North American Pairs (NAP)
By Larry Davis
D16 NAP Coordinator
The 2024-2025 North American Pairs (NAP) cycle begins in June. District 16 will have the opportunity to send three Flight A pairs, four Flight B pairs, and four Flight C pairs to the National Final. This prestigious grass roots event is staged in qualifying rounds at the club and district levels culminating in a final held in conjunction with the 2025 Spring NABC in Memphis, Tennessee.
Each club is allowed to hold two NAP games per sanctioned session per month. During June, July and August you have the opportunity to earn half red/half black, 81.8% sectional rated points at any bridge club in the United States and Mexico. Although you need only qualify once to advance to the district level, you can win extra points all summer long.
All who qualify at the club level may play in the District 16 final held January 11-12 in Austin. You may play with anyone in the district who also qualified, it need not be with a player with whom you qualified at the club level. The District Final awards gold points for section firsts and for overall placings. Other masterpoints in all flights are red.
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The NAP games are flighted. Flight eligibility is based on the June 2024 masterpoint cycle which is run May 6, 2024.
• Flight A open to all
• Flight B 0-2500 masterpoints
• Flight C 0-500 Non-Life Master
The NAP schedules:
Club level qualifying: June, July, August
District level: January 11-12, 2025 in Austin
National Finals: Spring 2025 NABC (March) in Memphis.
Pairs who qualify at the district level are eligible to play in the National Final in Memphis. ACBL pays a stipend (amount is not yet defined) to some of the qualifiers. There are no entry fees for the NAP National Final.
District 16 (usually) adds additional monies for each of the qualifying pairs. Qualifiers must participate in the national event to receive the stipend. District monies are jeopardized if a player receives a Zero Tolerance penalty at the district level or at the national level. The partner of such a player might also be affected. Some units add additional monies – ask your unit board.
The NAP Conditions of Contest are posted here on the District 16 website (make this a link).
For more NAP details, go to www.acbl.org/play/special-events-info.php#nap (make this a link) or contact Larry Davis, D16 NAP Coordinator - larrysdavis@att.net or 512-343-6942