NAP

North American Pairs &

North American Non-Life Master Pairs

Qualifying Games may be held June 1 - August 31, 2023

and may not conflict with tournaments being held within 25 miles.

Masterpoint qualifications are based on member's standing

as of May 2023.

DISTRICT 8 NORTH AMERICAN PAIRS CONDITIONS OF CONTEST

The NAP is a three-level competition -- local, district and national -- that begins every summer and ends the next spring. The event is offered for three separate flights:

Flight A -- Open to all players
Flight B -- Open to players with 0-2500 masterpoints as of June 1.
Flight C -- Open to Non-Life Masters who have fewer than 500 masterpoints as of June 1.

Local: Grassroots qualifying games are held during June, July and August in local clubs. Clubs may offer as many qualifying games as they like during these three months and may stratify the games. Players qualify by finishing in the top half of their flight/strata (rounded up and including ties) or by scoring at least 50% in a club-level qualifying game. Players may compete as often as desired and with different partners.

District: Players who qualify in these club games are eligible to enter the four-session District 8 Finals, held the second weekend of November in Central Illinois. The District Finals offers a separate event for each flight. All players must be qualified in the flight they are entering. A qualified player may play with any other qualified player, not just the partner he or she played with to qualify at the club level.

National: The top three pairs in each flight at the District Finals advance to the North American Pair National Finals at the ACBL Spring North American Bridge Championships, held in March or early April. The national final format is a two-day event (qualifying and final) in three separate flights. The top two pairs in each flight at the District Finals will receive cash awards to cover travel expenses to the NABC. The third-place pair in each flight is entitled to compete in the NAP National Finals, but will not receive travel awards.

District 8 Conditions of Contest

1. The District 8 adopts the National Conditions of Contest.

2. District 8 elects not to have Unit Finals.

3. Each player must qualify at the club level to be eligible to play in the District Final.

4. The District 8 Final for all three flights is held annually on the second weekend of November. In all flights, the event will be two sessions (one day). Starting time is 1:00 pm.

5. District 8 requires that Unit NAP Coordinators (Mark Boswell for Unit 143) submit the names of NAP qualifiers from their Unit clubs to the NAP District Coordinator. This list must be received prior to the District Finals in order to confirm that everyone who plays is eligible. If a player arrives at the finals, has qualified and presents a qualifying slip, the player will be allowed to play.

NAP History

A highly prestigious "grassroots" event, the North American Pairs starts at the club level in June and continues into August. NAP has been a major ACBL pair championship since 1979. The event was originally known as the Grand National Pairs. The Grand National Pairs became the North American Pairs in 1987 and a special form of the event for non-Life Masters was also added. Winners of the North American Pairs are awarded the Baldwin Trophy. The trophy honors Russell Baldwin, former director and treasurer of the ACBL and coinventor, with Bill McKenney, of the McKenney-Baldwin movements used in tournament bridge.

Club-level qualifications may be earned at any club in any unit in any district. A player may qualify as often as desired and with as many different partners as desired. At the district final, both players must have qualified at the club level and must be members of the parent district.

Masterpoints:
• Club qualifying games 50/50 red and black at sectional rating.
• One-session unit qualifying games sectional rated red.
• Two-session unit qualifying games include percentage of gold for overalls.
• District finals award gold for section firsts and overalls. Flight C is 25% gold for overalls. Other masterpoints in all flights are red.
Flights: A (Open), B (0-2500), C (0-500 Non-Life Masters)

The NAP games are held during the months of June-July-August with players qualifying at the Club level, continues with the District 8 finals in early November, and ends with players qualifying to go to the National Finals (a 2-day event) the following year at the Spring NABC.