games of any type scheduled during the session

      of the NA49erP games.  The only exception is that such games may not

      conflict with sanctioned regularly held 0-50 games in the local area.

      Two or more clubs may co-sponsor an NA49erP event.

 

      The club must submit the tournament report and recap sheets (or

      photocopies of same) and the appropriate sanction fee to the ACBL. ACBL

      issues masterpoint awards based on 45% of sectional open pair rating

      (black points).

 

      To receive district honors, members of the partnership must be ACBL

      members and must be playing in their home district.  Non-ACBL members

      may participate and earn masterpoints but are ineligible for any honors.

      Players who join ACBL at the time they register to play in the NA49erP

      event are eligible for honors.  ACBL membership applications and fees

      collected at this game must accompany the tournament report form.

 

      ACBL requires a minimum of two-and-one-half tables to issue masterpoints

      for this game.  Only games of three or more tables will be considered in

      determining district winners.  Games are ranked by percentage (computed

      by ACBL).

 

      D. ADDITIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

      A Club which recruits ten new members earns a club championship awarding

      sectional-rated black points in addition to regularly allowed club

      championships.

 

      E. INTER-CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

      Clubs may use their quarterly club championship sanction to hold

      combined games including two or more clubs not necessarily within the

      same unit.  Each participating club must use their club championship

      allotment and clubs may schedule as many of these games as they have

      allotted.  Overall awards are based on the entire field and the same

      hands are to be used by participating clubs.  This game is coordinated

      by the unit(s) in which the clubs are located and all clubs in the

      unit(s), sanctioned for the session the game is held, must be allowed to

      participate.  This game must be sanctioned by ACBL at least 60 days in

      advance of the event.

 

      F. SUPER CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

      A super club championship is awarded to a club that participated in the

      past calendar year in at least seven of the following nine programs:

 

          1. Master/Non-Master or Member/Guest games

          2. GNT or CNTC club games*

          3. NAOP and COPC games

          4. 49er Pairs

          5. ACBL Instant Matchpoint or World Wide Pairs Championship


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 42)

                                                       ___________________

          6. International Fund or ACBL-wide Charity game

          7. STaC games*

          8. Newcomer program including lessons

          9. Recruited ACBL members as follows:

               3 - where unit membership is less than 200

               5 - where unit membership is 201-500

              10 - where unit membership is over 500

 

          *If unit or district does not schedule these events, the requirement

          for holding these games is met.

 

          Overall masterpoint awards are sectional-rated red points

 

      G. NORTH AMERICAN BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIP FUND-RAISING EVENTS

      ACBL allocates to each district one sectional-rated NABC fund-raising

      game in each of the three years prior to a North American Bridge

      Championship held within the district.  The district schedules a week

      for the event, and ACBL sends a report form to all clubs within the

      district advising them that the events may be held during their regular

      meeting times.  Clubs may hold the same number of these sessions as

      their allocated number of membership games. A participating club must

      remit a sanction fee per table to ACBL with the report form. ACBL

      retains the normal sectional sanction fee per table and sends the

      remainder to the district NABC Hospitality Fund.

 

      These events award sectional-rated black points, with session and

      overall awards at each site based on the number of tables in play at

      that site.  Open games earn full sectional rating.

 

      Invitational/restricted games earn 80% of sectional rating, and newcomer

      games earn 50%.  If the club chooses, these events may be stratified.

 

      H. SECTIONAL TOURNAMENTS HELD AT CLUBS

      Clubs may also participate in Sectional Tournaments at Clubs (STaCs) and

      the qualifying rounds of a Progressive Sectional when these are

      sponsored by the club's unit. (SEE Chapter 6)

 

      I. JUNIOR MONTH

      The month of February is designated as Junior month.  During this month

      each club is authorized to hold sectional-rated black point Junior Fund

      games.  All clubs may run as many fund games as they have games.  Up to

      four Junior Fund Games may be run in any other month.  The additional

      fees (see Appendix G) go to the ACBL Junior Fund in the USA and the

      Canadian Junior Fund in Canada (Canadian dollars).  Bermuda and Mexico

      fees can go to either of the above funds or an equivalent fund.

 

 

      J. CLUB APPRECIATION TEAM GAME

      The month of October, each club may run one of their regularly scheduled

      games as a Club Appreciation Team Game.  Each club will be entitled to

      one such team game regardless of how many sanctioned sessions they have.

      This game will be sectionally-rated and award black points.  In

      addition, 5% of all masterpoints will be gold to a maximum of .25 per

      individual winner.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 43)

                                                       ___________________

     K.  STATE, PROVINCE, COUNTRY (SPC) CHAMPIONSHIPS

     This is an event in which each participating ACBL SPC may name a champion

     in each category by means of a fair competition that is not necessarily

     the same from SPC to SPC.  The type of event and conditions of contest

     must be submitted to and approved by ACBL Management.  There will not be

     a national final.  The event may be flighted.  With ACBL Management

     approval, this event or any portion may be run through an online service.

     At SPC option, each flight may be played at three or fewer levels ACBL

     rules and regulations apply to all play in the event and supercede

     special SPC conditions in cases of conflict.

 

     SECTION SEVEN: CLUB TEAM EVENTS

     Four types of team events have proven popular at clubs: board-a-match,

     Swiss, round-robin, and knockout.  Clubs may use all of these team events

     as part of their regular masterpoint game schedule and for club

     championships.

 

     A session may consist of as few as 18 boards.  A club may not conduct

     more than one session during a given play period (morning, afternoon, or

     evening).  The only exception is a club that is sanctioned to hold a

     session on New Year's Eve (December 31).  It may schedule two sessions of

     play that night: one to begin before midnight and the other after.

 

     I.  TYPES OF TEAM EVENTS

      A. BOARD-A-MATCH TEAMS

      Any number of teams may play in board-a-match events.  While

      board-a-match games are better suited for single-session events, clubs

      may use them for two-session club championships.

 

      The term board-a-match refers to a method of scoring.  However, through

      common usage board-a-match has come to refer to the movement used.  The

      overall winner in a board-a-match contest is the team that wins the most

      matches in which each board played is a match, with one matchpoint

      available on each board.  Ideally, each team should play against all the

      other teams.  Thus, the number of boards played in each round is

      determined by the number of teams in the event.

 

      The usual board-a-match movement is similar to the Mitchell movement

      used in pair games.  However, there are significant differences because

      each team has an E/W and a N/S pair.  Club directors should become

      thoroughly familiar with board-a-match movements before undertaking the

      operation of such games.

 

      The event is structured so that the boards played by the N/S pair of

      Team 1 versus the E/W pair of Team 2 are subsequently played by the E/W

      pair of Team 1 versus the N/S pair of Team 2.  The team with the best

      raw score on a board earns one point.  On a board in which there is a

      tie in the raw score, each team earns one half a point.  For example, if

      the N/S pair of a team is +120 on a board and its teammates are  110,

      the board is scored as a win (1 point) for that team.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 44)

                                                       ___________________

      B. SWISS TEAMS

      The Swiss team game is probably the most popular team event.  The Swiss

      movement may be used in single-session regular masterpoint games or in

      one or two-session club championships.  The term Swiss refers to a type

      of movement in which contestants with similar records play against each

      other as the event progresses.

 

      Although clubs may use a Swiss team movement when as few as five teams

      participate, ACBL recommends a round-robin movement when fewer than

      eight teams participate.

 

      A Swiss team game may be scored in one of three ways:

 

         1.  WIN/LOSS:  This scoring method determines the net raw scores of

         each board and then these scores are converted to International

         Matchpoints (IMPs), in accordance with the internationally approved

         conversion scale (see Law 78 in LAWS OF DUPLICATE CONTRACT BRIDGE or

         the ACBL Convention Card).

 

         To determine the winner of the match, the IMP results on all boards

         are added. The team that emerges with a net plus wins the match and is

         awarded the appropriate masterpoints.  A margin of as little as 1 IMP

         is sufficient for winning the masterpoints for the match.  If the net

         result after adding the IMPs is zero, the match is a tie and the

         masterpoints for the match are divided equally between the two teams.

 

         A slight variation in the Win/Loss scoring method considerably reduces

         the potential for ties.  Using this win/loss scoring variation, a team

         is not credited with a full win unless it wins its match by at least 3

         IMPs.  A team that wins by 1 or 2 IMPs is credited with 3/4 of a win,

         with the other 1/4 going to the losing team.  Pairings and overall

         standings are based on this scoring - 1, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 and 0 per

         match. However, the winning team gets the full allotment of

         masterpoints for winning the match, even if it wins by only 1 or 2

         IMPs. The losing team receives no masterpoints.

 

         2.  VICTORY POINTS (VPS):  Victory point scoring uses the net result

         in IMPs translated to victory points according to a predetermined

         scale (the two approved scales appear on the ACBL convention card and

         in the file MPSWISS.)

 

         Victory point scoring has some unusual factors.  Teams that lose two

         matches in win/loss Swiss teams have little chance of placing overall;

         teams that lose two matches in VP Swisses still have a chance to win

         the event.  The team that has the best win/loss record in win/loss

         Swisses is the winner; the team with the best win/loss record in VP

         Swiss teams is not necessarily the winner---it is not even guaranteed

         a place in the overall standings.  This is possible in a situation

         where the team with the best win/loss record wins its matches by small

         margins and thereby earns fewer victory points than another team that

         wins its matches by wide margins and earns lots of victory points.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 45)

                                                       ___________________

 

         Pairings for the first round should be random irrespective of the

         scoring method used.  In subsequent rounds pairing should be done in

         such a way that teams with similar records play each other, always

         taking into consideration that teams may not compete against teams

         they have played in an earlier round.

 

         Using victory points, first-round pairings still are random.  However,

         pairings for subsequent rounds are based on the victory point holdings

         of the teams, not on their win/loss record.  The team with the net

         plus in IMPs still is the winner of the masterpoints for each match.

         However, overall standings are based on total victory points, not wins

         and losses.

 

         3.  BOARD-A-MATCH (BAM):  Board-a-match scoring compares the net raw

         score on each board and gives a win, tie (identical scores), or a loss

         for each one.  These scores are accumulated with the winner of each

         match receiving the match masterpoint awards, and the overall winner

         is the team with the most points.  This method of scoring is rarely

         used, since it resembles a matchpoint pairs event but requires the

         formation of a team.

 

         ACBL offers a free pamphlet, "Swiss Teams," which is available on

         request from the ACBL Club Membership Department.

 

      C. ROUND-ROBIN TEAMS

      Round-robin events are especially suitable for a small number of teams

      (as few as three) and for contests that may run over several sessions.

      In a complete round-robin each team plays against all other teams

      entered in the event.

 

      To qualify for overall awards, each team must play against at least 75%

      of the other teams in the event.  If the event runs for more than three

      sessions, the club uses the appropriate multiplier (SEE File MPSWISS).

      If all teams entered in the contest play simultaneously, each such

      period (as in a pair game) is a session.  There can be no more than one

      session of play during a given time period (morning, afternoon or

      evening) and each team must play at least 18 boards.

 

      A club may allow two teams to play their match at a time convenient to

      both if the club is sanctioned to hold a game at that time.  In such

      cases, a session is based on the number of matches (18 or more boards) a

      typical team plays.  For example, a club has a round-robin event in

      which each team is scheduled to play a 28-board match against all other

      teams in the contest.  Ten teams enter.  The club has ruled that all

      first-round matches must be completed by April 1, second-round matches

      by April 15, and so forth.  The captains of the opposing teams may

      arrange to play their matches at convenient times sanctioned by the

      club.  Since each team will play nine matches, although all teams may

      not be playing at the same time, this is considered a nine-session

      event.  Thus overall awards are based on the six-session point award

      charts.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 46)

                                                       ___________________

 

      Many clubs find it convenient to conduct this type of event

      simultaneously with their regular weekly games.  There are some patrons

      of almost every club who prefer team play to the more usual pairs

      competitions.  By scheduling round-robins to run along with their

      regular games, clubs can provide varied programs for their clientele.

 

      Any scoring method discussed for Swiss teams may be used to score and

      determine overall winners in a round-robin team event.  ACBL recommends

      the use of IMPs, with or without victory points.  The method the club

      uses for determining the overall winner must be the same as that which

      it uses to decide the winner of each individual match.  The club reports

      these points along with all others earned on the Club Masterpoint

      Report.

 

      D. KNOCKOUT EVENTS

      A knockout event consists of a series of matches in which the winners

      advance and the losers are eliminated.  This progression continues until

      only one team remains---the winner.

 

      This type of competition works best when the original entry is a power

      of two---2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc.  Such fields permit all head-to-head

      matches between two teams---the best kind of match possible.  However,

      any number of teams can be accommodated through the use of three-way

      matches.  (At one time a system of byes was used to reduce the field to

      a power of two, but this method is rarely used today.)

 

      Three-way matches can be utilized in either of two ways - either two

      teams advance and one is eliminated or one team advances and two are

      eliminated.  Consider an original entry of 18 teams where it is desired

      to reduce the field to eight teams for the next session.  Six

      head-to-head matches would be set up, each producing one team for the

      next session.  In addition there would be two three-way matches, with

      only the winner to advance.  The two survivors plus the six victors in

      head-to-head competition provide eight teams for the next session.

 

      Now consider an original entry of 14 teams where it is desired to reduce

      the field to eight teams.  Four head-to-head matches would be set up,

      each producing one winner.  In addition there would be two three-way

      matches, each of which would produce two winners.  Once again this

      produces an eight team field for the next session.

 

      Since a team is out of the event when it loses a match, the number of

      boards per match should require approximately the same time for play as

      a regular club session.  The minimum requirement is 18 boards. ACBL

      recommends the use of IMP scoring.  However, the club may use total

      points (raw score not converted to IMPs).

 

      The club bases masterpoint awards for knockout events on the number of

      teams entered in the event, the class of the game, and the number of

      boards played.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 47)

                                                       ___________________

      E. MASTERPOINT AWARDS

      MATCH AWARDS: In an event in which a team plays at least five boards

      against another team, the winner receives awards that are based on the

      number of boards played in the match and the level of play (open,

      invitational, newcomer).  The point value of the awards is shown on the

      Masterpoint Award Charts.

 

      OVERALL AWARDS: Overall awards for Swiss team games are the same as for

      pair games.  For board-a-match teams the awards are 1.10 of a pair game.

      Awards for knockout and round-robin teams are shown on the Masterpoint

      Award Charts.  Players eligible to receive overall masterpoint awards

      are entitled to the sum of their match awards or the overall award,

      whichever is greater, but not both.

 

      In events of one or two sessions, eligible players of five or six member

      teams each receive awards based on percentage of participation.  In

      events of three or more sessions, all eligible team members receive full

      awards.

 

      F. CONDITIONS OF CONTEST

      Complete conditions of contest should be prepared for all team events.

      For extended (three or more sessions) round-robin and knockout events,

      the club should submit the conditions of contest to ACBL for approval at

      least 45 days before play begins.  Once ACBL approves the conditions of

      contest, the club may use the same conditions of contest for subsequent

      events of the same type without further approval.

 

      The conditions of contest must include but are not limited to the

      following:

      - in a one-session event with a board-a-match-type movement, there must

        be four members on a team.  In other approved team events, the

        sponsoring clubs may allow as many as six members on a team.  ACBL

        recommends that sponsoring clubs permit teams to have four, five, or

        six members.

      - Each team member must play at least 40% of the boards and participate

        in at least 50% of the matches played by the team to be eligible for

        overall masterpoint awards.

      - A substitute may not be a member of another team.

      - A player may be a member of only one team in an event.

 

     II. SCHEDULING CLUB TEAM EVENTS

     A club may hold round-robin and/or knockout events simultaneously with

     its regular club games.  These events may be concluded in a single

     session or they may extend over several sessions.

 

     A club may conduct single-session Swiss and/or board-a-match events

     during any sanctioned game session.  Some clubs schedule these events at

     regular intervals to add variety to their programs.  For example, a club

     that meets on Monday evenings may announce that a Swiss team event will

     replace its regular pair game on the last Monday of the month in those

     months in which there are five Mondays.  It is proper for a club to

     devote its entire program, or any portion thereof, to team play.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 48)

                                                       ___________________

 

     If a club conducts a team game or a series of team games at a different

     time from that of its regular games, the session or sessions must be

     sanctioned by ACBL and the appropriate fees and information forwarded to

     ACBL before the games are held.  Under such circumstances, the team game

     becomes a separately scheduled regular game (or session) of the club and

     qualifies for club championships as does any other regularly scheduled

     game.

 

     When a club conducts a team game simultaneously with its regular game,

     there is no additional game fee for the team game; however, the per table

     charge still applies.  When a team game does not run simultaneously with

     the regular game, the per game and per table fees both apply.

 

     The club issues all masterpoint awards.  When match awards are

     authorized, the club may accumulate the sum of these awards for each

     player and issue the awards on single certificates at the conclusion of

     the event.  Players receive either the sum of their match awards or the

     overall award, whichever is greater, but not both.

 

      A. OPEN CLUBS

      Team events sponsored by open clubs must be open to all ACBL members in

      good standing who fall within eligibility rules established by the club

      for the event.  An open club may restrict participation in an event to a

      limited number of teams, in which case it must advertise that fact and

      accept entries on a first-come first-served basis.  An open club may

      allow participation only by players who hold more than a stipulated

      number of masterpoints.  The magnitude of the masterpoint awards is not

      affected by these limitations.  An open club also may allow only those

      players who hold fewer than a stipulated number of masterpoints to

      participate, or it may place masterpoint restrictions on the makeup of

      teams.  For example, a club could decide that no more than two Life

      Masters may be on the same team, that at least two members of each team

      must have fewer than 50 masterpoints, or that a partnership may not be

      comprised of two Life Masters.  When these or similar restrictions are

      imposed, awards are based on those for Restricted games.

 

      B. INVITATIONAL CLUBS AND INTERMEDIATE OR NEWCOMER GAMES

      Regulations for invitational clubs and restricted or newcomer games are

      the same as those for open clubs, with two exceptions: (1) the

      sponsoring club may set its own rules for eligibility, and (2) awards

      for one and two session events are as noted on the appropriate point

      award charts.

 

      C. INDUSTRIAL LEAGUES

      The same rules that regulate invitational clubs regulate team games

      sponsored by industrial leagues, except when matches are played at

      approximately the same time but in several locations.  In that case,

      only a single sanction is required.

 

      ACBL allots an industrial league one club championship session for every

      12 regular sessions it conducts, to a maximum of four such championships

      annually for each sanctioned session.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 49)

                                                       ___________________

 

      The nature of an industrial league may warrant variations from the

      accepted standard forms of bridge competitions.  ACBL will help a group

      design a program that fits its needs.  Groups should direct inquiries to

      the ACBL Club Membership Department.

 

     III. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM GAMES

     Each regularly scheduled and sanctioned club game may use one of its

     allocated club championships to conduct an IMP-scored knockout or

     round-robin team event, even though the club may normally conduct only

     pair games.  Although IMP-scored events usually require several sessions

     to complete, they are charged against the club's club championship

     allocation as only one session.  When planning its club championship

     schedule, a club should consider the possible negative aspects of

     round-robin and knockout play.  Normally, round-robin games require

     several sessions of play.  Often it is difficult for team members to

     commit themselves to play for an extended time.  A disadvantage of

     knockout games is that losers are automatically eliminated from the

     event.

 

     For these reasons, a club may prefer to run one-or two-session club

     championships as Swiss or board-a-match team events.  In these cases,

     each session used counts as a session of the club's club championship

     allocation.

 

     If the event has masterpoint restrictions (except restrictions that limit

     participation to players who hold more than a stipulated number of

     masterpoints), or restrictions on the composition of partnerships or

     teams, the masterpoint awards are computed on the basis of a restricted

     masterpoint game.

 

     At the conclusion of the event, the sponsoring club issues all awards.

     Players are entitled to either their overall awards or the sum of their

     match (or session) awards, whichever is greater, but not both.

     Masterpoint awards for club championships are given in the appropriate

     point award chart.

 

     A club that conducts only round-robin or knockout team games during a

     specific session is eligible to conduct four club championship sessions

     annually.  They may be held as one-session pair games or as a team game

     with club championship rating.  Each such session is chargeable against

     the club's club championship allocation.  The club may designate a

     round-robin or knockout team event completed during a calendar quarter as

     a club championship.  In this case, the event is charged as one session

     of the club's club championship allocation even though the event was run

     over several sessions.  In no case may a club complete more than one club

     championship during the same calendar quarter of the year.

 

     Per game session and per table sanction fees are assessed.  If the club

     championship is conducted simultaneously with another game at the club,

     the club pays only one game fee, regardless of the number of different

     games being held. ACBL charges the table fee for every table in play in

     all games conducted during a game session.

 


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 50)

                                                       ___________________

 

     The club must report sanction fees on the regular Monthly Report Form and

     must include payment when submitting the form to ACBL.  When a club

     conducts an event in which matches are played over several game sessions,

     it must list each session under the proper session number on the form.

 

      A. ROUND-ROBIN AND KNOCKOUT TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

      The minimum number of teams required for a round-robin team championship

      is three; for a knockout team championship, five.

 

      With nine or more teams, a club may conduct one or two qualifying

      sessions of Swiss or round-robin competition.  The use of qualifying

      rounds is subject to the following regulations: when there are fewer

      than 9 teams, qualifying is not permitted; with 9 to 31 teams, at least

      8 must be qualified; with 32 to 63 teams, at least 16 must be qualified;

      and with more than 63 teams, at least 32 must be qualified.

 

      When a Swiss or round-robin team competition is used to qualify teams to

      a further competition, overall masterpoint awards are based on the

      greater of a) Swiss award based on the number of original entries and

      the number of sessions, or b) the knockout award based on the number of

      qualifying teams.  These awards are issued from the appropriate charts.

      There are no overall awards for qualifying rounds; however, the club

      does issue appropriate match awards.

 

      ROUND-ROBIN OVERALL MASTERPOINT AWARDS: These awards are based on the

      number of sessions played or on the following, whichever is less: three

      teams, maximum awards from the two-session chart: four teams, maximum

      awards from the three-session chart; five teams, maximum awards from the

      four-session chart; six teams, maximum awards from the five-session

      chart; seven or more teams, maximum awards from the six-session chart.

 

      KNOCKOUT OVERALL MASTERPOINT AWARDS: These awards are based on the

      number of teams that enter the event and the number of boards they play

      per match.  If individual matches consist of fewer than 18 boards, the

      club computes the awards as though the event were a round-robin.

      Overall masterpoint awards for knockout events are shown in the

      appropriate chart.

 

      B. BOARD-A-MATCH TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

      The minimum number of teams required for a board-a-match team

      championship event is three.  The event may have one or two sessions.

 

      C. SWISS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

      The minimum number of teams required for a Swiss team championship is

      three; however, if there are fewer than eight teams,  ACBL recommends

      the use of the round-robin team format.  The duration of the event is

      one or two sessions.  There are several special regulations that apply

      only to two-session Swiss team club championships-they do not apply to

      any other type of event.


 

 

                                                       CHAPTER.4 (PAGE 51)

                                                       ___________________

 

      TWO-SESSION SWISS TEAMS BY CLUBS SANCTIONED FOR TWO OR MORE GAMES: A

      club holding two or more games per week, and entitled to one or more

      sessions of club championship events for each game, may conduct a

      two-session Swiss team club championship at different sessions (game

      times), with one session of club championship charged against each game

      session. For example, a club operating both a Saturday afternoon

      (session 17) and a Saturday evening sanctioned game (session 18) may

      conduct a two session Swiss team club championship with one session on

      Saturday afternoon and the other on Saturday evening.  One session is

      charged against game number 17 and the other against game number 18.

      Thus, a club could operate a number of two session Swiss team club

      championships each year if it is willing to forgo the various pair event

      club championships for those game sessions.

 

      TWO-SESSION SWISS TEAMS CO-SPONSORED BY TWO DIFFERENT CLUBS: Two

      separate and distinct clubs may band together to co-sponsor a

      two-session Swiss team club championship, with one session of club

      championship charged against each club.  For example, a Tuesday night

      club and a Friday night club decide to co-sponsor a two-session Swiss

      team club championship.  The first session is run in the Tuesday club's

      quarters, and the second session in the Friday club's quarters, with

      both sessions held at regular club times.  Both clubs are mutually

      responsible for issuing all awards. Each club reports the session held

      in its quarters on its Monthly Report Form and remits the standard game

      payment plus a per table fee.

 

     SECTION EIGHT: CLUB-UNIT RELATIONSHIPS

     The primary concern of ACBL management is the welfare of its members as

     it relates to the game of bridge.  Thus, regulations have been

     established by ACBL to protect the interests of its members.  However,

     these regulations are only in force during ACBL sanctioned masterpoint

     games.

 

     ACBL has authorized the units to investigate reports of club violations

     of the rules during a sanctioned masterpoint game.  The units must,

     however, respect and protect the rights of clubs as fully as they respect

     the rights of individuals charged with offenses.  If a club is found

     guilty of a violation after a proper investigation and hearing, the unit

     must report the matter to ACBL.  Only ACBL (subject to prior action by

     the respective unit and/or district) can assess discipline against a club

     for a violation of ACBL regulations.


Go to:  Index   Part 1 - page 1-16     Part 2 - page 17-32

 

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