VVBC Offers NAP Qualifyers June, July, and August
OVERVIEW:
The North American Pairs is a grass-roots competition where each District selects representatives to compete at the Spring North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The event begins with qualifying games in Clubs during June, July and August. These games are followed by Unit- (optional) and District-level competitions to select players for the NABC. Financial subsidies are provided by ACBL to the top two pairs in each flight in each District to offset the cost of travel to the NABC. The competition is divided into four separate flights, based on masterpoint (MP) levels, so players of all levels of experience have the opportunity to compete and represent their District in the National competition.
SCHEDULE:
* Club Qualifying - June, July and August (See VVBC Calendar)
* Unit Finals - Between Sept 1 and the District Final (note: most Districts do not have Unit-level competition.)
* District Finals - Between Sept 1 and the third Sunday in January (this year this is Jan 18, 2026)
* National Finals 2026 Spring NABC in St. Louis, MO
a. Championship Flight and Flight A Wed/Thu February 25-26, 2026
b. Flights B and C Sat/Sun March 7-8, 2026 In all flights the NABC Final is a four-session event played over two days. Approximately 50% of the field will qualify for day two, with carryover per ACBL formula. In the Championship flight and Flight A, day two will be an all-play-all format when possible.
FLIGHT ELIGIBILITY:
This is the first year that the NAP will feature four flights instead of three. Eligibility for the various flights is as follows:
1. Championship Flight Open to any player
2. Flight A Players with fewer than 6000 MPs
3. Flight B
4. Flight C Players with fewer than 3000 MPs
Players with fewer than 750 MPs who are not Life Masters For purposes of NAP Flight Eligibility, ACBL uses the June masterpoint cycle, which runs on May 6, 2025. Points won after this cycle do not affect flight eligibility. Players with significant playing experience in non-ACBL events may have this experience considered when determining their appropriate flight. Partnerships consisting of players at different experience levels are only eligible to compete in those flights for which both players are eligible. For example, a 1000-MP player playing with a 3500-MP player is not eligible for Flight B even though the average of the partnership is less than 3000 MP. Players may participate in any flight for which they (and their partner) are eligible. However, a player may play in only one flight at the NABC Final.
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