Bad news for those hoping to return to live face-to-face bridge. ACBL cancelled the Tampa Fall 2020 NABC. Whether or not that was expected, the next move is a big blow to local units and districts who considered pushing forward with their Fall or Winter tournaments.
Local Tournaments Effectively Cancelled
ACBL will not supply tournament directors for any sectionals and regionals for the rest of 2020! That effectively stops almost all changes for a unit or district to hold sanctioned gold, red, or silver point tournaments. You can still earn gold and red online next week in the Endless Summer Regional.
What Is Actually Allowed?
Local clubs will begin to reopen depending on the rules governing business in the local area. As with all reopenings, there is plenty of uncertainty and risk, weighed against pressures to keep the business alive, meet financial obligations, and service loyal and new customers.
Silver Points Possible via STaC?
When the clubs reopen, they could in theory run STaCs, our favorite sectional tournaments at the club, without any ACBL tournament directors or staff. There is another exception where units can hold 499er sectionals without ACBL staff. For our unit, we still have sanctions for the following upcoming STaCs – but stay tuned to see whether these are still on.
GNYBA Sectional – Never Announced But Postponed
The not-so-secret NYC Sectional would have been Fathers’ Day Weekend – basically this weekend. We were looking forward to finally playing 2-session Swiss Teams in the city, both paying lots of silver points and avoiding the painful commute. Don’t worry, we will be back.
To BBO For Now!
For the rest of the year, your best source of gold, red, and silver points will likely come from online bridge. ACBL has moved quickly to create monthly special events accessible to all, with more stratification levels than ever before and more sessions per day for for the true fanatics.