2025 Grand National Teams
By Scott Nason
The GNT 2025 is coming. There is no unit qualifying required, so you can proceed straight to district finals. Get your team together and meet us in Houston or Dallas in the Spring. There are four levels that will compete in the GNT District Finals. The four winners of that event (and possibly more – see below) go on to compete at the GNT finals in Philadelphia in July 2025. The top flight – the Championship Flight – is open to anyone who is an ACBL member in good standing and who resided in District 16 as of September 1, 2024. In order to play in Flight A, each member of the team must also have had fewer than 6000 masterpoints as of the August 6, 2024 posting. For Flight B the cutoff is 3000 points, and Flight C is limited to Non-Life Masters with fewer than 750 points. Each team may consist of four, five or six players, but each player must be eligible for the flight in which the team is competing.
The District Finals will be split into two venues. The A and C flights will be held in Houston at their Spring Sectional on April 5-6. The Championship and B flights will be held in Dallas at their sectional on May 2-3. (If there are three or fewer teams in any flight, then that event will conclude in one day.) The winners from each flight will advance to the National GNT finals in Philadelphia in July and will be eligible for an expense stipend if they actually play in Philadelphia. Note also that if Flights B and/or C have eight or more teams, then the top two teams will qualify for Nationals.
The district board recently approved some changes to the expense stipends. The stipend to each winning team has been increased to $2400, to be shared equally by each member who actually plays in Philadelphia, while the second-place award was increased to $1800. In addition, as a result of some changes in ACBL policies, the board agreed to reimburse card fees as follows: beginning in round three at the NABC, each player will be reimbursed for their card fees at the rate charged to those who stay in the host hotel, regardless of where each player chooses to stay. Note that card fees are waived by the ACBL in rounds one and two for Flights A, B, and C, but not for the Championship Flight.
For more information, you may consult the Conditions of Contest, which are posted here on the D16 website.
Galveston Halloween Sectional
& Non-Life Master Regional*
October 25-27, 2024
Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center
7 Hope Boulevard, Galveston TX 77554
● It’s Halloween Time! Come in Costume for a chance to win a prize.
One winner each day.
● The I/N Regional, 0-750, pays ACBL regulation 1/3 gold and 2/3 red!
● Hospitality: Lunch Buffet $15.00. Coffee $1.00!
● Friday & Saturday 10:00 a.m & 2:30 p.m. Sunday 9:30 a.m. & TBD. Click here.
● Card fees: $15 members/$19 lapsed members. Cashless tournament, credit
cards only.
● Moody Gardens Room Rates: $159 (ask for bridge rate). North Tower nearest playing site.
● Free Internet. Free parking. Click here for the Sectional flyer.
Sponsor: Unit 174 Houston
Tournament Chairs
Dave Becker 214 274-2978 Linda McReynolds 713 819-7812
dbecker03@hotmail.com lindamcreynolds@comcast.net
*This NLM Regional is combined with Unit 174's Halloween Sectional.
Visit ACBLUnit174.org for full tournament details.
Click here for the NLM Regional flyer.
Game Schedule and driving Directions on flyer.
Dallas NABC 2027
By Tomi Storey, 2027 NABC Chair
In a previous Scorecard Paul Cuneo said in his Regional Director’s report from Atlanta that Dallas was approved as the location for the Spring 2027 NABC. I hope everyone saw that, but just in case you missed it, let me repeat – Dallas will host an NABC again for the first time since 2014!
Important Update: Hotel Change!
For those of you who reserved rooms at the Westin, those reservations will be automatically moved to the Krystal Grand. You will be receiving separate emails from the Westin outlining the details of your stay at the Krystal Grand. Rest assured that we have worked hard to negotiate an even better rate than what you would have received at the Westin. We think you will be pleased!
New Recruitment Games from ACBL
By Lauri Laufman, Membership Chair
ACBL has designed three new programs to entice your community to become bridge players: Bridge Ambassador Program, Come Play Cards with Us and PickleBridge. Click on the program’s name to learn more about each of these – they’ve been designed to help you with your recruitment efforts.
If you initiate any of the new programs or hold some cool event for your members and/or to boost membership, please share the details and feedback received.