This is the basic grade for all tournaments. Unless a tournament falls in another grade, it must be masterpointed at this level. Grade E masterpoint awards are green in colour.
This grade applies to supervised play sessions. Registered players may receive green points at half of the Grade E rate, while any awards earned by unregistered players in these events can be accumulated by the respective clubs. These credits should then be forwarded to the Masterpoint Centre at the end of the period in which a player becomes registered.
Teams : weight - 0.5; awards – use clause 4.2.3 (or the values in Table 2A for matches of less than 5 boards) and half the values in Table 3A for multi-session events.
This grade is for Club Championships. Every participating club may run up to 6 Grade D Championships each year. They should be chosen from Open Pairs - Open Teams - Masters Pairs and the events listed in clause 6.2.2 (excluding selection events). The duration of these championships shall be not less than 2 sessions and no more than 10 sessions.
NOTE: Club Championships may also be run at Grade B4c level. (See clause 2.6.)
This grade is for Regional Championships. State Associations are responsible for dividing the state into regions. Clubs within these regions are entitled (in consultation with the State Association) to organize jointly the following Regional Championships every year:
Open Pairs - Open Teams - Master Pairs
Allocation of masterpoints should be made under the supervision of the State Masterpoint Secretary.
Clubs may run qualifying rounds of this national event. Clause 7.5.7 applies.
This grade is for special club sessions/events. Grade B4c events which should ordinarily be conducted during the regular club sessions of play, and may only be advertised within the club. Clubs can also conduct up to two Grade B4c sessions at other times, provided that
All clubs that are affiliated with the ABF at September 30th and have not less than 40 sessions scheduled during the following calendar year (as confirmed by an entry in the Affiliated Bridge Clubs Directory) are entitled to run 6 sessions of club red point events, masterpointed at grade B4c level, during that calendar year. Additional entitlements are as follows:
Clubs that are situated more than 40 kilometres from their nearest neighbouring affiliated club will, on application, be granted an additional three B4c sessions each year. Clubs should apply each year to their State Masterpoint Secretaries, who in turn need to advise the Masterpoint Centre by September 30th.
Clubs having an anniversary that is a multiple of 25 years are entitled to the necessary number of extra B4c sessions to hold a Bridge Day. This is subject to the approval of the State Masterpoint Secretary, who will ensure that the attendance at any nearby congresses isnt likely to be affected.
Clubs will be advised in October of their entitlement for the next calendar year. New clubs registered after September 30th will be entitled to a pro rata allocation of the 6 red point sessions, with a minimum of 3 sessions. If so desired, a club may use all or some of its entitlement to run a Club Championship.
NOTE: B4c, B4s and B5i events provide for an optional authorization system:
The State Masterpoint Secretaries issue an authorization number for each set of competition red point credits, showing how many points have been approved. This number must be included when the points are sent by the club to the Centre. The Centre will process any reasonable amount of points received, provided that the amount is less than or equal to the authorization number received. At the end of each month, the Centre will provide a list of all B4c points processed to the participating State Masterpoint Secretaries. The state masterpoint secretary should compare the list with the numbers authorized and, if necessary, contact the Centre in the instance of a large discrepancy.
The State Masterpoint Secretaries are responsible for the keeping of records of all B4c points allocated, as well as B4c sessions used by the clubs. Grade B4c sessions that remain unused at the end of the calendar year may be allocated by the State Association in the following year to approved fundraising events.
States choosing not to participate must ensure that their nominees (usually the club masterpoint secretaries) are competent to issue the red masterpoints. The Centre will process points received from clubs within those states without any authority.
This grade is for tournaments played between two or more clubs (the clubs can be from different regions), subject to the approval of the State Masterpoint Secretary. Clubs can participate in five such events each calendar year while, subject to the permission of the State Masterpoint Secretary, a further three are available for clubs in remote areas. The duration of these events shall be one, two, three, or four sessions.
Allocation of masterpoints follows the procedure described in clause 2.6; the points will be allocated to the club responsible for the payment of masterpoint levies.