On June 17, ACBL announced it will not staff any sectionals or regionals with tournament directors for the remainder of 2020.
This removes any possibility for face-to-face tournaments during the balance of the year but does not preclude online tournaments from taking place.
As many anticipated, the two remaining D19 Regionals for 2020 have been cancelled, due of course to the Covid situation. These tournaments are the Puget Sound Regional (Lynnwood) and the Leavenworth Regional.
We remain optimistic that the 2021 Victoria Regional, planned for April-12-18 will be able to go ahead. Stay tuned!
Most Sectional tournaments have also been cancelled.
Any District ACBL member 18 years or older in good standing can make a written declaration of candidacy for the January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023 term.
Declarations must be received by the ACBL Director of Elections, Kelley Trejo, by 31 May 2020.
Declarations may be sent:
1. by mail, addressed to
ACBL Director of Elections
PO Box 289,
Horn Lake, MS 38637-0289
2. hand delivered;
3. by email to [email protected] or [email protected].
In the past the BOD has met at each NABC and reviews actions taken by the ACBL Board of Directors and makes recommendations to the BOD.
The District 19 Board of Directors is doing its best to navigate the challenges and uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Board members are monitoring developments in policies and guidance from national, regional and local government authorities in Canada and US, and the ACBL. We review, discuss and evaluate implications and plans for D19-sponsored events going forward. We will keep D19 membership apprised of developments as they take place. Please see below an update on upcoming events:
D19 Burnaby Regional (April 6-12, 2020) – Notice of cancellation of this tournament was provided to D19 membership via email on March 17, 2020.
D19 Grand National Teams (GNT) Finals – The D19 GNT Finals scheduled for April 18 & 19 at the Vancouver Bridge Centre are cancelled. The D19 Board is exploring recovery plans for this event. The ACBL Board of Directors has re-scheduled the North American GNT Finals from NABC Montreal in July to NABC Tampa this fall. (ACBL will be establishing the dates of the GNT Finals to be held at Tampa.) Districts are now given until October 1, 2020 to hold their district GNT Finals. The D19 Board is exploring the alternatives of running this event face-2-face, as it has been, or online. More information on plans for D19 GNT Finals will be announced when it becomes available.
D19 Penticton Regional (June 15-21, 2020) – At present, this tournament is still “on.” Financial and other considerations bearing on the decision whether to proceed with the tournament are under review. The D19 Board will further discuss the situation during its telephonic board meeting the week of April 21. We expect to make a final decision about Penticton no later than May 1.
ACBL’s North American NAP Finals – Last fall’s 2019 D19 NAP Finals qualified pairs for ACBL’s North American NAP Finals that were to have been held at the cancelled NABC Columbus. To recover the North American NAP Finals, the ACBL Board of Directors has decided that the event will take place at NABC Montreal in July. (ACBL will be establishing the dates of the NAP Finals to be held at Montreal.) If NABC Montreal were to be cancelled, the event would then be down streamed to NABC Tampa and run on dates not to conflict with the GNT Finals to be held at Tampa. The D19 NAP Coordinator will continue to coordinate plans with pairs who qualified last fall for the North American NAP Finals.
We regret the impacts this situation is having on clubs, units and players. We will continue to look and plan ahead in pursuit of the best available plans under the circumstances.
Thank you for your understanding,
D19 Board of Directors
The District 19 Board of Directors is doing its best to navigate the challenges and uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Board members are monitoring developments in policies and guidance from national, regional and local government authorities in Canada and US, and the ACBL. We review, discuss and evaluate implications and plans for D19-sponsored events going forward. We will keep D19 membership apprised of developments as they take place. Please see below an update on upcoming events:
D19 Burnaby Regional (April 6-12, 2020) – Notice of cancellation of this tournament was provided to D19 membership via email on March 17, 2020.
D19 Grand National Teams (GNT) Finals – The D19 GNT Finals scheduled for April 18 & 19 at the Vancouver Bridge Centre are cancelled. The D19 Board is exploring recovery plans for this event. The ACBL Board of Directors has re-scheduled the North American GNT Finals from NABC Montreal in July to NABC Tampa this fall. (ACBL will be establishing the dates of the GNT Finals to be held at Tampa.) Districts are now given until October 1, 2020 to hold their district GNT Finals. The D19 Board is exploring the alternatives of running this event face-2-face, as it has been, or online. More information on plans for D19 GNT Finals will be announced when it becomes available.
D19 Penticton Regional (June 15-21, 2020) – At present, this tournament is still “on.” Financial and other considerations bearing on the decision whether to proceed with the tournament are under review. The D19 Board will further discuss the situation during its telephonic board meeting the week of April 21. We expect to make a final decision about Penticton no later than May 1.
ACBL’s North American NAP Finals – Last fall’s 2019 D19 NAP Finals qualified pairs for ACBL’s North American NAP Finals that were to have been held at the cancelled NABC Columbus. To recover the North American NAP Finals, the ACBL Board of Directors has decided that the event will take place at NABC Montreal in July. (ACBL will be establishing the dates of the NAP Finals to be held at Montreal.) If NABC Montreal were to be cancelled, the event would then be down streamed to NABC Tampa and run on dates not to conflict with the GNT Finals to be held at Tampa. The D19 NAP Coordinator will continue to coordinate plans with pairs who qualified last fall for the North American NAP Finals.
We regret the impacts this situation is having on clubs, units and players. We will continue to look and plan ahead in pursuit of the best available plans under the circumstances.
Thank you for your understanding,
D19 Board of Directors
To members of Units 446, 430, 436, 442, 448, 450, 453, 454, 455, 428, 433, 437, 439, 441 443, & 451
Please be advised that new three-year terms are approaching for District Board members to be elected to represent the Seattle Unit, the Vancouver B.C. Unit, the eastern Washington Units at large, and the western Washington Units at large on the District Board for the 2021-2023 term.
Full details on how to declare your candidacy are found in our Governance section. You can also click here for direct access. Note that the deadline is 15 July 2020.
Here’s a message to all members from Chris Cookson, District 19’s president:
“The District 19 board will be meeting online on April 21 and we hope to be in a position to make a decision about the fate of the Penticton Regional. In the meantime, I urge the membership to plan on going, assume it’s on, but not make any non-refundable deposits on accommodation or transportation.
Next week, we will be reviewing the fate of the GNTs (scheduled for April 18-19 in Vancouver) and will be informing all members of our decision via email.”
Many District 19 players have never heard of the Kirkwood Trophy. Yet, they are all eligible to compete for this annual award. No need to register, simply attending one (or more) of the five annual District 19 Regionals will get you on the list. Of course, if you want to win, you had better do well in all five.
You can learn more about the Kirkwood Trophy by visiting our dedicated page on the website. Just click here. Or you can use the handy search box on the top left of the page (type in Kirkwood). You can also look under D19 Tournaments in the top menu.
Canadian bridge has lost a significant member and friend with the passing of Peter Herold. Peter died peacefully in his sleep after a long, optimistic and courageous battle with cancer.
Peter was a part of the lives of many Canadian bridge players. He was taught to play bridge at a young age by his grandmother, and always loved the game. He became a passionate, skilled, and highly regarded duplicate player.
His significant accomplishments included victories in the Canadian National Team Championships, the Canadian Open Pairs Championships, and the Australian National Open Pairs.
His sense of humour and love of life will be greatly missed by his wife, Alana, and his many friends. A big party will be planned at a future date in Victoria, to commemorate his passing.
Welcome to October!
This month, you have the opportunity to participate in not only one, but two D19 Regionals.
The Tri-Cities Regional runs from October 21 to 27. It’s being held in Pasco, Wa, some 200 miles SE of Seattle. Follow this link for complete information on the tournament.
A week later, October 28 to November 3, it’s time for the Whistler Regional, in BC, about 1.5 hours driving distance northward from Vancouver, BC. Go to our D19 Tournaments page for the flyer. More details will become available as the tournament draws near.