DISTRICT THREE
2009-2010 GRAND NATIONAL TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
CONDITIONS OF CONTEST

The following regulations apply to the Grand National Teams. Additionally, the ACBL Conditions of Contest, available from the District Coordinator, apply. If there is some part of the Conditions that is not clear to you, please consult the Tournament Director or the Grand National Coordinator.
The Grand National Teams Coordinator is Betty Ann Smith, 22 Crest Drive South, Cresskill, N.J. 07626. (201) 567-6047. bettyann225@optonline.net.
The District 3 GNT will be held Saturday, March 27, 2010 at the Memorial United Methodist Church, 250 Bryant Avenue, White Plains, N.Y. 10605, Betty Ann Smith’s cell: 201-394-5754.
The winning team from each flight becomes the District 3, 2009-2010 Grand National Team Champions from that flight and advances to the National Championships to be held at the 2010 Summer NABC in New Orleans, LA.
District Three will pay entry fees for the National Finals for the District winners in all flights for as long as they remain in the event and will also give each team $500 towards expenses.
GENERAL CONDITIONS
1. The Event will be run in four Flights: Championship Flight with no masterpoint restrictions: Flight A, limited to players with no more than 5000 recorded masterpoints as of ACBL’s September 2009 masterpoint cycle; Flight B limited to players with no more than 2000 masterpoints as of ACBL’s September 2009 masterpoint cycle; Flight C, limited to non-Life Masters who have not more than 500 masterpoints as of ACBL’s September 2009 masterpoint cycle. Teams may consists of 4, 5, or 6 players.
2. All Flights will compete at the District Level only.
3. A player desiring to play in the event must join the ACBL and be a resident of one of the units of District Three: The Adirondack Bridge Assoc., Capital District Bridge Association, Hudson Valley Bridge Association, New Jersey Bridge League, North Jersey Bridge Association, Westchester Contract Bridge Association, and the Dutchess County Bridge Association.
A. For Championship Flight… all players must actually live in District 3. Exceptions may be granted by the Credentials Committee of the ACBL Board of Directors.
B. For all other Flights: If a player is a member of District 3, and does not live in District 3, he needed to have received permission of the District Director from District 3 (Joan Gerard) and also the permission of the District Director from where he actually lives. This permission needed to be requested by July l, 2009. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
4. COPIED INTACT FROM THE ACBL GNT CONDITIONS OF CONTEST
Board Item 053-75
The conditions of contest for the GNT are amended to reflect:
A. For the GNT, a member’s principal physical residence as of Sept. l of the year prior to the NABC finals shall establish the district in which the member is eligible to participate beyond the qualifying stage.
C. Entry forms for the unit and district finals shall include the following statement: “By entering this event, I hereby certify, subject of penalties as provided in the conditions of contest for this event and in the ACBL Code of Disciplinary Regulations, that I am eligible to play in this district.”
D. A credentials committee shall be formed and comprised of six (6) members of the ACBL Board of Directors; two each from the Eastern, Central and Western zones. Panels hearing exceptions will be comprised of three of the six members. The president of the ACBL shall select the members of this committee annually. The members shall hear all matters pertaining to the events begun that year.
E. If a member is unsure which district is the appropriate district in which he may play, the member may seek clarification from the credentials committee prior to the start of the event.
F. If, at the unit final stage or later, an ACBL member believes that another player is playing in the wrong district, he or she may challenge that player’s eligibility to the credentials committee.
G. The credentials committee may request documentary evidence from the member whose eligibility is in question. If a member requesting clarification as provided in paragraph E above fails to provide the requested evidence, no ruling shall be made and the member shall play at his own risk. If a member is unable to verify to the committee’s satisfaction that he or she has played in the district of principal physical residence, the Credentials Committee shall automatically disqualify the member and his teammates (GNTs). If a member is found to be ineligible, the matter may be referred to the ACBL President to make charges to the ACBL Disciplinary Committee.
H. If players wish an exception from the requirements of sections A above, they must begin the process for the GNT by July 1. Players must seek permission in writing from the district directors of the district in which he lives and the district in which he wishes to play. Both district directors must agree for the exception to be granted. For the Open Championship Flight in the GNT, this written permission from both district directors will be forwarded to the credentials committee for final approval. If the directors do not agree, the exception is not granted. There is no appeal from this decision.

Board Item 071-64 Appendix 1 of the NAP and GNT is amended as follows:
Exceptions will be considered in the three following situations:
1.“Snowbirds”. Any member with a seasonal residences who spends more that half of the GNT qualifying period (considered to be September 1 – February 28) in a district other than the district of their principal physical residence may play in the district of seasonal residence if they choose to do so, they must play in that district’s district final to be eligible to play in the national finals and are not eligible to be augmented to or otherwise added to a team from the district of their principal residence.
2. Players who live near district borders and who are members of a unit in a district in which they do not reside may seek permission to play in the district in which they have a unit membership. Players seeking this exception must have been an active member of the unit in the district in which they wish to play for at least 5 years continuously prior to the start of the competition in the year in which they wish to play and must not have played in the GNT in another district for that period of time. (The 2006/2007 GNT is not considered for this requirement.) Once this permission is granted the player is eligible to play only in that district and may not change unit affiliation unless the player’s principal physical residence changes.
3. Players with multiple domiciles should apply to the Credentials 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 three months each year in a district in order to have it considered as a possibility. Once a player chooses a district in which to play, he must play only in that district until he no longer has a domicile in that district.

5. Electronic devices, excluding health-related equipment, capable of sending or receiving communication, including but not limited to, headphones, earphones, cellular phones and minicomputers shall not be turned on in the playing areas, adjacent hallways, restrooms or accessible break areas and shall not be used during a session. These restrictions shall apply to all to all members of the team, captains, coaches and kibitzers.
A violation of this policy shall result in a 6 IMP penalty and a second violation will result in disqualification from the event. Kibitzers violating this policy will be removed from the playing area for the remainder of the event.
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6. Extreme slow play is a breach of proper tournament conduct that should be reported to the Tournament Director for proper disposition. The Grand National Teams Committee has the right in cases of extremely slow play to recommend to the District Disciplinary Committee disciplinary action against teams or individual players. It is the responsibility of the players to notify the Director when their opponents are playing very slowly. If it can be determined that one side is responsible for the slow play, the Director may remove boards from play and impose IMP penalties. If it cannot be determined which player(s) is responsible, the Director must notify the Tournament Committee of District 3 for possible action.
7. Kibitzers will be permitted but must remain at one table. Any player may ask the Director to remove one kibitzer from his table without assigning any cause. Fifth and sixth members of a team may not kibitz their own team.
8. SUBSTITUTION, REPLACEMENT, (ALL FLIGHTS) DURING DISTRICT EVENT.
A. The DIC or the District GNT Coordinator or his designee may approve a substitute in an emergency. Only one substitute is permitted at any time and no substitute is permitted if four or more team members of record are available. A substitute may not appreciably strengthen the team.
B. The replacement of a member who, for cause, cannot continue in the event is permitted only with the permission of the District Director or GNT Coordinator or his designee. The replacement must be a resident of the District who has not played in this year’s GNT, does not appreciably strengthen the team, and can only be made to bring teams up to four members.
C. A permanently replaced player leaves the event with all masterpoints already earned and the replacement continues in the event earning masterpoints thereafter. Play percentage requirements may apply to the replacement.
D. A team becomes ineligible to continue in the event when fewer than three original team members can continue and meet the play percentage requirements.
9. REPLACEMENT AND AUGUMENTATION FOR NABC FINALS.
A. After the District Final and prior to the National Final a replacement will only be permitted if the replaced player agrees and, in the opinion of the District Director or GNT Coordinator, the replacement maintains or enhances the strength of the team.
B. A fifth and/or sixth player may be added to a team after completion of the District Final. Any such player(s) must be a resident of District Three. Augmentees will only be allowed if, in the opinion of the GNT Committee, the addition(s) is an attempt to maintain or improve the playing strength of the team.
10. A team that fails to seat a complete team at gametime may request permission to start the match with a substitute. The Director in charge, and/or the GNT Coordinator may allow the use of a substitute if the available substitute meets the proper requirements as outline in 8A above. When the team member arrives, he shall begin playing the match at the conclusion of the board in play at the time he arrives. A substitute may play no more than 50% of the boards a team is scheduled to play that day. A team which fails to seat a complete team within ten minutes of the announced starting time (and does not wish to use a substitute or no substitute is available) will be penalized five IMPs in the net score of that match and a further IMP for each minute thereafter. Penalties for tardiness shall not be added to the score of the non-offending side and, in addition, the DIC or the GNT Coordinator or his designee, at his discretion, may remove boards from a match starting late in order to make up for the lost time. For each board removed the non-offending team will be awarded 3 IMPs.
If a full team (four players) is not seated within 25 minutes of the announced starting time for a Swiss Team match or a one-session match, that team will forfeit the match in question. The winner of the forfeited match will receive the greatest of the following up to that point for pairing purposes.

1. 12 Victory Points.
2. Its average Victory Point score for all other matches.
3. The average Victory Points won against the forfeiting team in all other matches.
4. If Win/Loss, a full Win.
In a Swiss or round robin, the award for a forfeited match will be recalculated as stated above at the conclusion of the event. The loser will receive zero Victory Points or a loss. Disciplinary penalties may also be assessed against teams or individuals if the situation warrants.
If a full team is not seated within 1 hour of the announced starting time for a 2-session match, that team will forfeit the match. If a full team is not seated within 45 minutes of the agreed starting time for the 2nd session of a two-session match, that team will forfeit the match.
The IMP or forfeiture penalties of this section may not be waived.
11. If any table is unable to complete all the boards of a given match, the results of that match will be determined by comparison of the boards completed at both tables. If, in the opinion of the Director, one side was responsible for not completing the boards, an award of three IMPs per board for each board that cannot be compared will be given to the non-offending side.
12. Each player must play 50% of the boards (not including tiebreak boards) or one-half the sessions of the event. A player who does not play 50% of the boards or one-half of the sessions is ineligible to go to the National Final. In Knockout competition each player must also play at least 50% of the Final Match in order to compete at the National Final.
13. 24, 28 and 32-board matches will be played in halves and 56 and 64-board matches will be played in quarters. If both teams agree, a match may be played in thirds.
14. Each match in Knockout competition will consist of a “seeded” team and an “unseeded” team. The Captain of the seeded team designates whether his team will be seeded in the first or second half (or the first and fourth quarters) of the match. If he does not do so he will be deemed to have taken his rights in the first half. The Captain of the unseeded team positions his players first. North/South at his home table, East/West at the opponents’ table. The Captain of the seeded team has the final choice in placing his players. For the other half (or the second and third quarters) of the match, the unseeded team inherits the privileges accorded the seeded team. There will be no restrictions preventing any team playing whatever lineup it wishes in each segment, even if replays result. If a match is played in thirds, the seeded team may pick either the first or second segment and the seed in the last segment will be decided by a coin flip.
15. No team may withdraw without seeking and receiving the permission of the Director-in-Charge. Permission will be granted only if the withdrawal will not seriously inconvenience the running of the event.
16. For Semifinals and Finals to be played at later dates, the GNT Coordinator or his designee will give the teams a “Play By” date and location for the Semifinal and a “Play By” date and location for the Final. Semifinal and Final results must be reported to the coordinator not more than 24 hours after the completion of the match. The teams may agree to an earlier date and site with the approval of the GNT coordinator or his designee. The same entry fee as for the rest of the event will apply to the Semifinal and Final matches.
17. Scoring will be by IMPs in all Flights. In Knockout matches, a margin of one IMP constitutes a win. Should any match end in a tie, one-session matches will have a 4-board playoff and two-session matches will have a 6-board playoff. These will be followed, if necessary, by continuing 4 board matches until the tie is resolved. There will be no seeding rights in any playoff.
In the case of a 5-team round robin, ties will be broken as follows:
A. Net IMP’s in the match(s) between the tied teams
B. Total number of wins for the session (win=1, tie=1/2, loss=0)
C. Net IMP’s for the session.
18. The score correction period for player and scorer errors expires thirty minutes after the completion of the segment, at the start of play at either table of a playoff, or at the announced starting time of the next match, whichever is earlier.
19. The appeal period of a director’s ruling expires thirty minutes after the completion of the segment, at the start of play at either table in the next segment, or at the start of play at either table of a playoff, whichever is earlier.
20. Championship Flight and Flight A will be seeded based on masterpoints.If the previous year’s winning team in a flight enters that flight with at least 2/3 of its members unchanged, that team becomes the number one seed.

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
1. The Championship Flight will be conducted as a single elimination knockout.
2. The ACBL Mid-Chart will apply.
3. The Final Match will consist of 64 boards.
4. If two teams enter, they will play the entire event that day.
5. If three teams enter, they will play a 56-board round robin to reduce the field to two teams. These two teams will play the Final at a later date.
6. If four teams enter, they will play 56-board semifinal matches that day and the Final at a later date.
7. If five teams enter, they will play a 28-board round robin in the afternoon to eliminate one team. The remaining four will play 32-board semifinals at night. The team winning the round robin may choose its evening opponent from between the 3rd and 4th place teams. The Final will be played at a later date.
8. If six (6), seven (7), or eight (8) teams enter, there will be head to head and 3-way matches to reduce the field to 4 teams, 28 boards will be played. 32 board Semifinal matches will be played in the evening session. See General Conditions #16 for details for Final match.
9. If nine (9) to eleven (11) teams enter there will be head to head and 3-way matches to reduce the field to 6 teams, 28 boards will be played. There will be two 3-way matches in the evening to reduce the field to 4 teams, 32 boards will be played. The Semifinal will be 48 boards and the Final will be 64 boards. See General Conditions #16 for details for Semifinal and Final matches.
10. If twelve (12) to sixteen (16) teams enter there will be head to head and 3-way matches to reduce the field to 8 teams, 28 boards will be played. 32 board quarterfinals will be played in the 2nd session. Semifinal and Final matches will be arranged as in #9 above.
11. If 17 or more teams enter Rounds 1 and 2 will be 28 boards. Continuation of this Event will be determined by the GNT Committee, in consultation with the Director in Charge.
FLIGHT A
1. Flight A will be a single elimination knockout.
2. The ACBL General Convention Chart will apply. No other conventions will be allowed.
3. Except for the number of boards played, the Event format will be as in the Championship Flight. a. If 2 teams enter the Final will be 56 boards b. If 3 or 4 teams enter, Round 1 will be 28 boards and the Final will be 32 boards. The Event will be concluded in one day with 4 or fewer teams. c. If 5-8 teams enter, Rounds 1 and 2 will be 28 boards. Finals to be held at a later date will be 56 boards. d. If 9-16 teams enter, Rounds 1 and 2 will be 28 boards. Semifinals and Finals to be held on later dates will be 48 boards in the Semifinals and 56 boards in the Final. e. If 17 or more teams enter Rounds 1 and 2 will be 28 boards. Continuation of this Event will be determined by the GNT Committee, in consultation with the Director in Charge.

FLIGHTS B AND C
1. Each Flight will be run as a one-day two-session unseeded Swiss Team event. The first overall winner in each Flight will be declared District Champion for that Flight. There will be no Knockout competition.
2. If possible, and in consultation with the Director-in-Charge and the GNT Coordinator or his designee, any field which consists of 24 or more teams will play eight seven-board matches. Otherwise, six nine-board matches will be played.
3. The ACBL General Convention Chart will apply. No other conventions will be allowed.
4. For the first match of the Swiss Teams, the Director will assign the match pairings at random. Thereafter, pairings (who plays whom) will be determined by Victory Point totals with teams having like total scores playing against each other. No team shall face the same opponents twice in the Swiss Round. There are no seeding rights. Should any questions arise as to which players on a team face which players on its opponent’s team, the Captain will be required to submit precise geographic lineups to the Director. Should a team appeal a ruling by the Director, Victory Point totals for the purpose of determining match pairings will be temporarily scored assuming that each team will win the appeal. After the decision of the committee, the Victory points for each team will be adjusted according to the decision of the committee.
5. When needed, ties will be broken as follows:

A. Teams with the greatest number of wins (Win=1, Tie=1/2, Loss=0)
B. Victory points of second (or only) session opponents.
C. Victory points of both sessions opponents, if applicable.
D. Results of match(es) between the teams using quotient, if necessary.
NATIONAL FINALS
The Conditions of Contest for the National Stage of the Grand National teams are determined by ACBL and are available from the District GNT Coordinator.