 |  73.96% Diana Jensen and Scott Hoversten, 6/4, Woodbury 72.78% Thomas Bedford and Dan Gantner, 6/24, Plymouth Bridge Club 71.43% Joseph Browan and Elaine Prebonich, 6/11, Woodbury 70.83% Scott Krupke and Mark Doucette, 6/26, St Cloud DBCJUNE'S LIMITED MASTERPOINT 70% GAMES: 70.00% Joan Sand and Brian-Paul Crowder 6/16, St Cloud |
 | You've got a chance to be an "out-of-towner" in about a month, when the Eau Claire Regional kicks off in about five weeks. (And of course the NABC in Philadelphia PA comes up first.) |
The Ace of Virtual Clubs was established in 2023 to recognize players who participate in online club games. These three competitions allow every ACBL member to rate masterpoint accomplishment against their peers. These are among the more prestigious honors because everyone is judged against others on the same playing level. And 2024 award winners were honored six weeks ago at the beginning of May with their own special game at the Bridge Center of St Paul. (Quite the party.) If you're curious as to where you are in the larger scheme of things, you can find out the latest on the Minnesota masterpoint races (updated each 7th of the month) by clicking here. |
 |
 | Here in Minnesota, the 10-year pre-COVID average of annual I/N Sectional Tournament tables in play is right at 135.6 tables. (Some years more and some less, of course, depending on the year.) In the first three full years since the pandemic, annual I/N Sectional Tournament tables are averaging 142.3 tables - that's up +4.9% from the pre-COVID 10-year average. And that is terrific. This does not include any I/N tables at Open Sectionals (like the Aquatennial Sectional that's coming up in a couple of weeks) - all of Minnesota's Open Sectionals include 499er games (or 749er games, etc) - but the chart to your left is strictly I/N Sectional Tournament tables only. How will 2025 fare? Right now, it's early, but it's looking pretty good. Both Rochester and St Cloud will have one-day NLM tournaments later this year, and the Bridge Center of St Paul will have their annual 3-day I/N Sectional later this summer. Here is to keeping up the good work and decent turnouts. (Also a friendly reminder that you don't have to be an I/N player to get involved with your local club's I/N program. They'd be grateful to have your participation.) |
 | We'll update with the results from Minnesota players as the week goes on. |
 | Stephen Jackson [Roseville] and Susan Jackson [Roseville] won the Open Pairs on Wednesday; they were followed by Paul Meerschaert [Long Lake] and Sandy Fisher [Long Lake]. Steve Gaynor [Arden Hills] and Jean Boettcher [Arden Hills] are also among the Minnesota players who have earned some gold points. We're told the hosts in Iowa have been terrific - and their regional extends through Saturday, so there's still plenty of time to head down there and be part of the border crossing. You can get all the results from the Iowa Regional by clicking here. |
 |
As of Tuesday, the BBO monopoly comes to an end. The contract with the ACBL has been renegotiated, and there will be other opportunities for ACBL-masterpoint games for those that play online. This will include: Sharkbridge - an educational app that includes games with both bots and/or live players Intobridge - classic and innovative bridge game modes, along with live chat and audio/visual Funbridge - play at your own pace with a virtual partner who adapts to your style of play (this is good for new players and free to ACBL Junior members) Realbridge - ACBL masterpoint games that are against real people and include a live audio/visual component |
--Patti |
Pair/Team games and 499er pairs Wednesday and Thursday are on the schedule, and Friday's Swiss Teams add to the variety of games for this 3-day affair. Your flyer is to the right for this tournament; click on it to open it in a new window for viewing or printing. We'll see YOU in Maple Grove in two weeks. |  |
Whether your local club held special games for The Longest Day or not, it is not too late to make a donation! You can make a donation by clicking here - and in addition to your donation being tax-deductible, it will help to both find a cure for this horrible disease as well as take care of those afflicted - and those taking care of those who are afflicted. Hopefully, a cure will be found by next June and we won't have to raise money again on the Longest Day, but if we do - Minnesota's bridge clubs will be here to help. |
 |
 | You can make a reservation to play in the bridge game Sunday evening at 6:30pm by clicking here. |
 |
If it seems like sectional tournaments are more of a rarity in the West Metro of late, that's because they are. In the past five years (since "The Great Re-Opening"), the West Metro has held less than 10% of Minnesota's sectional tournament tables (391 tables out of 4,204, or 9.3%) - while in the five years just prior to the introduction of COVID, the West Metro held almost half of all Minnesota sectional tables (3,730 tables out of 8,320, or 44.8%). And with the Bridge Center of St Paul having moved two years ago 12 miles west of their old location, it's simply easier now for Unit 178 to hold their tournaments across the river in St Paul. (Their Autumn Harvest Sectional coming up in October is the latest to be scheduled there.) But next month's Aquatennial Tournament will make the West Metro shine - so get your partnerships lined up and plan to play July 9th to the 11th. If you're looking for more sectional tournaments closer to home, your active participation and support of tournament bridge in the West Metro area next month by playing in the Aquatennial can only help. |  
|
  |
 |
 | The immovable object that is Terry Beckman [Brooklyn Park] sits atop the list halfway through the 2025 Open Tournaments, thanks to his championships in the Gopher and now the Granite City Sectional. But there are still a LOT of masterpoints yet to go - and lots of time to catch him. The next big opportunity to get a few silver points (or many!) will be at the Aquatennial Sectional coming up next month in Maple Grove. |
Oh, and this is all if you're not heading out to attend the NABC in Philadelphia PA - as there are a few Minnesota players headed that way! With everything that's going on, it sure seems like the month of July needs to be longer than 31 days for all of this bridge.       |
Sectional July 9-11 Maple Grove  | Sectional Thur August 14 Rochester  | Sectional August 20-22 Roseville  | REGIONAL Sept 15-20 Rochester  | Sectional October 4-5 Mankato  | Sectional Sat October 11 Sauk Rapids |
  | Midtown Square, right in the heart of St Cloud, has a four-story office building attached to it - and on the second floor, Suite 203, is where the tables and cards will be dealt for Greater Minnesota card players starting later this summer. The official address is 3400 1st Street North in St Cloud, Suite 203. Directions to the new digs can be found by clicking here. It's pretty exciting for everyone involved, and when opened up to the club's members about whether or not the jump should be made, nearly five dozen members in attendance for the vote all voted yes. It was unanimous. Give them a few weeks to get the paint on the walls; the target date for the new location is August 1st, although it's possible they'll be playing there mid-July. Updates as the progress is made. And congratulations to the club! |
  | First, there's a party planned for Paul Meerschaert [Long Lake] who is Minnesota's newest Grand Life Master, along with partner Dave Collins [Fridley]. This Saturday at 11:30am, there's a lunch at the BCSP followed by a panel discussion and bridge game (the bridge game entry is $8). The game gets going at 12:30pm. Sign-ups are at the Edina Senior Center and Bridge Center of St Paul, or you can call Tony Ames [Minnetonka] whose phone is on the flyer to the left. Donations will be taken at this event for The Longest Day to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. . .so bring your checkbook as well. Then on Sunday evening, the BCSP's regular 6:30pm game will be a fundraiser game for the Alzheimer's Association. This will include a potluck dinner before the game, followed by (natch) cards. Please be sure to support the Sunday evening game (and The Longest Day this week!) and be generous for this extremely worthy cause. You can sign up for the Sunday evening game by clicking here. |
  |
Purple was the color of the attire for the games on Monday at the Rochester DBC, and while this fundraising isn't really a competition (every single dollar going towards The Longest Day is important, whether thousands are raised or just a few dollars) - Rochester has laid down the marker for Minnesota clubs. Support The Longest Day at your local Minnesota club this week - or if your club isn't running special games for The Longest Day, you can make a donation by clicking here. |
   | To date, 1,372 tournament tables have been in play in Minnesota. That's 98.4% of last year's tournament tables through the same period, which is not bad. Not bad at all. Next up is the Aquatennial Tournament in Maple Grove. Mark your bridge calendar for July 9-11 and check out their flyer for the Aquatennial by clicking here. |
| Plus, with all clubs across D14 participating, that means the overall awards will be much larger than your typical club bridge game. Check with your local club manager or director to see if your club is participating in the D14 Royal STaC - and if not, put the bug in their ear. (These games typically cost $1 more per player to the club, so don't be surprised if that cost is passed on.) The week in question is June 30th to July 6th. Mark it down on your bridge calendar! |
   | Quite the party this weekend at the Sauk Rapids Government Center, with the Granite City Sectional winding up their three-day tournament. Local favorite John Koch [St Cloud] along with partner Terry Beckman [Brooklyn Park] were unstoppable Saturday, winning the two-session Open Pairs handily. |
PREVIOUSLY: Dan Gantner [Maple Grove] and Tom Owens [Woodbury] dominated the Non-Life Masters section of the game on Saturday, with 119 different players earning some silver points - and everyone having a great time. Here is a shout-out to Connie Nelson [Avon] and all of her fantastic volunteers who put on the three-day party - the list of people to thank for their efforts appears to be everyone in the St Cloud club! You can check out more on this tournament on the St Cloud DBC website which can be found by clicking here - and the full results from the three-day silver-point extravaganza can be found by clicking here. |
 |
  | Your masterpoint leaders through day 1 are to your left - and you can find all the results from this tournament by clicking here. One more big day tomorrow! PREVIOUSLY: There are silver points being earned up at the Sauk Rapids Government Center this weekend, as the Granite City Sectional is underway. Day 1 saw 46 bridge tables in play, with both sessions featuring 9 tables in the A/X pairs and 14 in the 0-1,500 masterpoint crowd. This may be several tables off from last year's day 1 turnout (-16.3%), but last year's table counts were so far off the chart. Over the last 20 years, the average tables per session for the Granite City tournament is 18.0 - which means yesterday's 23.0 tables per session is still well above average (+27.8%). Winners yesterday included Jackson Wahl [Minneapolis] and Sarah Wahl [Minneapolis] in the Roger Melaas + Gloria Mize Open Pairs, with Beverly Berg [Waite Park] and Tom Buttweiler [St Cloud] coming in 1st overall in the Roger Melaas + Gloria Mize 0-1500 Pairs. Your "Top 20" masterpoint leaders from Thursday are listed to your left - and full results from this tournament can be found by clicking here. Today's matchups include 499er pairs, along with a couple of pair/team games for the Open crowd. Updates later this evening. |
| The Rochester DBC has a special fundraiser on Monday, June 16, with games at 9am and 1pm - with a pot luck lunch in between sessions. Already the RDBC has raised more than $2,200.00 for the Alzheimer's Association, and they are regularly in the top 40 of bridge club donations ACBL-wide. The Bridge Center of St Paul will hold a special fundraiser on Sunday evening, June 22. This is their regularly scheduled 6:30pm Open game, where additional funds raised will go right to the Alzheimer's Association. You can sign up for the game at the Roseville location by clicking here. Of course, you don't have to show up at a bridge game to make a donation to this very worthy cause! Click here to make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association - and hopefully we will see you at one of the many bridge games around Minnesota supporting this very worthy cause next week. |
 | PREVIOUSLY: Tom Botten [Prior Lake] passed away this morning, following complications from a stroke he suffered earlier this week. Details have yet to be formalized regarding a memorial service, but the tentative date for a service looks to be July 17th. We'll have updated information as it becomes available.
We will miss him very much and just wish we had more time to get to know him even better. My heart goes out to his family and all of his friends. --Steve Gaynor |
 |
|
BB: It seems as though no matter who you ask, they'll say you're leaving a void that will be tough to fill here. What role in the bridge community (if any) will you be looking to fill in your new home? Larry: I am looking forward to simply continuing as a part time tournament director, working on services at the NABCs, and playing some bridge – something that has been hard to squeak in with being an Asst Manager of the Bridge Center of St. Paul and teaching bridge classes ¾ of the year. Did I mention that I am retired? BB: There's no question that we are grateful to benefit from your so-called "retirement". With your history in the bridge world here, you must know where the bodies are buried. Is there anything you'd like to get off your chest? Larry: Over my nearly 40 years as an ACBL member I have had two bridge lives punctuated by 12 years of non-playing. I do miss the ruff and tumble game before zero tolerance but doubt that sort of game would survive at all in our current culture. Over the years there have been many colorful characters in Minnesota Bridge. Most have had a positive impact on the game while several have not. Almost all of them are literally buried. I was taught not to speak ill of the dead. May they rest in makable contracts, doubled. BB: What in particular will you miss from the world of bridge here in the upper Midwest? Larry: First and foremost are the players and particularly the club members at the Bridge Center of St. Paul. They are friendly, mostly laid back, and always working to improve their game. They are simply the best folks, even when they or I are not on our best behavior. Secondly, I will miss teaching bridge and especially meeting the newcomers to our game. This is particularly painful as we suffered through years of 8-12 people in our beginning bridge classes. Currently we routinely have 30 or more students in our beginning classes. I think this is a side benefit to COVID and an effect I see this almost everywhere I travel in the bridge world. Finally, I will miss canceling games on account of snow -NOT!!! BB: We should point out that it does snow in Memphis occasionally, although it's usually less than an inch. Hopefully you won't have to cancel too many games because of it. You have had many accomplishments helping out the bridge community here - what are you most proud of? Larry: Of course at the Bridge Center of St. Paul we have made numerous changes as we grew into our beautiful more centrally located space. Our lessons moved to a hybrid format including PowerPoint slides and virtual notes that went with the ACBL Club series. This was a major undertaking but well worth the effort particularly when COVID hit. We were able to go 100% online and teach bridge to hundreds of students from all over the world. At the unit level my time as property manager and vice president were largely productive including updating the Unit policy manual and By-Laws with Kathy Beckman [Brooklyn Park]. They had not been updated in many many years. We were able to conduct a virtual vote of the entire membership for the approval of the By-Laws. More technology! BB: And if there was one thing you wanted people to know (that they might not know) when it comes to bridge in Minnesota, what would that be? Larry: The community of bridge players is a caring, passionate, and committed one. We all want to see the game continue to grow. Sometimes we have well intended ideas to grow our game that seem to be at odds with other equally well intended ideas. And of course, our passion for those ideas can result in hurt feelings and resentment. I would like to see people collaborate with each other and develop the best ideas that can help grow the game. Ideas are great but are useless unless they result in action. I urge all bridge players to engage with what is going on in bridge and to get active. Bridge in Minnesota is and will be what you make it. |
 | To your left is the schedule for the upcoming Summer 2026 NABC here in Minnesota; you can click on the image to your left or click here to see the schedule in a new window for printing or better viewing. All indications are that this will be a terrific week-and-a-half in Minneapolis! |
Better snacks? No, it was a farewell party for Larry Huiras [Blaine, very soon to be of Memphis TN]. Players from around the State of Minnesota came by to say "thanks" and give well wishes as he and wife Patti are headed for Tennessee. Jim Essex [St Louis Park] made a cake for Larry and Patti, Jeff Walker [Eagan] provided a classier bottle of the good stuff for Larry, and Kathy Beckman [Brooklyn Park] made an appearance at the bridge table, where she was quoted as saying "this is the first time I've ever played here!" Quite the testament to Larry who will be missed by all - we'll see him at the NABCs (including here in Minnesota) but this Tuesday evening was to say thanks and farewell. |
  | Click on the image to your left to check out the list of players; remember that when you qualify, you qualify for the category in which your masterpoint category allows. . .as well as every category above that. So you may have more than one "Q" next to your name. But you cannot qualify in any category below your current masterpoint level. This year, for the first time, there are four flights. They are:
0-6,000 masterpoints ("A" Flight) 0-3,000 masterpoints ("B" Flight) 0-750 masterpoints and only Non-Life Masters ("C" Flight) |
 | Scott narrowly edged out Joe Koester [Brooklyn Park] for the crown this time around, who earned 19.32 black points during the period - and these black points were even more difficult to come by with the Gopher Regional closing so many bridge clubs for an entire week of the month. Of course, you can congratulate Scott yourself and in person this week at the Granite City Sectional coming up on Thursday. And here's a coincidence for you - Scott is also the reigning Granite City Tournament Champion from last year (with partner Mark Doucette [Little Falls]). The pressure on Scott's partners this week could very well be unbearable. |
This year's tournament in St Cloud has outgrown its previous location - so you'll want to plan to play cards later this week at their new spot in Sauk Rapids at the Government Center. For directions to where they'll be shoveling out the silver points, click here. There are a lot of familiar names on this list of champions, and a few that aren't so familiar - but we're looking forward to possibly adding YOUR name to the top - where you'll hold the title for a good 12 months before defending your crown. Of course, you'll have to play to earn some silver masterpoints this week! And although the vast majority of players won't get to see their name added to this list. . .everyone that's seated at the table in Sauk Rapids should have a really good time. |  |
 | |
  | Cecelia will be representing the US in the Under-26 Women's Team this July in Italy. We will be following along. Nice to see a local player featured in print! (H/T to Steve G for the tip.) |
Rebecca Wooden: I felt a sense of relief – after so many years of playing bridge (joined the ACBL in 1982), my non-life master status was a nagging burden. The next thought was – “Super, they can put this in my obit!” Gail Baev: For me, it was more of a relief than a surprise, since I went into my last day at the tournament only 0.25 red points short of the goal. By the time we had won the first two matches in the team game, I knew we would have enough red points to get there. BB: Over the course of your bridge journey to becoming a LM, what did you find was the toughest part of achieving your LM status? Rebecca: Getting the gold points. It didn’t help that I periodically quit playing for years at a time. Gail: For me, the hardest part about getting to life master was the red points. BB: That is interesting! Prior to COVID, you could only get your silver points by traveling to sectionals and the occasional STaC week once or twice a year - so for most players, silver was the toughest to come by. How did you celebrate your new LM status when it finally happened? Gail: [T]o discover at the end of the day that we had scored enough points for me to become a Bronze Life Master as well, by a whopping 0.13 points! Rebecca: It has taken me such a long time to achieve LM, it’s sort of embarrassing. I let out a sigh of relief, went home, and celebrated with an adult beverage. I was whipped. The St. Paul Bridge Center was kind enough to reward me with a round of applause the next week. BB: Most bridge players have a good story to tell about their road to becoming a Life Master. Is there anything you'd like to share? Rebecca: I’ll tell two. My partner and I don’t bid strong hands well. We hope for bad cards so we can defend. Our general approach to minor suit slams is “If you can bid 5, I can bid 6”. We were playing Open Pairs at the 2002 Houston NABC. After a horrendous first session, we loosened up with a couple of lunchtime cocktails and were playing pretty well in the PM when I picked up a nice heart hand, vulnerable, with a void in diamonds. It went 1♥-2♣ (not playing 2/1); 3♥ - 6♥. Well heck, pard didn’t even know about my diamond void. I thought “What the heck? If you can bid 6, I can bid 7”---LHO couldn’t double fast enough. The Ace of spades hit the table and dummy came down with a spade void. Turned out we were off two aces (A♠ and A♦). On the cross-ruff, I made 7♥X for all the matchpoints. Then, in the “believe it or not” category, there used to be a lot more romance-related drama in the bridge world. In the early 80s, I was a new player, and one of my bridge friends was a real up-and-comer (now a Grand Life Master, I think). At a Minneapolis tournament I gave him a spontaneous, but innocent, hug. In front of hundreds of other bridge players, his then-girlfriend grabbed me by the hair, yanked me backwards to the floor and hissed “Stay away from my boyfriend”. I’m glad he left that one in his rear-view mirror. Gail: I don't have one particular "good story" about the road to life master, but that 0.13 margin was so tight that I have been reminiscing for days about the people I've played with and scored tiny fractions of points with in games over the 8 years since I joined the ACBL, all of which were important to getting to 750.13. BB: Is there anyone you would say has been a good mentor to you to get to this point or someone who really encouraged you to move along with your bridge journey? Gail: I am grateful to all of my partners in all of those games, although most especially to my long term bridge partner (and another new bronze life master) Bill Anderson, who played with me in the team games at the Gopher. Rebecca: My Dad made Life Master in Los Angeles in the 60’s; back when you needed 300 points, with a Red point requirement. No stratification. He didn’t teach me to play – but he did inspire me, and we later got to play online together when Bridge Base was a brand-new thing. I wish I had his great mind. Dick Baker and Fred Espy taught me to play – a sound, conservative style. They would be proud that I finally made it. I am grateful for players like Steve Gaynor, Mike Flader, and Paul Meerschaert – always calm, always polite, always encouraging. They inspire me to be a better person at the table. Most recently, I want to acknowledge the ineffably-upbeat Patti Huiras, who cheered us on throughout the Gopher – “You can do it, you can do it!” Thanks, Patti! BB: Finally, what would you like to share with those bridge players who are on their way to becoming a Life Master but are not quite there yet? Rebecca: Be a good partner. Find a partner you can trust and remember that your partner is the most important person at the table (side note: I struggle constantly to not be a demanding, perfectionist, b*#@h). Have your bid. Don’t lie to partner, especially if pard is an unpassed hand. Find a steady team for tournaments and hold up your end. As a non-life master, the opponents will underestimate you – let them; they will overbid. Don’t worry about tops – focus on eliminating the bottoms. Enjoy the game, and encourage your friends to play. Gail: My advice to players currently working on becoming a life master would be to enjoy the process and have fun along the way. Each game is important, if only as a "learning experience." For most of us, becoming a life master takes time. I celebrated 10 years of retirement the same day I became a life master, and I can't think of a better use of that time. |
    | Bonnie Fox [Rochester] coordinated the treats for the players (remembering the big motivator for bridge players outside of the cards). The winners of the morning session were Dan Holte [Minneapolis] and David Mussell [St Charles], with a 67.81% game! The afternoon session went to David Lui [Roseville] and Rochester native Rick Trachy [Golden Valley], picking up the afternoon session title with a 60.42% game. Full results from today's one-day NLM silver point sectional in Rochester can be found by clicking here. |
Bill Anderson [River Falls WI], John Uttermohl [Woodbury], and Kathy Rainford [St Paul] were the big prize winners on Monday, with everyone (including these three) having had fun at the bridge table (where a seven-round multi-partner Chicago-style game replaced their regular Monday event). |
Brian and Laura Behling [Winona] Jim Hall [Lino Lakes] Cate Hesser [St Paul] Kathleen Rainforn [Woodbury] Kevin Sweeney [Moorhead] Eelco Wijdicks [Rochester] |
 | If your local club director or club manager doesn't already have enough ammo to schedule a few more team games on the schedule, here's another really good reason why they should: There are more teams tables than pairs tables at ACBL Regionals. That's right. When it comes to the 37 Open Regionals that have taken place this year (including the Gopher Regional), team tables have made up 14,712 of the 28,534 tables that have been in play. When 51.6% of the tables at tournaments are teams, wouldn't you think there would be more team games at your local club than we have now? Remember that while more inexperienced players are not as excited about teams play, part of that is that it's something different. Nobody in our age group likes anything different. And to get those gold and red points, they'll be playing teams at a regional at some point - so why not give them the exposure and experience they need? They just might surprise you. |
Don't take anything for granted! The unfortunate reality of our game is that numbers are once again trending downward, but you can help stem the tide. Get involved with your local club; mentor when you can; support the games (and players!) in your area however you are able to. (And have fun doing it.) |
 | The three day Open Sectional has been moved to a new location (too many players is a great problem to have, right?). It's now at the Sauk Rapids Government Center. For directions to their new location, click here. The flyer is to your left - they've got a little something for everyone - and their charity this tournament is the Terebinth Refuge in Waite Park. Even if you can't make it to the tournament, you can support Terebinth Refuge by clicking here. Connie Nelson [Avon] is the Tournament Chair, and she shares this update on the event:
-- Connie Nelson, Tournament Chair |
| PREVIOUSLY: An update to your June calendar! Unit 103 is excited to host a bridge game and celebratory cake-fest for their five (5) new Life Masters. This will be a chance for you to congratulate one (or more) of these five new LMs in person - and check out their mad LM skills at the bridge table. It'll be during the Bridge Center of St Paul's regularly scheduled Sunday evening game at 6:30pm on Sunday, June 29th. All are welcome to join in the festivities; the "open mic reading" portion of the program by any of the new Life Masters will be on a strictly voluntary basis. (As of this post's deadline, none are taking us up on that offer, but there is still time.) |
 |
| We'll highlight club games that are fundraisers during the week of June 16th, but you can always make a tax-deductible donation (even now!) by clicking here. It's your chance to help make a difference. |
 | Most F2F regionals don't opt for the online option as it is; of the 37 open regionals so far this year, 11 tournaments have had online tables as part of their tournament. The other 26 tournaments did not. Of those 11 tournaments, 2 of them had online tables for the first time this year; the other 9 also had them last year. And the chart to your left shows those 9 open regionals with online tables both last year and this year. Every single one of these 2025 tournaments showed a slowdown in online tables, with the overall average participation rate off -68.9% since last year. Face-to-face appears to be where it's at. (Now if we could just have the North American Pairs Finals in person. . .) |
 | June, July, and August, clubs are allowed to run two NAP games per weekday sanction (so if you play in a Tuesday afternoon game, two Tuesdays each month can be for the NAP). To move on to the D14 NAP Finals, you must qualify at a local club this summer (there's no buy-in; of course, that's what the GNT Conditions of Contest said when originally issued. After the mid-contest switch-a-roo to allow a buy-in with this year's GNT, anything is possible, but at the moment, we've been assured you must qualify in person for this summer's NAP). An effort was made to have the D14 NAP Finals in person this year, but unfortunately that did not work out. The NAP Finals for D14 will be online in late November; all the details are in the Conditions of Contest located to your left. Click on the image to open the CoC in a new window for printing and viewing. Those pairs that represent D14 this year will participate in the NABC located in St Louis MO next spring - and that's almost as local as you can get for an NABC (see: Summer NABC 2026). So be sure to get playing in this year's North American Pairs, get some red points, and we'll see you later in the fall. |