THE GRAND
NATIONAL TEAMS (GNT)
2018 Conditions of Contest District 1
General Conditions Part 1
GNT is a
team competition that takes place during the summer NABC. To qualify a team
must win the District GNT contest for their flights. Not every District sends
teams to the GNTs every year but District 1 is trying
very hard to improve our participation. Here are the GNT rules for qualifying
for the GNT finals in 2018 (Atlanta GA).
Event
Winners of the four District 1 Grand
National Team Championships will earn the right to represent District 1 at the
national finals held during the Summer NABC in Atlanta, Georgie,
July 2018. All teams consist of four, five or six
players, each of whom is a member of any ACBL Unit within District 1. Players
choosing to compete will do so in 1 of 4 flights:
1. The Championship Flight is an open event with no master point restrictions;
2. Flight A is limited to players with 0-6000 master points;
3. Flight B is limited to players with 0-2500 master points; and
4.
Flight C is limited to Non-Life
Masters with fewer than 500 master points.
All
players on the team must meet the conditions of master points. Flight
eligibility will be established by the ACBL September 2017 master point cycle.
This means that a players point holding printed in the September 2017 Bulletin
will determine that players flight eligibility.
Club
Games
District
1 encourages club level games for participation in the District final. However,
club participation is not required. All participants of any club level Grand
National Team Game will earn entry to the District finals. Teams/players not
participating in a club level game may play in the District Finals, but they
pay the higher entry fee. Club
qualifying games commence September 1, 2017 and can be played through to March
31, 2018. Any player on a team entering the District finals who did not play at
a club level game will pay their portion of the higher game fee (Halifax).
2018
District 1 Finals
District finals for District 1 are
held on a rotating basis each year between cities in the Eastern and Western
portions of the District. For 2018, team/players have the following options:
Montreal:
Flight A; and C Sanction:
1804601
Sunday, April 22, 2018
2 sessions: 10:30 & TBA
Site: Club Bridge Quιbec, 1600 boul. Saint-Martin Est, Tour B,
suite 125, Laval, Qc, H7G 4R7
Contact Information: Bridge Quιbec
(450-933-9446) and Louise Mascolo (514-993-2221)
Halifax:
Championship
Flight; and Flight B Sanction: 1805601
Saturday May 12, 2018
2 sessions: 10:30 & TBA
Site: MCG Bridge
Studio 160-6960 Mumford Rd, Halifax N.S. B3L 4P1
Contact Information: Kathie Macnab
902-443-4676,
Entry Fees:
Montreal
(Laval): $80.00/team
Halifax:
$80.00/team for players with club qualification. Players/Teams without club
qualification will be charged a $100.00/team entry fee.
Pre
Registration
Pre-registration is not required for participation in this
event, but appreciated to help the director plan the event.
Captaincy
Each team will designate the team Captain from amongst its
own playing members or a non-playing team Captain on its registration entry,
and said Captain will be responsible for all representation of the team.
Team
Composition and Play
Teams may consist of four, five or six players.
Players may be added at any time before actual competition begins.
Each player must play at least 50% of the total boards played by the team.
Exceptions to this rule may be made by request
to the GNT Coordinator.
Appeals
Committee Requirements
Each team that participates in either the
Championship Flight or Flight A must designate prior to play on the entry form
one (or more) of its players to serve as a committee member if necessary. Those
designated players must be available after each session to serve if so
requested. The Tournament Director(s) should assemble any committees from
amongst these players designated. Designated players must not leave the
premises without verifying with the Tournament Director that their services
will not be required.
Scoring
The ACBL 20-point Victory Scale shall be used. The winners
from each flight will win the right to represent
District 1 at the ACBL Summer National Finals.
Subsidies
Unlike the NAP, the ACBL does not offer a subsidy to attend
the event at the summer NABC. However, subsidies for players do include:
District 1 has
Grass Roots Funds monies for Flights B & C that will be considered for subsidy,
entirely at the District 1 discretion.
Some Units
within District 1 may also be providing subsidy monies to teams/players within
their jurisdiction.
In all cases, monies will be dispersed after the team
returns home from the Summer NABC.
Conventions
All conventions in the General Chart are
permitted in all flights. Only general chart conventions will be allowed
in Flight C. Mid Chart conventions will be allowed in the other flights
provided that two identical legibly written viable defense with auction
extensions and continuations are provided for the opponents. Should any questions arise regarding
viability or legibility of these defenses the
decision of the Tournament Director as to whether those conventions should be
allowed shall be final. In addition, District 1 policy regarding permitted defenses to Notrump openings will
be followed in all flights.
Substitutions,
Replacements and Augmentations during the District Final
A permanent replacement for a player who, for
cause, cannot continue in the event is permitted only with the
permission of the Tournament Coordinator or the Director in Charge. Prior to
the completion of the District final, the replacement need not have played in
the event but must:
Be a member in good standing
of the ACBL, and
Maintain their
ACBL membership in District 1, and
Not appreciably
strengthen the team.
Eligible
Teams for the ACBL National Finals
The winner of each flight has first option to
represent District 1 at the National Finals. If the first place team does
not accept the invitation, teams will be invited to represent District 1 by
order of placement in District finals. A
fifth and/or sixth player may be added to a team after completion of the
District Final. Any such player should have played on another team in the same flight of the current
year's GNT or have previously represented District 1 in the GNT at a prior
Summer Nationals. If the player has not previously played and did not
participate in the club level or District final, they must request augmentation
in writing to the District GNT coordinator along with appropriate fees,
($25.00, the amount per person for the District
finals). If a team has fewer than two of
its original members wishing to continue on to the National finals, they must receive
consent from the District Coordinator and/or the GNT liaison. In the event that no team from any flight
accepts the invitation then the invitation will be extended to teams that
played at the club level of qualification.
If no one from the club level play is able to attend, then any team may
request in writing their desire to represent District 1 at the ACBL National
finals. This request must be accompanied with a fee equal to that of the entry
fee for the District final ($100.00). These cheques, payable to District 1,
will be added to the District subsidy proceeds. This selection will be at the
discretion of the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will consist of
the GNT Coordinator, the GNT liaison, and two members of the District 1 executive
and will appoint a team to represent District 1 in the National finals.
Kibitzers
It is the policy of the ACBL and District 1 to
encourage spectators. Kibitzers will be permitted at the event but must remain
at one table during a match or segment. A fifth or sixth member of a team may
kibitz at a table no closer than two tables away from the tables at which
his/her own team is playing. Each player has the right to bar one kibitzer
without assigning cause, or an unlimited number of kibitzers for cause. Any kibitzer
may be barred for cause by the ACBL Director in Charge or the Tournament
Chairmen, with or without prior application from the players at the table.
Kibitzers shall follow appropriate etiquette (no talking, eating, gum chewing,
etc.).
Lateness
and Forfeits
Any team failing to seat a complete team within
ten (10) minutes of the announced or actual starting time (whichever is later)
will be penalized 1 IMP per board to be played in that Swiss match or KO
segment, and an additional 1 IMP for each two minutes of tardiness thereafter.
If a team is not seated within thirty (30) minutes of the starting time, the
Swiss or KO match will be forfeited. The match will be curtailed one (1) board,
up to a maximum of four (4) boards, for each five (5) minutes of tardiness
after the first ten (10) minutes.
If a Stage 1 Round Robin movement consisting of
short matches is required, any team failing to seat a complete team within ten
(10) minutes of the starting time for the session shall receive ZERO VPs for
the matches not played plus a one (1) VP penalty for each match not played, and
their opponents shall receive a VP amount for the skipped match equal to their
average result in all of their other matches.
Tie Breakers
If a knockout match ends in an exact tie, subsequent
segments of eight (8) boards each will be played until a winner is determined.
The seating rights in each segment will be determined by a coin flip. If two teams tie for the last qualifying
position (Round Robin or Swiss movement), then the score of the head to head
match will determine the winner. If the match between these two teams was tied
or if these two teams did not play against each other, the team that won the
most matches wins. If these two steps do not determine a winner, subsequent
segments of four (4) boards each will be played until a winner is determined.
The positional choices for each segment will be determined by coin. If three or more teams are tied for the last
qualifying position (Round Robin or Swiss movement), the team with the best IMP
ratio from the direct competition between the tied teams shall advance. If the
IMP ratio does not determine a winner, subsequent segments of four (4) boards
each will be played (in a round robin format if required) until the single
advancer is determined. Seating rights for each segment will be determined by a
coin flip.
Disruption of
Event or Refusal to Play
Any player(s) who discontinues play or
significantly disrupts the normal playing schedule based upon disagreement
with a ruling made by the Tournament Director, the Committee Chairmen, or an
Appeals Committee will have their behaviour
reviewed by a Conduct and Ethics Committee with specific reference to the applicable Code of Disciplinary Regulations sections.
Items
not covered
Any items not covered by these Conditions of Contest will be
resolved by the Tournament Coordinator in
consultation with the Tournament Director.
Authorities:
Tournament Coordinator: Kathie Macnab - 902-443-4676 - kmacnab@eastlink.ca
Tournament Liaison: Louise Mascolo
514-993-2221 - louise.mascolo@sympatico.ca
District President: Leo Weniger leowen@eastlink.ca