As GNT KO season reaches the semifinal and final stages, let’s not forget about the other main grassroots events, the North American Pairs. Unlike GNT, the whole event is done in just one day. Teams that are fighting through 4 rounds of GNTs might appreciate that (opening swiss, quarter finals, semi finals, and finals).
Flight A and Flight C: October 6th, 2024
Open to all District 24 players who meet the residency requirement, the Flight A NAP District Finals will take place on October 6th, Sunday, location and start time TBD but likely to be Honors at 11am. For those eligible for Flight C, we will hold the Flight C event concurrently but you only play against other non-life masters with 0-500 points.
New this year, there is talk within ACBL of raising the limit to 0-750, but still requiring the requirement that you have not achieved Life Master yet. Therefore, for those of you in the 500-750 range who have not yet gotten enough of your gold and silver pigments, you might get a bonus year of eligibility!
Flight B: October 27th, 2024
We are going to try something a bit different for Flight B this year. The date is Sunday, October 27th, 2024, but location and time is truly TBD. Keep in mind the grassroots events are District events, meaning a collaboration between the GNYBA and the NSBA (Nassau Suffolk Bridge Association).
If possible, we would love to have one of the Long Island clubs host the Flight B event next year, but we are still sorting out the details.
Also, at the last Competitions and Conventions Committee meeting, the proposal on the table is to raise Flight B from 0-2500 to 0-3500 next year. Amazingly, there is NO plan to raise the Basic+ Chart above the current 3000 cutoff, meaning Flight B for the first time in history would be upgraded to an Open Chart event. Stay tuned for more…
Club Qualifiers Begin in June 2024
As usual, you need to qualify at the club level first. You may play as many qualifiers as you want, both in online or face-to-face clubs. You qualify as an individual and when October 6th or 27th rolls around, you just need to make sure your partner is District 24 eligible and has also qualified at some point during the June, July, and August qualification period. You don’t need to qualify together, although it’s often a good idea.