It’s time for the 3x per year committee meetings that take place just prior to or during the NABCs. Here are some of the discussions from the MP Committee, C&C, and Advisory Council, my main touchpoints with the national branch of the ACBL.
Masterpoints Committee
The Board of Directors is pushing several motions this time around that impact masterpoints and potentially membership engagement. As a reminder, the board considers membership count the primary priority – numbers have been dwindling for the past few decades, accelerated by the pandemic. We are looking for new ways that clubs, virtual clubs, and tournament sponsors can attract more members and players.
The proposals that impact the MP Committee, NOT YET voted on by the board:
1.) “Eight is Enough” games at clubs which pay silver points.
There is a game type called “Eight is Enough”, where we declare that players with 0-750 have a cost of “1”, 750-3000 have a cost of “2”, and 3000+ players have a cost of “3”. Teams must consist of four players with a total cost of no more than 8. That is, you can have two pros and two amateurs (3+3 and 1+1), you can have four mid-flight players (2+2+2+2), you can do Pro-Am Pro-Am style (3+1 and 3+1), and other interesting combinations. The key is, this is supposed to be a method of equalizing team strength while encouraging newer players to team up with more experienced players. I’m all for it!
2.) Stardust Week – possible 25% gold point weeks return
3.) Club Appreciation Week to pay 10% gold
Competitions and Conventions Committee
The New Convention Cards took a large part of the discussion. First of all, ACBL has heard much of the negative feedback from the new cards. Mostly, the new convention card makes advanced systems much more convenient to describe. However, for most casual players, they find the new cards much more difficult to use. More on this later…
NABC Scheduling Changes
This is a big one. You know those crazy NABC schedules that sometimes makes it hard to know when the multi-day events line up? For example, Solloway is 7 days, Mini-Spingold is 6 days, GNT 5 days, with the 3-day 0-2500 pairs overlapping, etc. It turns out ACBL has a lot of people who think through the schedules to make sure they make sense for a lot of people.
Summer NABC Changes
Here is a proposal for changes coming up for the Summer NABC schedule. The top is the old schedule, the bottom is a proposed new schedule. One key feedback is that the Red Ribbon Pairs should begin on the 2nd Saturday, allowing players who have full-time jobs to fit the 2-day event on the weekend (fly in Friday night, leave by Sunday night).
The Summer NABC is the 2nd most accessible event NABC of the year, with plenty of players coming for their first national tournament due to GNT. While there, you can play in the 3-day 0-2500 pairs (a great event), the micro-spingold, and the Red Ribbon Pairs.
Spring NABC, Still the Most Accessible
Of the three NABCs each year, it seems like Spring is by far the best for mid-flight and newer players. there is a new Women’s Swiss event on the final Saturday / Sunday. Current schedule shown on the top, it is clear the 2nd half of Spring NABCs is designed for Flight B and C players. You can arrive on Monday night with a clear roadmap of what to play the next 6 days: 0-2500 Swiss, 0-2500 Pairs, and hopefully an NAP game if you qualified, otherwise a 2-day open swiss. For next Spring 2024, it seems there will be a new Women’s Open Swiss on the final Sat/Sun, to start right after the conclusion of the Women’s LM Pairs. Btw, there is also talk of eliminating the requirement to be a life master to play in that event, making it simply the Women’s Open Pairs.
Security Chromebooks
As a bridge security mechanism, the round of 16 and higher in many national level team events will use Chromebook bidding and playing machine as opposed to the previously used bidding screens. This worked out ok during the Spring 2023 NABCs and now it will continue to be expanded.
Shallower, More Generous Cuts for Limited Events
Another complex discussion, TBD for next time.
Online NABC in September
TBD
Advisory Council (formerly Board of Governors)
TBD for next time.