What is a “NABC Robot Individual”?

ACBL’s NABC Robot Individual is a multi-day online tournament that awards red and gold masterpoints and an NABC title to the winner. It takes place three times a year, just before ACBL’s National Championships.

The first “online NABC”, as it was called originally, took place in the summer of 2017, and was part of ACBL’s 2017 Summer NABC. The format has changed since 2017 and so have the awards. The first attempts were much “cheaper” at giving out masterpoints, but as the event grew successful it is now stratified and awards significantly more masterpoints.

About the 2019 Summer NABC Robot Individual (July 13-15)

Format

• The tournament lasts 3 days: July 13, 14 and 15 (Saturday, Sunday and Monday)
• It awards red and gold masterpoints, and an NABC title to the winner.
• This event is stratified (Unlimited/2000/500).
• Only ACBL members with a valid membership can join.
• 24 boards each day, Matchpoints
• You will play with three robots. Each human player is sitting South and has identical robots as partners and opponents.
• Best hand, human declare, deal pool (see the FAQ for more details about what all this means)
• Must play each day to move forward to the next day
• Once you start playing, you have 18 hours to play your boards for the day
• You need to play at least 1 board each day to qualify for the next day
• Unplayed boards are scored as 0 (zero)
• Each day’s tournament expires at midnight US Eastern time (so if you start playing at 10PM you only have 2 hours to finish your hands, the tourney closes at midnight)

Entry fee, early bird, other discounts

• Entry fee is $50.
• If you register before July 8, there’s an early bird discount of $6.
• If you played the 2019 Spring NABC Robot Individual, you get an additional $6 credit. So if you have played in Spring, and you register early, you pay $38
• All participants in the 2019 Summer NABC Robot Individual receive a $6 credit for the Fall NABC Robot Individual
• After July 8, entry fee is $50. You still get your $6 discount if you played in Spring.

How to register?

• Click ACBL World, then click 2019 Summer NABC Robot Individual. A menu will appear with a Register button. Click Register to … well… register.
• Here’s a brief video showing you how to find the tournament and how to register.

Important dates

• June 28. Registration opens. Early bird entry fee: $44
• June 29-30. NABC Practice Tournament #1. Free entries to the Summer NABC Robot Individual awarded as prizes. ACBL members only. 2-day tournament, must play each day. “Mock masterpoints” at the end to show what you would have earned had this been the real NABC.
• July 6-7. NABC Practice Tournament #2. Free entries to the Summer NABC Robot Individual awarded as prizes. ACBL members only. 2-day tournament, must play each day. “Mock masterpoints” at the end.
• July 8. Early bird fee expires at 11.59PM US Eastern. Full price: $50
• July 12. Last day to submit your ACBL number to BBO and/or renew your ACBL membership if it expired.
• July 13. Day 1. Event starts. You can still register till 4PM US Eastern.
• July 14. Day 2. Registration is no longer possible. Only players who played at least 1 board on July 13 can play.
• July 15. Day 3. Only players who played at least 1 board on July 14 can play.
• July 16. Provisional overall results available. Final winners will be announced after the cheating check is completed.

Checklist

• Read the Conditions of Contest carefully.
• Are you an ACBL member? If not, join here.
• Is your ACBL membership up to date? Click here to check
• Does BBO have your ACBL number? Click here to check
• Do you have enough BB$ in your account to pay the entry fee? Click here to purchase BB$
• Are you familiar with the robot’s system? Click here for the robot’s system notes. During the game, all bids will be automatically explained.
• Did you practice? Don’t miss the free NABC Practice Tournament on July 6-7. You can also play for free, any time, with basic robots in the Solitaire area of the site, or try the ACBL Daylongs for advanced robots and a format close to what the real game will be.
• FAQ here.

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Phew! This pretty much covers EVERYTHING! You’re all set to earn some red and gold points, or even an actual NABC title. Oh, and if you still have questions you can always reach us at support@bridgebase.com.