Volume 58, No. 5
September/October 2026
President’s Message
A
By Jamie Southerland President District 16
s summer ends and the Dallas North American Bridge Championships (NABC) approaches, I find myself thinking about one of the most approachable events the ACBL has to offer – one that I genuinely wish more of our newer players knew about. So, consider this your personal introduction to the North American Pairs (NAP). Preview: Last year, nearly half of the Flight C pairs who played in the D16 Final qualified for the national final (more about this later). What Is the NAP? The NAP is a pairs event – just you and a partner – that begins at your local club and can carry you all the way to the national stage. There are four flights based on masterpoint (MPs) holdings: the Championship Flight is open to everyone; Flight A is for players under 6,000 MPs; Flight B is under 3,000 MPs; and Flight C is for Non-Life Masters with fewer than 750 MPs. There is truly a place for every level of player. There are three steps that you must take to allow you to represent the district at the NABC: Step One: Qualify at Your Club Qualifying games are held at clubs during the sum-
Scorecard September/October 2026
mer months – June, July, and August. These games are wrapping up for the 2026-27 season, but you may well have already qualified at a game this summer. If you ever noticed a Q on the game results for your pair, you qualified for at least one flight. Step Two: The District Final If you qualify at the club level, you earn the right to compete in the D16 final, which will be held October 31-November 1 at the Diane Olson Election Sectional in San Antonio. It is a four-session event – two qualifying sessions followed by a two-session final with carryover (if needed). You may even form a new partnership with another club qualifier for the district event, so don’t let “my regular partner can’t make it” be an excuse to sit it out. The top three pairs in the Championship Flight and Flight A, and the top four pairs in Flights B and C, will advance to the national final. District subsidies are available to help qualifying pairs with travel costs – and your unit may offer additional support as well. Attendance at the D16 NAP Final has been relatively low in past several years. Last year, there were 4 ½ tables in the Championship flight, 4 tables in Flight A, 10.5 tables in Flight B, and only 3.5 tables in Flight C. This is a fantastic opportunity to play for a national title! continued on 7