THESE CONDITIONS OF CONTEST MAY NOT BE CHANGED AT ANY LEVEL OF
PLAY DURING THE COURSE OF THIS EVENT. (For emergencies see VII)

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE CAUSE FOR EXCEPTION
TO THESE CONDITIONS OF CONTEST.

1. SCHEDULE
   
   1. All club qualifying games must be held within the months of June, July and August in the year preceding the North American Open Pairs Flight A (NAP-A), Flight B (NAP-B) and Non-Life Master Pairs (NAP-C) final.
   2. Each unit may and should hold one unit final game between September 1, 2007 and December 11,  2007.  Dates should be approved by the District NAP coordinator.  Units may hold separate events for each flight.  Dates should not conflict with nearby sectionals or regionals.  Dates may not conflict with the North American Bridge Championships November 16-26 in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Unit NAP coordinators may complete online sanctions at  http://www.acbl.org/units/units.   Sanction requests should be completed by July 5, 2007,  so that the unit final can be advertised in the August and subsequent issues of  the Contract Bridge Forum.   Sanction requests completed by the fifth of each month will be advertised in the following month's Contract Bridge Forum.  District 22 will not conduct a unit final.
   3. District 22 finals - Palm Springs Regional, Saturday December 15, 2007.  All flights will be two session play through events held at 10 am and 2:30 pm..
   4. The NAP-A final will be held the Wednesday and Thursday March 5 and 6, 2008,  preceding the Spring North American Bridge Championships (NABC) in Detroit, Michigan.    The NAP-B and NAP-C finals will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, 2008 during the Spring NABC .
2. ELIGIBILITY
   
   1. 
      
      1. Masterpoints won by players in other bridge organizations, such as the ABA and foreign organizations, must be taken into account for placement in the flights.
      2. The NAP-A event is open to any player. The NAP-B event is open only to players who have fewer than 2000 masterpoints as of June 2007 masterpoint cycle*. The Non-Life Master Pairs is open only to players who have have not attained the rank of Life Master and have fewer than 500 masterpoints as of June 2007 masterpoint cycle*.
         *June masterpoint cycle is available before 15th of May.
   2. A player who is eligible for Flight B may play in both Flight A and Flight B, prior to the national final, until concurrence forces him to choose one or the other. A player who is eligible for the Non-Life Master Flight may play in the NANLMP as well as Flights A and/or B prior to the national final, until concurrence forces him to choose one or another.    All District 22 finals will be held at the same time.
   3. To be eligible for the unit stage, a player must qualify at any club in any unit or district.
   4. At the club stage, a player may play at any participating club as often as desired and each time with any player.
   5. At the club stage, a player may qualify and earn masterpoints with any member of the ACBL or with a non-member of the ACBL. At the unit level and beyond, a player must be an ACBL member in good standing.
   6. At the unit stage, players must:
      
      1. both be members of District 22 (see appendix I in these conditions for membership residency requirements); and
      2. both have qualified in a club
   7. A player may enter only one unit stage competition per flight in the NAP event. A stratified event covers all club flight eligibility options.
   8. A person or pair may represent a district in only one flight at the national level.
   9. A player whose membership dues accompany the unit stage game report is deemed to have been a member at time of entry. In order to receive reimbursement to the National North American Final, a player's membership and/or Life Master service fees must be current at the unit stage, district final and the commencement of the national final.
   10. A player who moves to a different district during the course of the event may elect to continue in his original district, and not his new district, for the remainder of the event.
   11. To be eligible for the District 22 stage, a player must have qualified at a unit stage game.
   
   
3. QUALIFYING
   
   
   1. At the club stage, players in eligible partnerships finishing in the top half (rounded up and including ties) of their field or playing "average," each qualify to enter a unit stage in their home district. When an ineligible pair finishes in a qualifying position, qualification, but not masterpoints, extends another position. A pair eligible for NAP-B who qualify for a unit stage of NAP-A also receive qualification to a NAP-B unit stage in their home district. A pair eligible for the NANLMP who qualify for a unit stage of NAP-A also receive qualification to both a NAP-B and a NANLMP unit stage in their home district. A pair eligible for NANLMP who qualify for a unit stage of NAP-B also receive qualification to a NANLMP unit stage in their home district. See appendix III for chart of qualifiers.
   2. Players who qualify are encouraged, but not required, to enter the unit stage.
   3. At the unit stage, partnerships finishing in the top 50% (rounded up and including ties) of their entire field qualify for the district final. A pair playing whose score is average or better qualify for the district final.
   4. An ACBL member who qualified at the club stage and represents his NCBO or ACBL in WBF competition held in conflict with his unit stage is granted qualification to the district final with a player of his choice who has qualified at the club level and has not played beyond that level. This also includes ACBL members who are WBF officials, npcs and coaches on official ACBL/NCBO business and unable to be present at unit qualifying.
   5. Qualified players are encouraged, but not required, to play in the district final. If a qualified pair chooses not to play in the District final, qualification will not extend to the next pair.
   6. New partnerships may be formed at the district finals from unit qualified eligible players. NOTE: It is not necessary for players playing together in a district final to have qualified from the same unit.
   7. At the district stage, the top two NAP-A pairs overall will qualify to play in the North American final. One district will earn the right to qualify a third pair based on club stage participation (see footnotes). At the district stage, the top two NAP-B and the top two NANLMP pairs overall will qualify to play in the North American final. Two districts in the NAP-B and the NANLMP event will earn the right to qualify a third pair based on club stage participation (see footnote). Any margin will serve to break a tie for qualifying to the North American final. An exact tie will be broken per ACBL tie-breaking procedures.
   8. Each district will qualify a third pair for the National finals in all flights. The 3rd place pair will not be subsidized by the ACBL except in districts which have been awarded an additional qualifier and then the 4th place pair qualifies as the unsubsidized pair.
   9. When the district final is held at a single site the pair with the third highest score will be unsubsidized. When the final is held at split sites, the qualifiers may be apportioned on any objective basis, provided the basis is published in the district's Conditions of Contest.    The district 22 final is held at a single site.
   10. The NAP-A pairs placing first and second (including ties) in a single-site district final, and the pairs placing first (including ties) in a split-site district final if scored and ranked separately, earn Blue Ribbon Pairs qualification. The NAP-B and the NANLMP pairs placing first and second (including ties) in a single-site district final, and the pairs placing first (including ties) in a split-site district final if scored and ranked separately, earn appropriate ribbon qualification.
   11. Should a qualified pair be unable to participate in the North American final, an alternate pair (based on order of finish in the district final from the same qualifying field) will replace them
   12. Finalists will be notified of ACBL policy regarding reimbursement and travel arrangements.
   13. Life Master service fees must be current at the unit and district finals in order to be eligible to receive qualified reimbursements to an NABC. A player whose Life Master service fees accompany the unit final or district final stage game report satisfies this requirement. In order to receive reimbursements to the North American final, if membership or Life Master service fee has lapsed in the interim, it must be current by the start of the National American finals.
   14. The North American final will be a four-session event, with between 52 and 78 pairs competing in a two-session playthrough to qualify for a 28 pair two-session playthrough final (with carry-over as per ACBL formula).
   15. The winning NAP-A pair will automatically be one of next year's two at-large pairs qualifying for the North American Flight A final (see footnotes).
   16. The NAP-A pairs placing in the top ten (including ties) at the North American Open Pairs national final earn Blue Ribbon Pairs qualification, and U.S. pairs in this category earn qualifying points for international competition on the same scale as in the Blue Ribbon Pairs and the Life Master Pairs. The NAP-B and NANLMP pairs placing in the top ten (including ties) at the North American national final earn appropriate Ribbon qualification.
   
   
   
4. CONVENTIONS
   
   1. At the club stage, each club determines the conventions to be allowed in its games, subject to established ACBL minimum guidelines.
   2. At the NAP-A unit stage, the ACBL General Convention Chart applies.  The ACBL General Convention Chart applies at NAP-B and NAP-CNLMP district stage.  The ACBL Midchart applied to NAP-A district stage.
      
   3. The ACBL MidChart applies at the North American Open Pairs-Flight A final. The ACBL General Convention Chart applies at the North American final for Flight B and the Non-Life Master Pairs flight.
      
5. SUBSTITUTES
   
   1. At any stage of the competition, the district director (or his designee), the district NAP coordinator, the tournament director or the tournament committee may approve a substitute in an emergency. A substitute must meet the eligibility requirements listed in II.A. above, may not appreciably strengthen the partnership and is subject to the following limitations:
      
      
      1. At the club stage, if a substitute plays more than fifty percent of the boards, he becomes the contestant of record.
      2. At any stage beyond the club stage, a substitute is not permitted for more than fifty percent of the boards played in a qualifying session or sessions; for more than fifty percent of the boards played in a final session or sessions; or for more than one session in any case. Additionally, the substitute must be a member of the district and must be either eliminated from the event or not yet qualified from the unit stage.
         
         
   2. A replacement is not permitted at any stage of the competition.
      
      
6. AWARDS
   
   1. At the NAP-A club stage, masterpoint awards are half red and half black, sectional rating. A club game conducted by invitation only awards black points only, at 80% of sectional rating. At the NAP-B club stage, masterpoint awards are half red and half black, at 86% of sectional rating. A NAP-B club game conducted by invitation only awards black points only, at 60% of sectional rating. At the NANLMP club stage, masterpoint awards are half red and half black, at 60% of sectional rating. A NANLMP club game conducted by invitation only awards black points only, at 45% of sectional rating.
      
      
   2. At the NAP-A unit stage, for one session events, masterpoint awards are red at sectional rating. At the NAP-B unit stage, masterpoint awards are red at 86% of sectional rating. At the NANLMP unit stage, masterpoint awards are red at 60% of sectional rating. Overall masterpoints awarded at two or more session unit finals are 20% gold, 80% red for Flight A; 10% gold, 90% red at 86% sectional rating for Flight B; and 5% gold, 95% red at 60% sectional rating for the Non-Life Master event. Session awards are red at sectional rating.
      
      
   3. At the NAP-A and NAP-B district stage, overall awards and section first are gold, others are red. At the NANLMP district stage, overall awards are 25% gold and 75% red. Session awards are all red. The award for the NAP-A first place overall is arbitrary and based on the number of sessions in the district final as follows:
      
      
      2 sessions - 24.00 masterpoints
      3 sessions - 30.00 masterpoints
      4 sessions - 36.00 masterpoints

      Session awards are regional rating. (In districts holding a separately scored and ranked split-site final, the applicable arbitrary first place award will be divided in proportion to each site's share of the total tables.)

      The award for the NAP-B first place overall is arbitrary and based on the number of sessions in the district final as follows:
      
              2 sessions - 16.00 masterpoints
              3 sessions - 20.00 masterpoints
              4 sessions - 24.00 masterpoints
      
      

      Session awards are 86% regional rating. (In districts holding a separately scored and ranked split-site final, the applicable arbitrary first place award will be divided in proportion to each site's share of the total tables.)

      The award for the NANLMP first place overall is arbitrary and based on the number of sessions in the district final as follows:
      
              2 sessions - 10.00 masterpoints
              3 sessions - 12.50 masterpoints
              4 sessions - 15.00 masterpoints
      

      Session awards are 60% of regional rating. (In districts holding a separately scored and ranked split-site final, the applicable arbitrary first place award will be divided in proportion to each site's share of the total tables.)
      

   4. At the North American final, the winners of the NAP-A will receive 65 gold points. Session awards are gold/red, national rating. The NAP-B winners will receive 45 gold points. Session awards are gold/red, at 86% of national rating. The NANLMP winners will receive 30 masterpoints. Overall and section top awards will be 1/3 gold and 2/3 red. Remaining session awards are red and all session awards are at 60% of national rating.
      
      
7. DISTRICT DIRECTOR AUTHORITY
   
   All ACBL tournament regulations, though not specifically included in these conditions, apply to this event throughout. Only in the case of an unforeseen situation, the district director (or his designee), in consultation with the ACBL NAP coordinator, may make exceptions to these conditions. In emergency situations only, the district director on his own may make decisions consistent with the spirit of these conditions of contest. In cases of dual residence, active military duty, school attendance or similar cases of extended temporary or permanent relocation, the ACBL NAP coordinator has final authority of the residency and/or the qualification requirements (see Appendix I to these conditions). The district director has final authority on any item not specified in the conditions of contest.
   

Members of the ACBL are normally expected to belong to the unit in which they reside. If a member chooses to belong to a unit in which he/she does not reside, the member must specifically make this request in writing to the ACBL stating the unit of preference and the reasons for the request. Further, if the unit is not in the same district as where he/she resides, both districts must approve the membership in the other district. The following are some of the reasons why a member would be given permission to belong to a unit outside the district of residence (To warrant consideration, a player should meet at least two of the six reasons listed.):

1. Plays at least once a month in a club in that unit
2. Attends STACs or Sectionals in that unit at least twice a year
3. Attends the annual unit dinner and/or membership meeting
4. Participates in unit special events
5. Serves on the unit board and/or unit committees
6. Serves on the district board and/or district committees

If it is determined that a member requests a change of unit membership for the sole purpose of Grand National Teams (GNT) or North American Pairs (NAP) play, the request must be denied.

The membership approval granted by a district in which the member does not reside will be reviewed by that district every five years to assure the above criteria continue to justify non-residency membership.

If a player has been a member of that unit and wishes to remain and does not participate in GNT and NAP events in that district, permission may be granted by the district without the player meeting any of the six criteria.

APPENDIX II: