North American Pairs (NAP)
The ACBL North American Pairs (NAP) (Wikipedia article) is one of two annual ACBL‑wide open contests in bridge — the other being the team event, the Grand National Teams (GNT) (Wikipedia article). The NAP begins with grass‑roots club qualifying and culminates in a national championship at the Spring NABC. Each of the 25 ACBL districts may send up to three pairs to each of the three skill‑level national finals.
The 2026 NAP season unfolds in three stages:
- June – August — Club Qualifying: Pair qualifier games are held at local clubs throughout NVBA (Unit 218), WBL (Unit 145), and across District 6. You qualify as an individual, not as a pair, which means you can partner with any other District 6 qualifier at the finals. Qualifying games award higher than usual masterpoints. See the list of 2026 NAP club qualifying games in Unit 218 and Unit 145.
- Autumn — District 6 Finals: After qualifying at a club game, you may register with any other District 6 qualifier to compete in the District 6 NAP finals, held locally each autumn. The event has four flights: Open (unlimited), A (0‑6000), B (0‑3000), and C (0‑750, non‑Life Master). Click here for the dates and locations of the 2026 District 6 NAP finals.
- Spring 2027 — National Championship: The winning pair from each flight earns the right to represent District 6 at the 2027 Spring NABC in Dallas TX. ACBL provides financial subsidies to the top two pairs in each flight in each district to help offset the cost of travel to the NABC. Third‑place finishers are also eligible to attend and compete at their own expense.
For complete eligibility rules, see the official District 6 Conditions of Contest and the official ACBL Conditions of Contest.
IMPORTANT: Registration for the 2026 District 6 finals closes Thursday, October 1st. Click here to register. You will need your name and your partner's, both ACBL numbers, contact details, and your flight and site selection.
The finals are played the weekend of October 10 and 11, 2026. Plan on the first session of each event starting at 10:00 am. Conditions of play are emailed to registered pairs the week before the event and will confirm the exact times.
| Flight | Eligibility | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championship/Open | Unlimited | Two‑session qualifying Sat Oct 10 Two‑session final Sun Oct 11 |
Newport Mill Middle School Silver Spring, MD |
| A | Both under 6000 | Two‑session final Sun Oct 11 | Newport Mill Middle School Silver Spring, MD |
| B | Both under 3000 | Two‑session final Sat Oct 10 | Northern: Newport Mill Middle School, Silver Spring, MD Southern: Bridge Club of Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, VA |
| C | Both under 750, non‑Life Master | Northern: Sun Oct 11 Southern: Sat Oct 10 |
Northern: Newport Mill Middle School, Silver Spring, MD Southern: Richmond Bridge Center, Richmond, VA |
You may enter more than one flight, but you may not play in both Flight C events. To play two events that do not overlap — Flight A and Flight B, for example — register twice, once for each flight. If you want to enter the Open and then play Flight A should you not qualify for the Open final, contact the coordinator before registering.
Entry is $80 per pair, covering two sessions. Pairs in the Open who qualify for Sunday's final are charged an additional $80. Your registration is not complete until the District Six Treasurer receives payment:
By check — payable to “ACBL District Six”, mailed to:
Doug Grove
903 Snure Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20901-1028
By Zelle — to d6treasurerdg@gmail.com. Do not send Zelle payments to any other email address or phone number you may have for District Six.
Questions? Email Mary Peters at mfpeters496@verizon.net or call her at 410‑707‑6347.