Conditions of Contest for District 6 2021-2022 Competition

DISTRICT 6 GRAND NATIONAL TEAMS

CONDITIONS OF CONTEST 2021/2022

JANUARY 21, 2022

The conditions of contest for the 2022 Grand National Teams (GNT) are based on the standard District 6 GNT Conditions of Contest, but modified for this year to accommodate special issues involved in online play. The ordinary conditions of contest appear below, following the table of contents.

Changes necessitated by the online format are as follows:

1. The club qualification requirement is waived.
2. When registering a team, captains must include the BBO names of all team members along with the other required information.
3. Breaks between sessions will be shorter than in face-to-face play. Team captains will receive specific information about the length of breaks at least three days before play begins.
4. Qualifying rounds will typically be played by dividing the field in each flight into leagues that are approximately equal in size and initially playing a round robin in each league.  Qualifying teams will then play head-to-head matches against other teams in their league. The event will conclude with the league winners holding a final match (or, in a large event, a final and semifinal). In the ordinary conditions of contest (below), the section on Flight-Specific Conditions of Contest- Flight A describes how league play works in somewhat more detail.
5. For the second weekend, players will be required to use Zoom or similar applications that enable them to maintain visual and audio contact with their screenmates while playing.

It is possible that other unforeseen issues relating to online play and therefore not specifically covered in the conditions of contest will arise. In managing the event and resolving those issues, the Grass Roots Committee and the Director-in-Charge will be guided by the policies and practices underlying the rules in the conditions of contest that were developed for face-to-face competition.

Immediate rulings on interpretations of these conditions and treatment of unforeseen situations will be based on the intent of the rule and may be made by the Grass Roots Committee Chair; the Chair may also choose to refer a question to the full Committee.  Players who have questions or encounter problems interpreting the Conditions of Contest should contact the Chair. Any Grass Roots Committee member who is on a team that has an interest in a ruling shall be recused from deliberations and decisions about the ruling. The on-site tournament committee consists of all available members of the Grass Roots Committee and the District 6 representative to the ACBL Board.

Important Dates

All Teams Must Pre-register

OPEN FLIGHT

Registration Deadline: February 15, 2022

First Weekend: February 26-27, 2022

Second Weekend: May 7-8, 2022

A FLIGHT (0-6000 MP)

Registration Deadline: January 25, 2022

First Weekend: February 5-6, 2022

Second Weekend: April 2-3, 2022

B FLIGHT (0-2500MP)

Registration Deadline: February 15, 2022

First Weekend: February 26-27, 2022

Second Weekend: April 30-May 1, 2022

C FLIGHT (0-500MP)

Registration Deadline: February 16, 2022

First Weekend: February 27, 2022 (Sunday only)

Second Weekend: May 1, 2022 (Sunday only)

Team captains will receive definitive information about starting times at least three days before the dates listed on the schedule. Starting times are expected to be between 11 AM and 12 noon each day.

PEOPLE TO CONTACT
Position	Name	E-mail	Phone	Snail Mail
Grass Roots Committee (GRC) Chair	Bill Cole	colebridge@aol.com	301-602-9024
District Coordinator	Bill Cole (Acting)	colebridge@aol.com	301- 602-9024
Registration (Open, B, C)	Lucy McCoy	lucym2222@gmail.com	703- 848-2331	3353 Taleen Ct. Annandale VA 22003
Registration (A)	Steve Robinson	robinswr@erols.com	703- 379-4371	2891 S. Abingdon St.  Arlington, VA 22206
GRC Member	Mary Peters	mfpeters496@verizon.net	410- 707-6347
GRC Member	Bob Bell	r.k.bell@ outlook.com	301- 920-0402
GRC Member	Jim Geist	wjamesfg@gmail.com	301- 915-5310
GRC Member	Margot Hennings	margot10bridge@cox.net	703- 560-0245

Table of Contents

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CONTEST. 1

ELIGIBILITY.. 1

Club and Unit Qualification. 1

Flight Eligibility. 2

District Residence Eligibility. 2

REGISTRATION AND FEES. 3

Changes of Plans. 4

MINIMUM PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS. 4

ADJUSTMENTS, SUBSTITUTES, AND WITHDRAWALS. 5

Substitutes. 5

Replacements and Augmentations. 6

Player Evaluation and Approval Process. 6

CONVENTIONS. 7

TIMELINESS. 7

Late Arrival 7

Slow Play. 8

Slow Play Monitoring. 10

CELL PHONE PENALTIES. 10

PLAY FORMAT. 10

Three-way Matches. 10

Two-way Matches. 11

Round Robins. 11

APPEALS. 11

FORFEITS AND DISQUALIFICATIONS………………………………………………..12

SEEDING.. 12

MASTERPOINT AWARDS. 12

COMPENSATION FOR NATIONAL COMPETITION.. 12

AUGMENTATION FOR THE NABC.. 13

FLIGHT-SPECIFIC CONDITIONS OF CONTEST. 14

CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN) FLIGHT. 14

Time and Place. 14

Play Format 14

Seeding. 16

FLIGHT A (0-6000) 18

Time and Place. 18

Play Format 18

Seeding. 19

FLIGHT B (0-2500) 20

Time and Place. 20

Play Format 20

FLIGHT C (Non-LM, 0-500) 21

Time and Place. 21

Play Format 22

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CONTEST

The ACBL Grand National Teams 2021-2022 Special Conditions of Contest

are incorporated by reference. Requirements in the Special Conditions of Contest override conflicting provisions in the General Conditions.

Winners of the four District 6 Grand National Team (GNT) Championships will earn the right to represent District 6 at the national finals in Providence, Rhode Island during the 2022 Summer North American Bridge Championships (NABC). All teams must consist of four, five, or six players. Second place finishers in Flights B and C are also eligible to play in the national event in Providence.

ELIGIBILITY

Each player in the district event must be an ACBL member in good standing and, except as noted elsewhere in this section, a club-qualified member of a District 6 Unit.

By entry into a district level GNT competition, participants certify that they are eligible to represent District 6 in the national GNT competition. Players are responsible for knowing if they are club-qualified.If a team includes an ineligible player, the entire team will be disqualified.

Club and Unit Qualification

1. There are only three flights at club or unit games:  Open, Flight B, and Flight C.
2. The club qualification period begins on September 1, 2021.
3. Each club or unit game may hold as many qualifying games as it chooses.
4. Invitational clubs or units may hold GNT qualifying games that are open to all players.
5. Non-Life Master sectional tournaments may hold qualifying events that enable players to qualify for the Flight C district event.
6. Whenever possible, the District 6 website will post a schedule of GNT club and unit qualifying games. Club managers are responsible for notifying the District 6 Webmaster of the dates for their qualifying games.
7. Clubs and units may hold qualifying events for any combination of flights simultaneously. They may also hold stratified events.
8. Rules Governing Qualification in Club or Unit Game Qualifying Games:
   1. In an open qualifying event, players on teams that (a) score 50% or more of the available Victory Points, (b) win half of their matches, or (c) are in the top 50% of the field (an odd number of teams is rounded up) are qualified to compete at the district stage of competition in any flight for which they are eligible. This includes all players on teams that tie for the last qualifying position.
   2. If a team has more than 4 players, each player must play 2 matches. If the team qualifies, all team members qualify.
   3. In a stratified event, players who score in the top half of a stratum that is open to players with more than 500 masterpoints earn club qualification into the district level flight B event.
   4. Players who qualify in a game or stratum for players with fewer than 500 masterpoints are qualified for Flight C only. Flight C players who play in one club or unit qualifying game are eligible for the Flight C district competition, regardless of their score.
   5. A player who has few or no qualifying games within 50 driving miles of his/her home may request a waiver from the requirement for club or unit qualification. Players must request such waivers by January 1, 2022. Requests must be made to the Chair of the District 6 Grass Roots Committee.

Flight Eligibility

The Championship Flight is an open event; Flight A is limited to players with 0-6000 masterpoints; Flight B is limited to players with 0-2500 masterpoints; and Flight C is limited to Non-Life Masters with fewer than 500 masterpoints.

A player’s master point holding as of the ACBL August 2021 master point cycle determines his or her flight eligibility. Masterpoint holdings are determined by ACBL headquarters and are printed on the back of the player’s September 2021 ACBL Bulletin.

Normally, players qualify as individuals at the club or unit level. Qualified players form teams for the district phase of the competition. (This requirement is waived for the 2021-2022 competition.)

District Residence Eligibility

The ACBL National Conditions of Contest determine a player’s eligibility to play in a specific district. Players who wish an exception from the district residency requirement must notify the Chair of the District 6 Grass Roots Committee by December 1, 2021. Three special residency situations—“snowbirds,” border dwellers, and players with multiple domiciles—will be handled as follows:

1. Snowbirds. Any member with a seasonal residence who spends more than half of the GNT qualifying period (considered to be September 1, 2021- February 29, 2022) in a district other than the district of his or her principal physical residence may choose to play in the district of seasonal residence. The player must play in that district’s finals to be eligible for the national finals. The player is not eligible to be added to a team from another district (e.g., the district of his or her principal residence).
2. Border Dwellers. Players who live outside District 6 but near the district border and who are members of a District 6 unit may seek permission from the District 6 Grass Roots Committee to play in the District 6 GNT. A player seeking this exception must have been an active member of his or her District 6 unit for at least 5 years continuously prior to the start of the year’s District 6 competition. He or she must not have played in the GNT in another district during those 5 years. (The 2020/2021 GNT is not considered for this requirement). Once this permission is granted, the player is eligible to play only in District 6 and may not change unit affiliation unless the player’s principal physical residence changes.
3. Multiple Domiciles. Players with multiple domiciles may apply to the District 6 Grass Roots Committee for a one-time choice of district in which they wish to play. Players may be asked to document their time in each of their residences. A player must live at least 3 months each year in District 6 in order to have it considered as a possible residence for GNT purposes. Once a player with multiple domiciles chooses to compete in the District 6 GNT, the player must play only in District 6 until he or she no longer has a domicile in District 6.

REGISTRATION AND FEES

Teams must pre-register to participate in the District 6 event. Registration materials must be received by the Friday 8 days before the weekend of the district event. To pre-register, team captains must submit a check or money order for $100.00 payable to District 6. They must also provide the following information:

1. A list of the names and player numbers of all players on the team
2. The e-mail address and telephone number for the team captain
3. The flight for which the team is registering to play
4. The site at which the team will play (Flights B and C only)

Pre-registration materials should be sent to:

For 0-6000 entries:

Steve Robinson

2891 S. Abingdon St.

Arlington, VA 22206-1329

For Open, B, and C entries:

Lucy McCoy

3353 Taleen Ct

Annandale, VA 22003-1161

The entry fee for the district event is $100.00 per team per day.

If a southern team (defined as not in units 135, 218, or 147) has to travel twice to the northern site to play, each member of the team will receive $50 for the second trip to help defray the cost.

The Grass Roots Committee may, at its discretion, permit a team that failed to pre-register in a timely manner to play in the district event. The Committee will do so only when it concludes that adding a team will produce a better, fairer event (e.g., produce qualifying leagues of more uniform size).

Changes of Plans

Pre-registered teams that change their plans and decide not to play must notify the District Coordinator or the Chairman of the Grass Roots Committee at least 7 days before the event starts. Teams that fail to provide timely notification will forfeit their entry fee and may be subject to further penalties, including exclusion from play in the 2022/2023 event.

A pre-registered Flight B or Flight C team must immediately notify the District Coordinator if it decides to change the site at which it will play in the event. (See Conditions of Contest for Flights B and C for deadlines for site change notifications.)  

MINIMUM PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

All members of a four-person team must be prepared to play all sessions of the district event. If there are known problems with meeting this requirement, team captains must notify the District Coordinator and make arrangements to solve these problems as far in advance as possible.

Team members are required to play a minimum number of boards or sessions of the event. A team member who fails to play the required number of boards or sessions at one stage in the event is ineligible to play at later stages.

Open Bracket. All members of a team whose names appear on the pre-registration form are required to play 50% of the boards. In addition, all team members are required to play either (1) 50% of the semifinals and 50% of the finals or (2) 100% of the finals.

Flights A (0-6000), B (0-2500), and C (0-500 NLM). All members of a team whose names appear on the pre-registration entry form are required to play at least 50% of the sessions in district competition.  A player who plays 100% of either the first or second weekend is deemed to have met the 50% rule (e.g., a player who plays only three sessions on the first weekend because his or her team has a bye for the other session).  

At the conclusion of the district event, if it is determined that one or more team members has failed to meet the participation requirement and did not obtain a waiver, the Grass Roots Committee may disqualify or otherwise penalize that player, the team captain, and/or the whole team (e.g., a winning team might lose part of its reimbursement for playing in the national finals).

ADJUSTMENTS, SUBSTITUTES, AND WITHDRAWALS

If a player on a preregistered team becomes aware that he or she will be unable to play the required minimum number of boards or sessions in the district event, the player must immediately notify his or her team captain. The captain must notify the District Coordinator as soon as possible and no later than the close of pre-registration for the team’s flight. If a player is going to play fewer than four sessions (two sessions in Flight C), in general that player will be treated as a substitute (see the rules on substitutes below).

If the team captain provides sufficient evidence that a team member’s absence is due to an unanticipated emergency, the District Coordinator, in consultation with the Grass Roots Committee, may decide that an exception to the minimum participation rules is warranted. In this case, the member who is absent due to an emergency may be granted a waiver that enables him or her to remain on the team and participate in later stages of the event. If the player is not granted a waiver, he or she will be treated as a substitute.

Should one or more members of a team win the district competition in two flights, they must play in the higher flight at the national level. If a player wins the district competition in a given flight, he or she becomes ineligible to compete in the same year’s district competition in a lower flight.

If these rules render fewer than two of the original players on a winning team eligible to compete at the national level, the second-place team will represent District 6. Otherwise, the team may add eligible players to field a team for the national level of the event.

Substitutes

1. A team that is able to field only one registered member in a match must forfeit the match.
   1. If only two or three members are available, a substitute(s) may be used. The substitute may play for no more than two sessions.
   2. If four team members are available, a substitute is not permitted to replace an absent fifth or sixth.
   3. A team must field four team members and no substitutes for half the sessions and half the boards it plays in the district event.   
   4. If a team will need a substitute, the team captain must inform the District Coordinator as soon as this need becomes known.
   5. A proposed substitute must be approved by the Chair of the Grass Roots Committee (see description of player evaluation and approval process below).
   6. If the District Coordinator is notified in advance that a player will be late for a match and an approved substitute begins the match, the Coordinator shall permit the player to enter the match at the conclusion of the hand being played when the player arrives at the game site.
   7. Substitutes need not be club-qualified.
   8. Substitutes do not affect a team’s seeding.

Replacements and Augmentations

Team captains may ask to add new team members or replace existing members. Proposed augmentation or replacement players must be club-qualified for the flight in which they would play. They may not have played as a member of another team in that flight. (A player who has preregistered as a member of another team in the flight may not switch teams unless and until the other team’s captain has notified the District Coordinator that the player is no longer on his or her team or that his or her team is canceling its pre- registration.)

As described below, the Chair of the Grass Roots Committee will implement the player evaluation and approval process to assess proposed augmentations and replacements and determine whether or not to approve them.

No combination of substitutes, replacements, or augmentations will be permitted where this would strengthen the team.

Only the team captain can make a request for substitutes, replacements, or augmentations.

Player Evaluation and Approval Process

To request a substitute, replacement, or augmentation, the team captain will contact the Chair of the Grass Roots Committee with the name(s) of the player(s) to be approved. If unable to contact the Chair, the captain shall contact the District Coordinator or, if necessary, another member of the Grass Roots Committee. The Chair, after consultation with at least one appropriate committee member, may decide to accept or reject the request. The Chair shall promptly inform the captain of the decision.

If the Chair rejects a proposed substitute, replacement, or augmentation, the captain may request that a named five-member panel (the Chair and four others) be convened to make that decision. The captain is entitled to remove one member of the panel (other than the Chair) without cause and to select a new member (acceptable to the Grass Roots Committee) to replace him or her. The captain may request the replacement of additional members (including the Chair) for stated cause. The Chair will ensure that the captain is promptly informed of the panel decision, including the panel’s aggregate vote on the proposal. The captain will not be told who voted which way. There is no appeal from the panel ruling.

If the Chair decides that a decision about a proposed substitute, replacement, or augmentation is “too close to call,” the CPES shall constitute a five-member panel to make the decision. The captain will have the same removal, replacement, and notification rights as described in the preceding paragraph for a panel convened at his or her request.

The Chair may advise the captain of individuals who he thinks would be appropriate as substitutes, replacements, or augmentations in this case. Late in the event (quarterfinal or later), the Chair may request an opinion from the opposing team captain. Since it is virtually impossible to measure in advance the relative importance in a given match of partnership strengths or individual abilities, the approval process will use as their yardstick the principle that a player being considered as a substitute, augmentation, or replacement must be of equal or less ability than any member of the team who is to sit out.

CONVENTIONS

In the District-level Open and 0-6000 flights, conventions permitted by the Open+ Chart are allowed. In the district level B and C flights, only conventions permitted by the Basic+ Chart are allowed.  If it is unclear whether the relevant chart allows a certain modification or extension of a convention, a player must send a clear written summary of the modification or extension to the District Coordinator, explaining the question it poses. The Coordinator will respond to all such questions that he or she receives at least two weeks prior to the first KO session. Modifications and extensions that have not been approved by the Coordinator are assumed not to be permitted. If a pair uses an illegal convention, penalties will be assessed according to standard ACBL procedures.

TIMELINESS

The following topics are key in helping to ensure a fair playing environment for all players in all flights.

Late Arrival

Players are responsible to plan travel to the playing site so that they will arrive on time. They are responsible to consult available information online about traffic and weather problems and to plan their travel so that they will be at the playing site and ready to play on time, even if they encounter unanticipated delays of 15 to 20 minutes.  The Director in Charge has discretion to reduce or waive late arrival penalties when he or she determines that players encountered extraordinary obstacles to timely arrival that could not reasonably have been anticipated or overcome (e.g., emergency road closures affecting players travelling long distances, such as those travelling from well beyond the Washington D.C. metro area).  Delays involving local commuters are highly unlikely to warrant reductions or waivers of penalties.

Penalties for late arrival will be based on scheduled starting times or (for post-dinner break lateness) agreed-upon starting times that are posted on the Flight sheets. Tardiness up to and including ten minutes incurs no score penalty. The opposing team may not waive a penalty for tardiness.

Teams arriving 11 to 15 minutes late for a knockout match will be penalized three IMPs. Teams will incur an additional three IMP penalty for each additional five minutes of tardiness (i.e., 16-20 minutes = 6 IMPs, 21- 25 minutes = 9 IMPs, etc.). When a team arrives late for a three-way match, the benefits from tardiness penalties will be divided evenly between its opponents; in such cases, odd-number IMP penalties will be reduced by one IMP to enable an even division.

Teams arriving 11 to 15 minutes late for a round robin match will be penalized two victory points. Teams will incur an additional two victory point penalty for each additional five minutes of tardiness. Victory points will be deducted from the offending team’s overall score.

Breaks  

The break between sessions will be 1.5 hours. The second half will ordinarily begin 90 minutes after completion of actual play in the first half or 90 minutes after the scheduled completion of the first half, whichever is earlier. By mutual agreement among the team captains and the Director-in-Charge, an earlier or later restart time may be selected, normally no later than 90 minutes after the scheduled completion of the first half, rounded up to the next multiple of 10 minutes. The agreed-upon restart time will be the basis for calculating lateness penalties for the session after the break. If both teams are ready to begin play 10 (or fewer) minutes before the agreed upon restart time, the captains may agree to do so. For slow play monitoring purposes, such an agreement does not alter the officially agreed upon restart time.

Breaks between segments of knockout play are ten minutes.

Slow Play

Players are expected to maintain a steady pace of play. Players should alert the director when their opponents are playing slowly.

Knockout and round robin play are timed to allow eight minutes per board in each segment. In addition, each segment includes eight additional minutes, which provide time for shuffling boards and discussing the opponents’ methods and agreements. The director will start the time clock when the boards have been handed out to all of the tables. No boards will be removed from a segment.

Failure to start one or more boards before time expires constitutes a slow play infraction. Failure to complete the final board of a segment within eight minutes of the end of the time scheduled for the segment is also an infraction. These infractions may be assessed against one or both pairs at the table.

In determining responsibility for slow play, the Director-in-Charge will consider:

• Acknowledgement of fault by one or more players
• Delays resulting from repeated post-mortems
• Unnecessary absences from the table during the segment
• Personal observation
• Complaints during the segment
• Other reliable kinds and sources of information

The Director’s judgment on who is at fault for slow play is final and cannot be appealed.

Slow play infractions accumulate for each partnership throughout the district event.  They do not accumulate across multiple flights. A pair may be guilty of a slow play infraction in more than one session of a match.

The first slow play infraction is not penalized. The second infraction will result in both a board reduction penalty in a future match and in seeding point penalties. Board reduction penalties do not apply in Flights B and C.

If a board-reduction penalty is assessed against the winning team during the round of 16, 8, or 4, the penalty shall be applied in the team’s next match. If a board reduction penalty is assessed against the losing team during the round of 16, 8, or 4, or by either team in the final, the penalty shall be applied the next time the pair reaches the round of 8 (i.e., in a subsequent year).

Board reduction penalties follow the partnership. If a partnership splits, each player carries the full four-board penalty the first time he or she reaches the round of 8.

The board reduction penalty is a reduction of four boards.  At half-time of the match at which the penalty applies, the captain of the opposing team may choose whether or not to shorten the match by enforcing the penalty. Regardless of the captain’s decision, the penalty is considered paid. If two opposing teams have each earned a board-reduction penalty, the match is played to its full default length and the penalty is considered paid.

In round-robins in any flight, the first slow play infraction is not penalized.  For a second infraction in the same round-robin, a one victory point penalty will be assessed.  The third infraction is penalized two more victory points. Subsequent infractions are penalized at 3.5 victory points each.  The assessment of victory point penalties constitutes full payment for the infractions that generated them. When a team with an unpenalized infraction survives the round-robin, the infraction carries over to the knockout phase; thus, an additional slow play infraction in this phase would generate a penalty.

Any player with two slow play infractions will lose 10% of his or her seeding points the following year.  Third and subsequent infractions will result in the loss of an additional 10% each.  These seeding point penalties apply to all flights for which a player is eligible.

The Director-in-Charge shall inform the District Coordinator of all slow play infractions and penalties.

Slow Play Monitoring 

1. Except when a slow play infraction has occurred and one match has fallen behind the other matches, there is one time clock for all the teams. This clock will reflect the time allotted for play and breaks, as described above.
2. If a team falls behind, the director will note the infraction and put that match on its own time clock.
3. Team captains may appeal to the Grass Roots Committee if they believe either that the timing process was not accurately followed or that timing rules were not properly interpreted.

CELL PHONE PENALTIES

Cell phone violations cost three IMPs in knockout matches and one Victory point in Swiss matches. Players should report all cell phone violations to the director.

PLAY FORMAT

Three-way, two-way, and round robin formats may be used throughout the first qualifying weekend of the district finals, as appropriate to accommodate the numbers of teams who participate.

Three-way Matches

In three-way matches, there will be no score comparisons during the second half of the match. Comparison of scores will take place only at the end of the second half. If a team compares scores part way through the second half, it will be penalized up to 6 IMPs (3 IMPS go to each non-offending team). Seating rights are by coin flip, unless a team has earned their seed in that year’s round robin. In that case, the seeded team has choice of seating.

All-day 48 board three-ways in which two teams qualify.  The afternoon and evening sessions will each consist of two 12-board segments against each team (i.e., each team will play 24 boards against each of its opponents).

All-day 56 board three-ways in which one team qualifies. The afternoon and evening sessions will each consist of two 14-board segments against each team.

All-day three-ways in which one team may be eliminated at the dinner break. The afternoon session will consist of two 16-board sets played against each team. Teams will compare scores after 8 boards have been played in each match. If one team is behind in both matches at the dinner break and also has the largest negative IMP total in the match, it will be eliminated at the dinner break. The evening session will be 24 boards.  If one team has been knocked out at the half, the evening session will consist of a head-to-head knockout between the two survivors with 100% carryover of IMPs from the afternoon session. If all three teams qualify to play the evening session, each team will play an additional 12-board set against each other team. One team will survive. If all three teams have won a match, total IMPs determine which team survives.

For two-session three-way matches, a posted schedule shall provide each team with a balanced schedule of primary and secondary seating rights in quarters 2, 3, and 4.

In three-way matches, ties will be broken in accordance with ACBL General Knockout Team Conditions (i.e., by net IMPs).

Two-way Matches

For two-session, four-quarter two-way matches, a coin toss will determine who has choice of seats in the four quarters of the match. The winner of the coin toss may select seating rights for either the 1^st & 4^th or the 2^nd & 3^rd quarters. In knockout play, changes in partnership(s) may be made only at the point where the teams stop play to compare scores, except in emergency situations with the director’s approval.

Should any two-way match end in a tie, continuing four-board tiebreakers will be used. There will be no seeding privileges in such playoffs. Play will begin after a short intermission to recheck scores.

Round Robins

Conditions under which teams may change partnerships will be announced at the start of the session. Tie-break conditions will be posted.

APPEALS

During the district event, appeals of director’s rulings and protests of scoring errors are administered in accordance with ACBL rules by the normal tournament authority. The Director-in-Charge, in consultation with members of the Grass Roots Committee, is authorized to form telephone committees if an appropriate committee cannot be formed on site.

In the Open Flight, District 6 players with the requisite expertise, objectivity, and availability to serve on committees may be scarce. Accordingly, the Director-in-Charge, in consultation with the Chair of the District 6 Grass Roots Committee and the District 6 GNT Coordinator, may decide to form e-mail committees including players inside and/or outside District 6.

If an appeals committee finds that an appeal should not have been brought because there were no grounds for it (i.e., finds it to be without merit) a 20% reduction of seeding points will be assessed against the appealing pair and the team captain. This penalty applies to all flights for which a player is eligible. The penalty will apply for three years.

If a player makes more than one appeal that a committee finds to be without merit, a District 6 Conduct and Ethics Committee may be convened and a further penalty assessed.  

FORFEITS AND DISQUALIFICATIONS

If a forfeit or disqualification occurs between the first Saturday and first Sunday, either the team eliminated in a KO by the offending team will advance or the highest non-qualifier in the offending team’s league will advance. If the forfeiture or disqualification occurs after the first Sunday and before the semi-finals, no eliminated team will advance. If a team is disqualified after the first weekend of district play, leaving only three teams in the event, the semi-final event will be played as a three-way contest with full carryover to a maximum of 12.5 IMPS to the final. If the District winning team is disqualified, the second-place team advances.

SEEDING

Team membership determines seeding in the District event. There will be no seeding point consideration given to foreign players who are new ACBL members unless the ACBL has made a masterpoint adjustment or the player has represented his or her country in open international play. Seeding rules are described in the section on flight-specific conditions of contest.

MASTERPOINT AWARDS

For any overall award, a player must play at least 50% of all the boards played by the team at the time he or she (and the team) earned that award. For the first place award in the Open flight, a player must play at least 50% of the combined boards in the semi-final and final matches or 100% of the final match.

For any given overall award, a player must have played at least 50% of the boards in the match in which his or her team earned the award. Thus, if a team loses its final match and finishes second, a player who played 100% of round one, sat out rounds two and three, and played 100% of the final will receive masterpoints (a match award) only for the first-round victory.

COMPENSATION FOR NATIONAL COMPETITION

In each flight, regardless of the number of players on the team, the winning team will receive $2000 compensation to help defray travel and hotel costs, as long as four or more members of the original team will be playing at the national level. However, if three or fewer members of the original team will be playing at the national level, the team’s compensation will be $500 times the number of original players participating. Thus, if the original team consisted of four players and one or more players is unable to play at the national level, compensation is reduced by one-quarter for each player dropping off. For instance, if only 3 of the original players go to Providence, R.I., for the 2022 Summer NABC, the team compensation will be $1500. Except in cases of death or severe disability, there will be no exceptions to this rule.

Teams receive compensation in the form of a single check made out to the team captain, available when the team captain picks up the entry for the first session of play at the NABC. Team members who need the money earlier should contact the District 6 Treasurer.

AUGMENTATION FOR THE NABC

In all flights, teams that win the District competition may add a 5^th and/or 6^th player for the NABC. Augmentations must be made at least one week prior to the commencement of play at the NABC. The names of the augmented players must be provided to the District Coordinator.  Augmented players will not receive compensation from District 6 and must be club-qualified (except in 2022).  

FLIGHT-SPECIFIC CONDITIONS OF CONTEST

CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN) FLIGHT

The following conditions pertain only to the Championship (Open) Flight.

Time and Place

Pre-registration deadline: February 15, 2022

First Weekend:

Play on Saturday, February 26, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play on Sunday, February 27, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Second Weekend Semifinal/Final Matches:

Play (Semifinals) on Saturday, May 6, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play (Finals) on Sunday, May 7, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play Format

Flighting:

12 Teams: Four three-ways. Top two teams in each Flight advance to next day.

1	2	3	4
5	6	8	7
12	11	9	10

13 Teams:  First Saturday: a combination of two-way and three-way matches will be held. Two-way matches will consist of 48 boards. Comparisons are made after 12 boards. In three-way matches, 48 boards are played. No comparisons between 3^rd and 4^th quarters.

1	2	3	7 versus 10
6	5	4
11	12	13	8 versus 9

14 Teams: A combination of two-way and three-way matches will be held. Two-way matches will consist of 48 boards. Comparisons are made after 12 boards. In three-way matches, 48 boards are played. No comparisons between 3^rd and 4^th quarters.

1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	12	11	10	9
14	13

15 Teams:  With 15 teams, teams seeded 7, 8, and 9 should be in a three-way match. The team that wins this match (7, 8, 9) becomes number 7 seed and the second place team becomes number 8 seed. All other teams in head-to-head matches.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
15	14	13	12	11	10	8
9

16 Teams: Straight KOs

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9

17 Teams: Matches are either all-day head- to-head KOs or three-way matches. The match assignment of teams has been predetermined according to seed position as specified by the Grass Roots Committee.  There will be head-to-head matches with the first 16 teams and the 17th team will be randomly shuffled in to make one three-way match.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9

***Team 17 will be shuffled into one of the matches

18 Teams: Round Robin matches. There will be two brackets with nine teams in each bracket.  There will be eight six-board matches.  Four teams will qualify from each bracket. The winner of each bracket will choose between teams 3 and 4 for play the next day.

The #1 and #2 seeds are as seeded. The 3-8 are shuffled in pairs to determine their placement in the brackets (e.g., the shuffle may assign the third highest seeded team the fourth seed and vice versa). Teams 9 to the end will be split into a higher seeded group and a lower seeded group. Bracketing in each group will be determined by random shuffle. If groups are uneven, the larger group will be the lower seeded group.

Semifinal and Final

The semi-final matches and the final match will each be 52 boards, unless site constraints dictate otherwise.

Seeding

The Director-in-Charge will use seeding patterns drawn up in advance by the District 6 GNT Planning Committee.

Seeding is based on the master int holding and bonus seeding points of each team member who will be competing in the District final.

Seeding points based on masterpoint holdings are allocated as follows:

• Players with fewer than 500 masterpoints are awarded 16 seeding points
• 501-1000 masterpoints = 17 seeding points
• 1001-1500 masterpoints = 18 seeding points
• 1501-2000 masterpoints = 19 seeding points
• 2001-2500 masterpoints= 20 seeding points
• 2501-3000 masterpoints = 21 seeding points
• 3001-3500 masterpoints = 22 seeding points
• 3500-4000 masterpoints = 23 seeding points

One seeding point is added for each full

• 1000 points from 4001 to 10,000 points
• 4001- 5000 masterpoints = 24 seeding points,
• 5001- 6000 masterpoints = 25 seeding points, etc.

One seeding point is added for each full

• 2500 masterpoints between 10,000 and 20,000. 20,000=33.
• 5,000 masterpoints through 30,000. 30,000=35.
• Players with 40,000 or more masterpoints will receive an additional seeding point.

Seeding points will be computed from the September 2021 masterpoint cycle for each person on the team.

Bonus seeding points are earned by performance in GNT and NAP events for the previous five years as follows:

1st	2nd	3rd	3rd/4th	4th/6th	5th/8th
GNT	6.5	4.5	2.5	**.5/1
NAP	3	2	1	.5

**If you win both halves of a three-way, you will receive 1.0 seeding points. If you win one match of a three-way, you receive .5 seeding points. If you are in the bottom of a bracket and you win a match, you win 1.0 seeding points. If you are in the top of the bracket, and you win a match, you will receive .5 seeding points.

A Grand Life Master who becomes a new member of District 6 will be credited with 3 bonus seeding points for each of the 5 years prior to becoming a member of the District. 

The total number of bonus seeding points plus the master point seeding points per team is divided by the number of players on that team. That result will be used to seed the teams in order.   

FLIGHT A (0-6000)

The following conditions pertain only to Flight A.

Time and Place

Pre-registration deadline: January 25, 2022

First Weekend:

Play on Saturday, February 5, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play on Sunday, February 6, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Second Weekend Semi-final/Final Matches:

Play (Semifinals) on Saturday, April 2, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play (Finals) on Sunday, April 3, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play Format

The form of play will be round-robin leagues on the first Saturday, with KOs beginning on the first Sunday. Matches will be played in a single sitting (i.e., not interrupted by a dinner break or a score comparison.)

The highest seeded teams will be assigned as the #1 and #2 seed of each league in the round robin. The #3 and lower seeds for each league will be assigned by the seeding formula, shuffled in groups of the same number as there are leagues, and randomly placed in each league. All teams will play the entire first Saturday of the District event.

Comparisons will be made at the end of each match except the penultimate match.

On the first Sunday, qualifying teams will continue to play within their original leagues with 100% carryover up to a maximum of 12.5 IMPs from Saturday’s play.

The semi-final and final matches will each be 48 boards. Carryover from the first weekend extends through the semifinals.

Tie-breaking Conditions

In a round robin, if two teams are tied in Victory Points, the tie is broken in the following sequence:

1. Conversion of all matches to Win/Loss/Tie
2. IMP result of the Head to Head Match(es)
3. Total Point Result of the Head to Head Match(es)

If the above procedures do not break the tie, ties that determine a bye or a qualifier will be broken by a two-board playoff. Other ties will be broken by a coin flip. A tie in any two-board playoff will be broken by a coin flip (due to curfew time).

Seeding

The Director-in-Charge will use seeding patterns drawn up in advance by the District 6 Grass Roots Committee.   

Seeding is based on the masterpoint holding and bonus IMPs of each team member who will be competing in the District final as follows:

The seeding point figure for each team member is computed based on the IMP scale through 4000 points. One additional seeding point is added for a player with 4001-6000 points. Seeding points will be computed from the September 1, 2021 masterpoint cycle for each person on the team.

Bonus seeding points are earned by performance in GNT, GNT A (0-6000) and North American Pairs events for the previous five years. The following chart indicates the number of bonus IMPs awarded for high finishes in these events:

1st	2nd	3rd/4th or 3rd	5th/8th	4th/6th	2nd Day
GNT Open	8	6	4	2
GNT A	6	4.5	3	2
NAP	6	5	3	2	1

Note:  When two matches are won (in three-way on second day decided by net IMPs), 2^nd place finisher receives bonus.

The total number of seeding points per team is divided by the number of players on that team. That result will be used to seed the teams in order.

FLIGHT B (0-2500)   

The following conditions pertain only to Flight B.

Time and Place

Pre-registration deadline: February 15, 2022

First Weekend:

Play on Saturday, February 26, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play on Sunday, February 27, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Second Weekend Semifinal/Final Matches:

Play (Semifinals) on Saturday, April 30, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play (Finals) on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play Format

The form of play will be an unseeded Swiss team event on the first Saturday and round robin or knockout (KO) matches beginning on Sunday. Swiss and round robin matches will be played in a single sitting (i.e., not interrupted by a dinner break or a score comparison), and comparisons in Swiss matches will be made at the end of each match except the penultimate match.

The format (round-robin or KO) of the semifinal will depend on the number of teams qualified from the preliminary weekend. The total number of boards played will depend on the format of the two days. The final will be 26 boards.

The format for three-way KO matches is described above under General Conditions, Play Format.

FLIGHT C (Non-LM, 0-500)   

The following conditions pertain only to Flight C.

Time and Place

Pre-registration deadline: February 16, 2022

First Weekend:

Play on Sunday, February 27, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Second Weekend Semifinal/Final Matches:

Play (Finals) on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Online. Time TBA.

Play Format

The first weekend will begin play in some form of unseeded Swiss or Round Robin format. Swiss and Round Robin matches involving 12 boards or fewer will be played in a single sitting (i.e., not interrupted by a dinner break or a score comparison), and comparisons will be made at the end of each match except the penultimate match. If, at any point, three-way KO matches are played, they will be conducted as described above under General Conditions, Play Format.

If a team that has qualified for the second weekend of competition finds that it will be unable to field a team for that weekend, it must notify the District Coordinator by April 11, 2022. This will enable the next place team to replace the team that is unavailable.

District Six Conditions of Contest 2019/2020

Immediate rulings on interpretations of these conditions and treatment of unforeseen situations will be based on the intent of the rule and may be made by the Grass Roots Committee Chair; the Chair may also choose to refer a question to the full Committee.  Players who have questions or encounter problems interpreting the Conditions of Contest should contact the Chair. Any Grass Roots Committee member who is on a team that has an interest in a ruling shall be recused from deliberations and decisions about the ruling. The on-site tournament committee consists of all available members of the Grass Roots Committee and the District 6 representative to the ACBL Board.

Coordinator and Chairman

Bill Cole 301-602-9024 colebridge@aol.com

GNT Committee Members

Bob Bell 202-246-2777 301-920-0402 r.k.bell@outlook.com

Jim Geist

Mary Peters

Margot Hennings

General Conditions

The ACBL Grand National Teams 2019/2020 Special Conditions of Contest are incorporated by reference.

Winners of the four District 6 Grand National Team (GNT) Championships will earn the right to represent District 6 at the national finals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada during the 2020 Summer North American Bridge Championships (NABC). All teams must consist of four, five, or six players.

Eligibility

Each player in the district event must be an ACBL member in good standing and, except as noted elsewhere in this section, a club-qualified member of a District 6 Unit.

By entry into a district level GNT competition, participants certify that they are eligible to represent District 6 in the national GNT competition. Players are responsible for knowing if they are club-qualified.  If a team includes an ineligible player, the entire team will be disqualified.

Club and Unit Qualification

 There are only three flights at club or unit games: Open, Flight B, and Flight C.

1. The club qualification period begins on September 1, 2019.
2. Each club or unit game may hold as many qualifying games as it chooses.
3. Invitational clubs or units may hold GNT qualifying games that are open to all players.
4. Non-Life Master sectional tournaments may hold qualifying events that enable players to qualify for the Flight C district event.
5. Whenever possible, the District 6 website will post a schedule of GNT club and unit qualifying games. Club managers are responsible for notifying the District 6 Webmaster of the dates for their qualifying games.
6. Clubs and units may hold qualifying events for any combination of flights simultaneously. They may also hold stratified events.
7. Rules Governing Qualification in Club or Unit Game Qualifying Games:
   1. In an open qualifying event, players on teams that (a) score 50% or more of the available Victory Points, (b) win half of their matches, or (c) are in the top 50% of the field (an odd number of teams is rounded up) are qualified to compete at the district stage of competition in any flight for which they are eligible. This includes all players on teams that tie for the last qualifying position.
   2. If a team has more than 4 players, each player must play 2 matches. If the team qualifies, all team members qualify.
   3. In a stratified event, players who score in the top half of a stratum that is open to players with more than 500 masterpoints earn club qualification into the district level Flight B event.
   4. Players who qualify in a game or stratum for players with fewer than 500 masterpoints are qualified for Flight C only.  Flight C players who play in one club or unit qualifying game are eligible for the Flight C district competition, regardless of their score.
   5. A player who has few or no qualifying games within 50 driving miles of his/her home may request a waiver from the requirement for club or unit qualification.  Players must request such waivers by January 1, 2020. Requests must be made to the Chair of the District 6 Grass Roots Committee.

Flight Eligibility

The Championship Flight (also known as the Open Flight) is an open event; Flight A is limited to players with 0-6000 masterpoints; Flight B is limited to players with 0-2500 masterpoints; and Flight C is limited to Non-Life Masters with fewer than 500 masterpoints.

A player’s masterpoint holding as of the ACBL August 2019 masterpoint cycle determines his or her flight eligibility.  Masterpoint holdings are determined by ACBL headquarters and are printed on the back of the player’s September 2019 ACBL Bulletin.

Players qualify as individuals at the club or unit level.  Qualified players form teams for the district phase of the competition.

District Residence Eligibility

The ACBL National Conditions of Contest determine a player’s eligibility to play in a specific district.  Players who wish an exception from the district residency requirement must notify the Chair of the District 6 Grass Roots Committee by December 1, 2019.  Three special residency situations—“snowbirds,” border dwellers, and players with multiple domiciles—will be handled as follows:

1. Snowbirds. Any member with a seasonal residence, who spends more than half of the GNT qualifying period (considered to be September 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020) in a district other than the district of his or her principal physical residence, may choose to play in the district of seasonal residence. The player must play in that district’s finals to be eligible for the national finals. The player is not eligible to be added to a team from another district (e.g., the district of his or her principal residence).
2. Border Dwellers. Players who live outside District 6 but near the district border and who are members of a District 6 unit may seek permission from the District 6 Grass Roots Committee to play in the District 6 GNT. A player seeking this exception must have been an active member of his or her District 6 unit for at least 5 years continuously prior to the start of the year’s District 6 competition. He or she must not have played in the GNT in another district during those 5 years. (The 2018/2019 GNT is not considered for this requirement.) Once this permission is granted, the player is eligible to play only in District 6 and may not change unit affiliation unless the player’s principal physical residence changes.
3. Multiple Domiciles. Players with multiple domiciles may apply to the District 6 Grass Roots Committee for a one-time choice of district in which they wish to play. Players may be asked to document their time in each of their residences. A player must live at least 3 months each year in District 6 in order to have it considered as a possible residence for GNT purposes. Once a player with multiple domiciles chooses to compete in the District 6 GNT, the player must play only in District 6 until he or she no longer has a domicile in District 6.

Registration and Fees

Teams must pre-register to participate in the District 6 event. Registration materials must be received by the Friday eight days before the weekend of the district event. To pre-register, team captains must submit a check or money order for $104.00 payable to District 6. They must also provide the following information:

1. A list of the names and player numbers of all players on the team
2. The e-mail address and telephone number for the team captain
3. The flight for which the team is registering to play
4. The site at which the team will play (Flights B and C only)

Preregistration materials should be sent to:

Flight A (0-6000) ENTRIES:

Lucy McCoy
3353 Taleen Ct
Annandale, VA 22003-1161

Open, B, and C ENTRIES
Lucy McCoy
3353 Taleen Ct
Annandale, VA 22003-1161

The entry fee for the district event is $104.00 per team per day. Make check payable to District 6.

If a southern team (defined as not in units 135, 218, or 147) has to travel twice to the northern site to play, each southern member of the team will receive $50 to help defray the cost.

The Grass Roots Committee may, at its discretion, permit a team that failed to preregister in a timely manner to play in the district event. The Committee will do so only when it concludes that adding a team will produce a better, fairer event (e.g., produce qualifying leagues of more uniform size).

Changes of Plans

Pre-registered teams that change their plans and decide not to play must notify the District Coordinator or the Chair of the Grass Roots Committee at least 7 days before the event starts.  Teams that fail to provide timely notification will forfeit their entry fee and may be subject to further penalties, including exclusion from play in the 2020/2021 event.

A preregistered Flight B or Flight C team must immediately notify the District Coordinator if it decides to change the site at which it will play in the event. (See Conditions of Contest for Flights B and C for deadlines for site change notifications.)  

Minimum Participation Requirements

All members of a four-person team must be prepared to play all sessions of the district event. If there are known problems with meeting this requirement, team captains must notify the District Coordinator and make arrangements to solve these problems as far in advance as possible.

Team members are required to play a minimum number of boards or sessions of the event. A team member who fails to play the required number of boards or sessions at one stage of the event is ineligible to play at later stages.

Open Flight: All team members whose names appear on the preregistration form are required to play 50% of the boards. In addition, all team members are required to play either (1) 50% of the semifinals and 50% of the finals or (2) 100% of the finals.

Flights A (0-6000), B (0-2500), and C (0-500 NLM): All team members whose names appear on the pre-registration entry form are required to play at least 50% of the sessions in district competition.  A player who plays 100% of either the first or second weekend is deemed to have met the 50% rule (e.g., a player who plays only three sessions on the first weekend because his or her team has a bye for the other session).

At the conclusion of the district event, if it is determined that one or more team members has failed to meet the participation requirement and did not obtain a waiver, the Grass Roots Committee may disqualify or otherwise penalize that player, the team captain, and/or the whole team (e.g., a winning team might lose part of its reimbursement for playing in the national finals).

Adjustments, Substitutes, and Withdrawals

If a player on a preregistered team becomes aware that he or she will be unable to play the required minimum number of boards or sessions in the district event, the player must immediately notify his or her team captain. The captain must notify the District Coordinator as soon as possible and no later than the close of preregistration for the team’s flight. If a player is going to play fewer than four sessions (two sessions in Flight C), in general that player will be treated as a substitute (see the rules on substitutes below).

If the team captain provides sufficient evidence that a team member’s absence is due to an unanticipated emergency, the District Coordinator, in consultation with the Grass Roots Committee, may decide that an exception to the minimum participation rules is warranted. In such case, the member who is absent due to an emergency may be granted a waiver that enables him or her to remain on the team and participate in later stages of the event. If the player is not granted a waiver, he or she will be treated as a substitute.

Should one or more members of a team win the district competition in two flights, they must play in the higher flight at the national level. If a player wins the district competition in a given flight, he or she becomes ineligible to compete in the same year’s district competition in a lower flight.

If these rules render fewer than two of the original players on a winning team eligible to compete at the national level, the second place team will represent District 6. Otherwise, the team may add eligible players to field a team for the national level of the event.

Substitutes

1. A team that is able to field only one registered member in a match must forfeit the match.
2. If only two or three members are available, a substitute(s) may be used. The substitute may play for no more than two sessions.
3. If four team members are available, a substitute is not permitted to replace an absent fifth or sixth.
4. A team must field four team members and no substitutes for half the sessions and half the boards it plays in the district event.   
5. If a team will need a substitute, the team captain must inform the District Coordinator as soon as this need becomes known.
6. A proposed substitute must be approved by the Chair of the Grass Roots Committee (see description of player evaluation and approval process below).
7. If the District Coordinator is notified in advance that a player will be late for a match and an approved substitute begins the match, the Coordinator shall permit the player to enter the match at the conclusion of the hand being played when the player arrives at the game site.
8. Substitutes need not be club-qualified.
9. Substitutes do not affect a team’s seeding.

Replacements and Augmentations  

Team captains may ask to add new team members or replace existing members. Proposed augmentation or replacement players must be club-qualified for the flight in which they would play. They may not have played as a member of another team in that flight. (A player who has preregistered as a member of another team in the flight may not switch teams unless and until the other team’s captain has notified the District Coordinator that the player is no longer on his or her team or that his or her team is canceling its pre-registration.)

As described below, the Chair of the Grass Roots Committee will implement the player evaluation and approval process to assess proposed augmentations and replacements and determine whether or not to  approve them.

No combination of substitutes, replacements, or augmentations will be permitted where this would strengthen the team.

Only the team captain can make a request for substitutes, replacements, or augmentations.

Player Evaluation and Approval Process

To request a substitute, replacement, or augmentation, the team captain will contact the Chair of the Grass Roots Committee with the name(s) of the player(s) to be approved. If unable to contact the Chair, the captain shall contact the District Coordinator or, if necessary, another member of the Grass Roots Committee. The Chair, after consultation with at least one appropriate committee member, may decide to accept or reject the request. The Chair shall promptly inform the captain of the decision.

If the Chair rejects a proposed substitute, replacement, or augmentation, the captain may request that a named five-member panel (the Chair and four other players) be convened to make that decision. The captain is entitled to remove one member of the panel (other than the Chair) without cause and to select a new member (acceptable to the Grass Roots Committee) to replace him or her. The captain may request the removal of additional members (including the Chair) for stated cause. The Chair will ensure that the captain is promptly informed of the panel decision, including the panel’s aggregate vote on the proposal. The specific votes of the panel members shall not be disclosed. There is no appeal from the panel ruling.

If the Chair decides that a decision about a proposed substitute, replacement, or augmentation is “too close to call,” the Chair shall convene a five-member panel (the Chair and four other players) to make the decision. The captain will have the same removal and notification rights as described in the preceding paragraph regarding a panel convened at his or her request.

The Chair may advise the captain of individuals who he thinks would be appropriate as substitutes, replacements, or augmentations in this case. Late in the event (quarterfinal or later), the Chair may request an opinion from the opposing team captain. Since it is virtually impossible to measure in advance the relative importance in a given match of partnership strengths or individual abilities, the approval process will follow the principle that a player being considered for substitution, augmentation, or replacement must be of equal or less ability than any member of the team who is to sit out.

Conventions

The District is required to follow ACBL rules on conventions, which are as follows:

At the club and Unit qualifying level, the ACBL Open Convention chart will apply for stratified games.  For flighted games at all levels including the NABC Finals, the Basic Chart applies to Flight C (0-500 NLM), the Basic+ Chart applies to Flight B (0-2500), the Open Chart applies to Flight A (0-6000) and the Open+ Chart applies to the Championship Flight.  If it is unclear whether the relevant chart allows a certain modification or extension of a convention, a player must send a clear written summary of the modification or extension to the District Coordinator, explaining the question it poses. The Coordinator will respond to all such questions that he or she receives at least two weeks prior to the first KO session. Modifications and extensions that have not been approved by the Coordinator are assumed not to be permitted. If a pair uses an illegal convention, penalties will be assessed according to standard ACBL procedures.

Timeliness  

The following rules are key in helping to ensure a fair playing environment for all players in all flights.

Late Arrival

Players are responsible to plan travel to the playing site so that they will arrive on time. They are responsible to consult available information online about traffic and weather problems and to plan their travel so that they will be at the playing site and ready to play on time, even if they encounter unanticipated delays of approximately 15 to 20 minutes.  The Director-in-Charge has discretion to reduce or waive late arrival penalties when he or she determines that players encountered extraordinary obstacles to timely arrival that could not reasonably have been anticipated or overcome (e.g., emergency road closures affecting players traveling long distances, such as those traveling from well beyond the Washington D.C. metro area).  Delays involving local commuters are highly unlikely to warrant reductions or waivers of penalties.

Penalties for late arrival will be based on scheduled starting times or, for post-dinner break lateness, agreed-upon starting times that are posted on the bracket sheets.  Tardiness up to and including ten minutes incurs no score penalty.  The opposing team may not waive a penalty for tardiness.

Teams arriving 11 to 15 minutes late for a knockout match will be penalized three IMPs.  Teams will incur an additional three IMP penalty for each additional five minutes of tardiness (i.e., 16-20 minutes=6 IMPs, 21- 25 minutes=9 IMPs, etc.)  When a team arrives late for a three-way match, the benefits from tardiness penalties will be divided evenly between its opponents; in such cases, odd-number IMP penalties will be reduced by one IMP to enable an even division.

Teams arriving 11 to 15 minutes late for a round robin match will be penalized two victory points.  Teams will incur an additional two victory point penalty for each additional five minutes of tardiness.  Victory points will be deducted from the offending team’s overall score.

Breaks  

The break between sessions will be 90 minutes. The second half will ordinarily begin 90 minutes after completion of actual play in the first half or 90 minutes after the scheduled completion of the first half, whichever is earlier. By mutual agreement among the team captains and the Director-in-Charge, an earlier or later restart time may be selected, normally no later than 90 minutes after the scheduled completion of the first half, rounded up to the next multiple of 10 minutes. The agreed-upon restart time will be the basis for calculating lateness penalties for the session after the break.  If both teams are ready to play ten (or fewer) minutes before the agreed upon restart time, the captains may agree to do so.  For slow play monitoring purposes, such an agreement does not alter the officially agreed upon restart time.

Breaks between segments of knockout play are ten minutes.

Slow Play

Players are expected to maintain a steady pace of play. Players should alert the director when their opponents are playing slowly.

Knockout and round robin play are timed to allow eight minutes per board in each segment.  In addition, each segment includes eight additional minutes, which provide time for shuffling boards and discussing the opponents’ methods and agreements.  The director will start the time clock when the boards have been handed out to all of the tables.  No boards will be removed from a segment.

Failure to start one or more boards before time expires constitutes a slow play infraction. Failure to complete the final board of a segment within eight minutes of the end of the time scheduled for the segment is also an infraction.  These infractions may be assessed against one or both pairs at the table.

In determining responsibility for slow play, the Director-in-Charge will consider:

• Acknowledgement of fault by one or more players
• Delays resulting from repeated post-mortems
• Unnecessary absences from the table during the segment
• Personal observation
• Complaints during the segment
• Other reliable kinds and sources of information

The director’s judgment on who is at fault for slow play is final and cannot be appealed.

Slow play infractions accumulate for each partnership throughout the district event.  They do not accumulate across multiple flights.  A pair may be guilty of a slow play infraction in more than one session of a match.

The first slow play infraction is not penalized.  The second infraction will result in both a board reduction penalty in a future match and in seeding point penalties.  Board reduction penalties do not apply in Flights B and C.

If a board reduction penalty is assessed against the winning team during the round of 16, 8, or 4, the penalty shall be applied in the team’s next match.  If a board reduction penalty is assessed against the losing team during the round of 16, 8, or 4, or against either team in the final, the penalty shall be applied the next time the pair reaches the round of 8 (i.e., in a subsequent year).

The board reduction penalty is a reduction of four boards.  At half-time of the match at which the penalty applies, the captain of the opposing team may choose whether or not to shorten the match by enforcing the penalty. Regardless of the captain’s decision, the penalty is considered paid. If two opposing teams have each earned a board reduction penalty, the match is played to its full default length and the penalty is considered paid.

Board reduction penalties follow the partnership. If a partnership splits, each player carries the full four-board penalty the first time he or she reaches the round of 8.

In round robins in any flight, the first slow play infraction is not penalized.  For a second infraction in the same round robin, a one victory point penalty will be assessed.  The third infraction is penalized two more victory points. Subsequent infractions are penalized at 3.5 victory points each.  The assessment of victory point penalties constitutes full payment for the infractions that generated them. When a team with an unpenalized infraction survives the round robin, the infraction carries over to the knockout phase; thus, an additional slow play infraction in this phase would generate a penalty.

Any player with two slow play infractions will lose 10% of his or her seeding points the following year.  Third and subsequent infractions will result in the loss of an additional 10% each.  These seeding point penalties apply to all flights for which a player is eligible.

The Director-in-Charge shall inform the District Coordinator of all slow play infractions and penalties.

Slow Play Monitoring

1. Except when a slow play infraction has occurred and one match has fallen behind the other matches, there is one time clock for all the teams.  This clock will reflect the time allotted for play and breaks, as described above.
2. If a team falls behind, the director will note the infraction and put that match on its own time clock.
3. Team captains may appeal to the Grass Roots Committee if they believe either that the timing process was not accurately followed or that timing rules were not properly interpreted.

Cell Phone Penalties

Cell phone violations cost three IMPs in knockout matches and one Victory point in Swiss matches. Players should report all cell phone violations to the director.

Play Format

Three-way matches

In three-way matches, there will be no score comparisons during the second half of the match. Comparison of scores will take place only at the end of the second half.  If a team compares scores part way through the second half, it will be penalized up to 6 IMPs (3 IMPS go to each non-offending team).  Seating rights are by coin flip, unless a team has earned their seed in that year’s round robin.  In that case, the seeded team has choice of seating.

All-day 48 board three-ways in which two teams qualify.  The afternoon and evening sessions will each consist of two 12-board segments against each team (i.e., each team will play 24 boards against each of its opponents).

All-day 56 board three-ways in which one team qualifies. The afternoon and evening sessions will each consist of two 14-board segments against each team.

All-day three-ways in which one team may be eliminated at the dinner break. The afternoon session will consist of two 16-board sets played against each team. Teams will compare scores after 8 boards have been played in each match. If one team is behind in both matches at the dinner break and also has the largest negative IMP total in the match, it will be eliminated at the dinner break. The evening session will be 24 boards.  If one team has been knocked out at the half, the evening session will consist of a head-to-head knockout between the two survivors with 100% carryover of IMPs from the afternoon session. If all three teams qualify to play the evening session, each team will play an additional 12-board set against each other team. One team will survive. If all three teams have won a match, total IMPs determine which team survives.

For two-session three-way matches, a posted schedule shall provide each team with a balanced schedule of primary and secondary seating rights in quarters 2, 3, and 4.

In three-way matches, ties will be broken in accordance with ACBL General Knockout Team Conditions (i.e., by net IMPs).

Two-way matches

For two-session, four-quarter, two-way matches, a coin toss will determine who has choice of seats in the four quarters of the match. The winner of the coin toss may select seating rights for either the 1^st & 4^th or the 2^nd & 3^rd quarters. In knockout play, changes in partnership(s) may be made only at the point where the teams stop play to compare scores, except in emergency situations with the director’s approval.

Should any two-way match end in a tie, continuing four-board tiebreakers will be used. There will be no seeding privileges in such playoffs. Play will begin after a short intermission to recheck scores.

Round Robins

Conditions under which teams may change partnerships will be announced at the start of the session. Tie-break conditions will be posted.

Appeals

During the district event, appeals of director’s rulings and protests of scoring errors are administered in accordance with ACBL rules by the normal tournament authority. The Director-in-Charge, in consultation with members of the Grass Roots Committee, is authorized to form telephone committees if appropriate committees cannot be formed on site.

In the Open Flight, District 6 players with the requisite expertise, objectivity, and availability to serve on committees may be scarce. Accordingly, the Director-in-Charge, in consultation with the Chair of the District 6 Grass Roots Committee and the District 6 GNT Coordinator, may decide to form e-mail committees including players inside and/or outside District 6.

If an appeals committee finds that an appeal should not have been brought because there were no grounds for it (i.e., finds it to be without merit) a 20% reduction of seeding points will be assessed against the appealing pair and the team captain. This penalty applies to all flights for which a player is eligible. The penalty will apply for three years.

If a player makes more than one appeal that a committee finds to be without merit, a District 6 Conduct and Ethics Committee may be convened and a further penalty assessed.

Forfeitures and Disqualifications

If a forfeiture or disqualification occurs between the first Saturday and first Sunday, either the team eliminated in a KO by the offending team will advance or the highest non-qualifier in the offending team’s league will advance. If the forfeiture or disqualification occurs after the first Sunday and before the semi-finals, no eliminated team will advance. If a team is disqualified after the first weekend of district play, leaving only three teams in the event, the semi-final event will be played as a three-way contest with full carryover to a maximum of 12.5 IMPS to the final. If the district winning team is disqualified, the second place team advances.

Seeding

Team membership determines seeding in the district event. There will be no seeding point consideration given to foreign players who are new ACBL members unless the ACBL has made a masterpoint adjustment or the player has represented his or her country in open international play. Seeding rules are described in the section on flight-specific conditions of contest.

Masterpoint Awards

For any overall award, a player must play at least 50% of all the boards played by the team at the time he or she (and the team) earned that award. For the first place award in the Open flight, a player must play at least 50% of the combined boards in the semi-final and final matches or 100% of the final match.

For any given overall award, a player must have played at least 50% of the boards in the match in which his or her team earned the award. Thus if a team loses its final match and finishes second, a player who played 100% of round one, sat out rounds two and three, and played 100% of the final will receive masterpoints (a match award) only for the first round victory.

Compensation for National Competition

In each flight, regardless of the number of players on the team, the winning team will receive $2000 compensation to help defray travel and hotel costs, as long as four or more members of the original team will be playing at the national level. However, if three or fewer members of the original team will be playing at the national level, the team’s compensation is reduced by $500 for each player dropping off. For instance, if only 3 of the original players go to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for the 2020 Summer NABC, the team compensation will be $1500.  Except in cases of death or severe disability, there will be no exceptions to this rule.

Teams receive compensation in the form of a single check made out to the team captain, available when the team captain picks up the entry for the first session of play at the NABC. Team members who need the money earlier should contact the District 6 Treasurer.

Augmentation for the NABC

In all flights, teams that win the district competition may add a 5^th and/or 6^th player for the NABC. Augmentations must be made at least one week prior to the commencement of play at the NABC. The names of the augmented players must be provided to the District Coordinator.  Augmented players will not receive compensation from District 6 and must be club-qualified.  

Flight-Specific Conditions of Contest

Championship (Open) Flight

Time and Place

Preregistration deadline: February 22, 2020

First Saturday: Play on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Site: White Oak Community Center, Silver Spring, MD. Game time for the first session will be 12:00 p.m.

Directions: From South: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take the Beltway (I 495) to Colesville Rd/Columbia Pike (Exit 30A, US 29) North (toward Columbia).
   – Go 2.9 miles then turn right onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.
From North: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take Columbia Pike South (toward Silver Spring).
   – After passing Randolph Rd/Cherry Hill Road, Go 1.7 miles then turn left onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.
From East: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take the Beltway (I 495) to New Hampshire Ave (Exit 28A, MD 650) North (toward White Oak) .
   – Go 2.0 miles then take ramp onto Columbia Pike (North).
   – Go 0.4 miles then turn right onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.

First Sunday. Play on March 1, 2020. Game time for the first session will be 11:00 a.m. Site: White Oak Community Center. The starting times for the second session each day will occur 90 minutes after finish of first session.

Second Weekend Semifinal/Final Matches:
Semifinal on Saturday, April 18, 2020.
Site: White Oak Community Center
Game time for the first session will be noon.

Final on Sunday, April 19, 2020.
Site: White Oak Community Center.
Game time for the first session will be 11:00 a.m.

Play Format

Flighting

12 Teams: four three-ways. Top two teams in each Flight advance to next day.

1	2	3	4
5	6	8	7
12	11	9	10

13 Teams:  First Saturday: a combination of two-way and three-way matches will be held. Two-way matches will consist of 48 boards. Comparisons are made after 12 boards. In three-way matches, 48 boards are played. No comparisons between 3^rdand 4^th quarters.

1	2	3	7 versus 10
6	5	4
11	12	13
			8 versus 9

14 Teams: A combination of two-way and three-way matches will be held. Two-way matches will consist of 48 boards. Comparisons are made after 12 boards. In three-way matches, 48 boards are played. No comparisons between 3^rd  and 4^th quarters.

1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	12	11	10	9
14	13

15 Teams: With 15 teams, teams seeded 7, 8, and 9 should be in a three-way match. The team that wins this match (7, 8, 9) becomes number 7 seed and the second place team becomes number 8 seed. All other teams in head-to-head matches.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
15	14	13	12	11	10	8
						9

16 Teams: Straight KO’s

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9

17 Teams: Matches are either all-day head-to-head KOs or three-way matches. The match assignment of teams has been predetermined according to seed position as specified by the Grass Roots Committee.  There will be head-to-head matches with the first 16 teams and the 17th team will be randomly shuffled in to make one three-way match.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9

***Team 17 will be shuffled into one of the matches

 18 Teams: Round robin matches. There will be two brackets with nine teams in each bracket.  There will be eight six-board matches.  Four teams will qualify from each bracket. The winner of each bracket will choose between teams 3 and 4 for play the next day.

The #1 and #2 seeds are as seeded. The 3-8 seeded teams are shuffled in pairs to determine their placement in the brackets (e.g., the shuffle may assign the third highest seeded team the fourth seed and vice versa). Teams 9 to the end will be split into a higher seeded group and a lower seeded group. Bracketing in each group will be determined by random shuffle. If groups are uneven, the larger group will be the lower seeded group.

Semifinal and Final

The semi-final matches and the final match will each be 52 boards, unless site constraints dictate otherwise.

Seeding

The Director-in-Charge will use seeding patterns drawn up in advance by the District 6 GNT Grass Roots Committee.

Seeding is based on the masterpoint holding and bonus seeding points of each team member who will be competing in the district final.

Seeding points based on masterpoint holdings are allocated as follows:

• Players with fewer than 500 masterpoints are awarded 16 seeding points.
• 501-1000 masterpoints = 17 seeding points;
• 1001-1500 masterpoints = 18 seeding points;
• 1501-2000 masterpoints = 19 seeding points;
• 2001-2500 masterpoints = 20 seeding points;
• 2501-3000 masterpoints = 21 seeding points;
• 3001-3500 masterpoints = 22 seeding points;
• 3501-4000 masterpoints = 23 seeding points;

One seeding point is added for each full 1000 points from 4001 to 10,000 points.

• 4001-5000 masterpoints = 24 seeding points;
• 5001-6000 masterpoints = 25 seeding points, etc.

One seeding point is added for each full 2500 masterpoints between 10,000 and 20,000. (20,000 = 33)

One seeding point is added for each full 5000 masterpoints through 30,000. (30,000 = 35)

One seeding point is added for each full 10,000 masterpoints above 30,000. (e.g. 60,000 = 38)

Seeding points will be computed from the September masterpoint cycle for each person on the team.

Bonus seeding points

Bonus seeding points are earned by performance in GNT and NAP events for the previous five years.

	1st	2nd	3rd	3rd/4th	4th/6th	5th/8th
GNT	6.5	4.5		2.5		**.5/1
NAP	3	2	1		.5

**If you win both halves of a three way, you will receive 1.0 seeding points. If you win one match of a three way, you receive .5 seeding points. If you are in the bottom of a bracket and you win a match, you win 1.0 seeding points. If you are in the top of the bracket, and you win a match, you will receive .5 seeding points.

A Grand Life Master who becomes a new member of District 6 will be credited with 3 bonus seeding points for each year of the preceding 5 years that he or she was not a member of District 6. 

The total number of bonus seeding points plus the masterpoint seeding points per team is divided by the number of players on that team. That result will be used to seed the teams in order.   

FLIGHT A (0-6000)

The following conditions pertain only to Flight A.

Time and Place

Pre-registration deadline: January 18, 2020

First Weekend:

First Saturday: Play on Saturday, January 25, 2020.
Site: White Oak Community Center, 1700 April Ln. Silver Spring, MD 20904.
Game time for the first session will be 12:00 p.m.
First Sunday. Play on January 26, 2020.
Game time for the first session will be 11:00 a.m.
Site: White Oak Community Center.
The starting times for the second session each day will occur 90 minutes after finish of first session.

Second Weekend
Semifinal/Final Matches:
Semi-Final on Saturday, February 22, 2020.
Site: NVBA Sectional, Arlington/Fairfax Elks Lodge.
Game time for the first session will be 11 a.m.
Final on Sunday, February 23, 2020.
Site: NVBA Sectional, Arlington/Fairfax Elks Lodge.
Game time for the first session will be 11 a.m.

The starting times for the second session each day are TBA.

Play Format

The form of play will be round robin leagues on the first Saturday, with KOs beginning on the first Sunday. Matches will be played in a single sitting (i.e., not interrupted by a dinner break or a score comparison).

The highest seeded teams will be assigned as the #1 and #2 seed of each league in the round robin. The #3 and lower seeds for each league will be assigned by the seeding formula, shuffled in groups of the same number as there are leagues, and randomly placed in each league. All teams will play the entire first Saturday of the district event.

Comparisons will be made at the end of each match except the penultimate match.

On the first Sunday, qualifying teams will continue to play within their original leagues with 100% carryover up to a maximum of 12.5 IMPs from Saturday’s play.

The semifinal and final matches will each be 48 boards. Carryover from the first weekend extends through the semifinals.

Tie Breaking Conditions

In a round robin, if two teams are tied in Victory Points, the tie is broken in the following sequence:

• Conversion of all matches to Win/Loss/Tie
• IMP result of the Head-to-Head Match(es)
• Total Point Result of the Head-to-Head Match(es)

If the above procedures do not break the tie, ties that determine a bye or a qualifier will be broken by a two-board playoff. Other ties will be broken by a coin flip. A tie in any two-board playoff will be broken by a coin flip (due to curfew time).

Seeding

The director will use seeding patterns drawn up in advance by the District 6 Grass Roots Committee.   

Seeding is based on the masterpoint holding and bonus IMPs of each team member who will be competing in the district final as follows:

The seeding point figure for each team member is computed based on the IMP scale through 4000 points. One additional seeding point is added for a player with 4001-6000 points. Seeding points will be computed from the September 1, 2019 masterpoint cycle for each person on the team.

Bonus seeding points are earned by performance in GNT Open, GNT A (0-6000) and North American Pairs events for the previous five years. The following chart indicates the number of bonus IMPs awarded for high finishes in these events.

	1st	2nd	¾ or 3	5th – 8th	4th-6th	2ndday
GNT Open	8	6	4	2
GNTA	6	4.5	3	2
NAP	6	5	3		2	1

* 2 matches won (in three-way on second day decided by net IMPs, 2^nd place finisher receives bonus)

The total number of seeding points per team is divided by the number of players on that team. That result will be used to seed the teams in order.

FLIGHT B (0-2500)   

The following conditions pertain only to Flight B.

Time and Place

Preregistration deadline: February 22, 2020

Play on the first weekend will take place at two sites (Northern and Southern:  at the Northern site, play will start at noon on February 29 and about half the field will qualify and play on March 1; at the southern site, because of a smaller field, play will be on March 1 only, a two-session event starting at 11 AM):

• Northern Site: White Oak Community Center, 1700 April Ln. Silver Spring, MD 20904.

Directions: From South: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take the Beltway (I 495) to Colesville Rd/Columbia Pike (Exit 30a, US 29) North (toward Columbia).
   – Go 2.9 miles then turn right onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.
From North: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take Columbia Pike South (toward Silver Spring).
   – After passing Randolph Rd/Cherry Lane Go 1.7 miles
then turn left onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.
From East: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take the Beltway (I 495) to New Hampshire Ave (Exit 28A, MD 650) North (toward White Oak) .
   – Go 2.0 miles then take ramp onto Columbia Pike (North).
   – Go 0.4 miles then turn right onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.

• Southern Site:  East Rivanna Volunteer Company and Banquet Hall, 3501 Steamer Drive, Keswick, VA 22947

First Weekend:

First Saturday: Play at the Northern site on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Game time for the first session will be 12:00 p.m (noon).  About half the field qualifies to play on Sunday, March 1 at 11 a.m.

First Sunday. Play at the Southern site on Sunday, March 1, 2020.  Game time for the first session will be 11:00 a.m. The starting times for the second session each day will occur 90 minutes after finish of first session.

Play on the second weekend will take place at a single site:

• Site: White Oak Community Center, Silver Spring, MD

Second Weekend Semifinal/Final Matches:
Semifinal on Saturday, April 18, 2020. Game time for the first session will be 12:00 noon.
Final on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Game time for the first session will be 11:00 a.m.

The starting times for the second session each day are TBA.

Play Format

The number of teams to be qualified from each location will be determined after the close of entries at each site.

Because this event is being held at more than one site, the format of the first weekend will not be finalized until after preregistration closes (February 22, 2020). The number of total teams playing at both sites and the number of teams playing at each site will determine the number of teams that advance to play on the first Sunday and the number of teams that qualify for the second weekend.  If a small number of teams are present at any site, there may be no need for a second day of preliminary play at that site. Specific information about format will be available on Saturday, February 29, 2020.

The form of play will be an unseeded Swiss Team event on the first Saturday and round robin or knockout (KO) matches beginning on Sunday. Swiss and round robin matches will be played in a single sitting (i.e., not interrupted by a dinner break or a score comparison), and comparisons in Swiss matches will be made at the end of each match except the penultimate match.

The format (round robin or KO) of the semifinal will depend on the number of teams qualified from the preliminary weekend. The total number of boards played will depend on the format of the two days. The final will be 26 boards.

The format for three-way KO matches is described above under General Conditions, Play Format.

FLIGHT C (Non-LM, 0-500)

The following conditions apply only to Flight C.

Time and Place

Preregistration deadline: February 22, 2020

Play on the first weekend will take place on March 1, 2020 at two sites (Northern and Southern).

Northern Site: White Oak Community Center, 1700 April Ln. Silver Spring, MD 20904.

Southern Site: East Rivanna Volunteer Company and Banquet Hall, 3501 Steamer Drive, Keswick, VA 22947, VA

• Northern Site:
  First Weekend:
• Sunday, March 1, 2020. Game time for the first session will be 11:00 AM.

Directions: From South: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take the Beltway (I 495) to Colesville Rd/Columbia Pike (Exit 30a, US 29) North (toward Columbia).
   – Go 2.9 miles then turn right onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.
From North: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take Columbia Pike South (toward Silver Spring).
   – After passing Randolph Rd/Cherry Lane Go 1.7 miles
then turn left onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.
From East: to White Oak Community Center
   – Take the Beltway (I 495) to New Hampshire Ave (Exit 28A, MD 650) North (toward White Oak) .
   – Go 2.0 miles then take ramp onto Columbia Pike (North).
   – Go 0.4 miles then turn right onto Stewart Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles then turn left onto April Lane.
   – Go 0.3 miles to Community Center on right.

• Southern Site: East Rivanna Volunteer Company and Banquet Hall, 3501 Steamer Drive, Keswick, VA 22947

The starting times for the second session each day will occur 90 minutes after finish of first session.

Play on the second weekend will take place at a single site:

• Site: White Oak Community Center, Silver Spring, MD

Semi-final/Final Matches: Semi-final on Saturday, April 18, 2020.  
Game time for the first session will be 12:00 noon.
Final on Sunday, April 19, 2020.  Game time for the first session will be 11:30 a.m.

The starting times for the second session each day are TBA.

Play Format

Because this event is being held at more than one site, the format of the first weekend will not be finalized until after pre-registration closes (February 22, 2020). The number of total teams playing at both sites and the number of teams playing at each site will determine the number of teams that qualify for the second weekend.   Specific information about format will be available on Saturday, February 22, 2020.  

The first weekend will begin play in some form of an unseeded Swiss Team or Round Robin format. Swiss and round robin matches involving 12 boards or fewer will be played in a single sitting (i.e., not interrupted by a dinner break or a score comparison), and comparisons will be made at the end of each match except the penultimate match. If, at any point, three-way KO matches are played, they will be conducted as described above under General Conditions, Play Format.

The format (round robin or KO) of the semifinal and final will depend on the number of teams qualified from the preliminary weekend.

If a team that has qualified for the second weekend of competition finds that it will be unable to field a team for that weekend, it must notify the District Coordinator by April 11, 2020. This will enable the next place team to replace the team that is unavailable.