GNTs FAQ and Other Info

We have 15+ teams already registered for GNTs but room for plenty of more. We wanted to clarify and answer a few questions people have asked in the past few weeks

Flight C is For Newer Players

Last year our District made GNT history sending two teams to the national finals in Chicago and having them win 1st and 2nd place nationwide! That’s great and has only been done twice in ACBL records, the other time in Vegas by District 21; however that’s not what this event is about.

All 9 of the players across those teams have self-graduated out and will be playing this year in Flight A or B (or both). So the field truly is wide open for any level of players. This event does not allow any life masters or players with over 500 point as of the cutoff in August 2023. That’s even lower than the upper limit of a Gold Rush event.

To be clear, the Flight C event is the friendliest and best way each year to earn gold and red points right here in New York, and you do not have to advance to nationals in order to take home a big Masterpoint prize while having lots of fun.

Clarifying the GNT Schedule, Playing Time, and Ending Time

The opening round is only one day in every flight. Feb 4th for A and C, Feb 24th for Championship, and Feb 25th for Flight B. It will start at 11am and end around 6pm with a short lunch break. In bridge lingo, that is considered a two-session event because you will play approximately 48 boards for the day instead of 24 boards.

In the Championship Flight, the first round of the KO is the immediate day after the opening round. For all other flights A, B, and C (0-6000, 0-2500, and 0-500), the KO round for surviving teams can be schedule at the convenience of the two teams.

Unfortunately, the confirmation email is a little confusing because one might think that it is two days when the dates read: Feb 25th to Feb 26th.

Teammates Do Not Need to Play Same Convention

For any pair, you and your partner must play the same conventions. You can’t have one person playing transfers but the other does not. However, there is no restriction on the conventions your teammates at the other table play. You and your partner are welcome to play standard while your teammates play 2/1, for example. Sometimes it’s fun to ask how the bidding went at the other table when you play a different bidding system from your counterparts.

Flight A and C are Separate Events

The players in Flight A with 0-6000 Masterpoints and the players in Flight C who are non LMs with 0-500 points will not be playing together. They will physically be in the same space at the same time, but the events are completely separate and you will not play a single board or be scored against anyone in the other event.

Why The Weird Name? Grand National Teams?

Despite the intimidating name, GNTs are split into four groups: Championship, A, B, and C. Flight B and C are designed to be extremely generous for intermediate and beginner players, with large gold point payouts and restrictions on both the Masterpoints of your opponents and the allowed conventions they can play. District 24 includes ACBL members in New York City and Long Island.

It is social and fun; you can enjoy it without doing anything grand or national.

What Conventions Are Allowed?

For the first time ever in GNTs, this year Flight B and C are both governed by the Basic+ Convention Chart. It allows plenty of cool conventions, probably all of the favorites you play, while disallowing most of the weird and crazy conventions seen in pro levels of play. As usual, Flight B limits players to a maximum of 2500 Masterpoints. Flight C has a 500 Masterpoint limit and no player can be a life master (in case there are members grandfathered at the 300 point Life Master cutoff).

Do You Take Apple Pay or Credit Card or Venmo?

Sorry, we are low tech and require the entry fee to be in cash at the playing site.