Clearly the 2020 pandemic disrupted everyone’s plans and lives. In our humble corner of the GNYBA bridge universe, Covid-19 struck just as we reached a euphoria from seeing record-breaking attendance for GNT Flight A/C and GNT Flight B.
Special Rules for 2020-2021
ACBL will create special conditions for the 2020-2021 season of GNT, and the latest draft suggests several key modifications. First, districts who completed their GNT district finals for 2019-2020 may opt to send those winners to the Summer 2021 GNT National Finals.
That’s big news – it means those districts might cancel their 2020-2021 district finals entirely. In some cases, it might be the most practical decision, avoiding a face-to-face tournament or moving the tournament online. However, GNT is one of the most exciting grassroots events that units and districts hold each year (North American Pairs being the other grassroots event). It is quite a big sacrifice.
Fear not, GNYBA and NSBA fully intend to hold a fresh 2021 Grand National Teams district contest. We aren’t yet sure of the format, dates, or medium – for now stay tuned.
Eligibility Changes For 2020-2021 – Uses 2019 Masterpoint Level
Normally, you would be eligible for Flight C if you were had fewer than 500 masterpoints AND were not a life master prior to August 6th, 2020. However, for this season, the plan is to use the 2019 cutoff date! Why? It’s because of the graduation buffer.
Graduation Buffer – September to July
It reminds me of chapter in the Malcolm Gladwell classic, “Outliers”.
Every year, the Flight C national finals always have players who crossed the 500 mark by hundreds of points. The masterpoint cutoff begins in August, but Summer NABC occurs almost a full year later the next July! Some very active NLM tournament players can win over 200 points during those 11 months. Last year District 24’s mini mckenney winners Nikki Hudak, Tim Archdeacon, Matt Gordon, and Ruth Fleischmann earned 235, 336, 446, and 452 points respectively in the under 500 brackets!
Those in charge must have felt the 2019 cutoff is the only fair way to equalize districts. You have the same pool of players, regardless of whether your district opts to use 2020 winners or run a fresh 2021 contest. Every district has the same graduation buffer. It also means next year will have a larger buffer than usual – some players might be halfway out of Flight B by summer 2021 NABC!
Good News – More Chances To Play
Honestly, most of us are not outliers and will neither play pro hockey or professional bridge. We just want to have fun, and the best news of all is that anyone who missed their last chance to be Flight C due to the pandemic might get one more shot.
The same exception applies to the higher Flights B and A. But realistically, by the time you have over 2500 points, you probably already hit your Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours. Imagine that – the equivalent of 5 years of playing bridge as a full-time job. And when I get there, I’m sure I’ll still be making many of the same dumb mistakes.