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Club Corner

Find everything you need to manage your club along with the ways and means of creating a bridge entertainment hub.

My Club

Post Your Information

Update Your Club Listing
Post Your Club Website

Club and Sanction Applications

  • To renew your club game sanction, log into MYACBL and click on the club manager link.
  • To sanction new club games, please contact Dana at dana.murray@acbl.org.


Report Big Games Report Big Games 

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Virtual Clubs

Getting Started

Online Application Form Online Application Form
Player List Management Player List Management
Visitor Policy Visitor Policy 
Pooling Pooling

Running Your Games

Howell Movements Howell Movements
Mitchell Movements Mitchell Movements
Swiss Teams Swiss Teams
VACB Tools

VACB Tools

ACBL Support

ACBL Support

  • Convention Charts
  • Masterpoint Book – This document details the awards process for face-to-face games. At this time, the Virtual Club games are awarding 150% of the face-to-face Masterpoint® awards.
  • ACBL Codification – Governance, Policies, and Bridge Operations as directed by the ACBL Board of Directors can be found here.
BBO Support

BBO Support

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Special Events

Clubs may hold an ACBL-wide event during a non-sanctioned session upon unit approval. Unit approval is normally automatic, unless there is a Regional in the District or a Sectional within twenty-five miles. Also, the ACBL-wide event should not conflict with a neighboring club that does have a sanctioned session for the date and time specified, and is also hosting the event.

When a sectional (excluding STaCs) or higher rated event (regional or NABC) is being conducted within 25 miles of a club game’s playing site, the club is permitted to hold only its regularly scheduled club masterpoint games. This regulation does not apply to Limited/Restricted Sectionals.

2023 Special Events Schedule 2023 Special Events Schedule 2023 Online Schedule 2023 Online Schedule Special Events Results Special Events Results Participating Clubs Participating Clubs
North American Pairs Resources

North American Pairs Resources

Interclub Championship Games
Interclub Championship Games
More Information | Past Results | Sign Up

In order to participate you must sign up in advance and use the current version of ACBLscore. For more information you may email iccg@acbl.org.

Schedule coming soon

General Information

  • You must score your game using ACBLscore 8.27 or higher to participate in these events.
  • Set up your game as follows:
    • Select “Club Championship (ALL)”
    • then “Interclub Championship” from the next pick box
  • Clubs must register at least seven days in advance of the game. Click here to sign-up.
  • Clubs will receive the material via email 48 hours prior to the game. Arrangements must be made to either print the hands for duplication or have the director duplicate the hands for his or her game. Anyone involved in the hand record process is not allowed to play in the event.
  • If you receive hand records from ACBL and decide not to participate in the event, please notify ACBL so that we are not expecting results from your club.
  • The strat limits used for the overall masterpoint awards will be as follows, but you may run your game with your normal strats if you prefer. All strats are re-computed before generating overall results. A=1500+, B=500-1500 and C=0-500
  • Invitational games will be scored and ranked as Club Championship events with one restriction (20% reduction). Limited masterpoint games will be scored and ranked alone unless a like masterpoint game is held at one or more other ICC game sites. In this case, these games will be scored together for overall rankings and masterpoint awards. Invitational and Limited games may be included in the Open event if they are opened to all players and advertised as such in advance.
  • Score correction period for the games is 24 hours after the conclusion of the event.
  • Fees for this event are your regular club fees plus $1 per player.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I report the results?
All results are to be emailed to Results. To be included in the overalls, morning and afternoon games must be reported by noon (Central Standard Time) the following day; evening games by 3:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time) the following day. Results not received by that time will not be included in the overall results. Also, if you sign up for the game but cancel it for any reason, please notify us so that we don’t expect results from your club.

Just send the game file (such as 030820.aca) as an attachment to the email.
Why are the posted percentages different than at the club?
Perhaps the most frequently asked question we receive: “I had a 65% game at my club but your list shows us at 62%. How come?” Remember, the scores are re-computed by us and are scored with a much bigger top so it is not unusual for the scores to change. Also, the scores tend to compress a bit with a large number of comparisons.

Perhaps an example will help you understand the principle. Suppose at your club the board is played nine times with an 8 top. You are the only pair (thanks to fantastic bridge judgment and a bidding misunderstanding) to bid and make a slam. You receive a top on the board.

Let us further suppose that it turns out that 50% of the field at other clubs also bid and made the slam. You will receive about 75% of the matchpoints on the board. Thus, your “top” has been reduced to a 6 (on an 8 top). This “field effect” tends to improve your zeros too.

Masterpoint Awards Charts

Masterpoint Awards Chart

Masterpoint Awards Chart

Club Masterpoint Games

Club Swiss Teams

Club and Unit Championship Overall Awards

Awards Chart for Championship-rated games

Special Fund Game

Club Masterpoint Game - Knockout Teams

For detailed masterpoint calculations please consult the MP Book.

Hand Records & Analysis
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ACBL Live for Clubs is an online tool just for clubs and their members. It’s a better way for players to see how they did at the club. Club members will love the new benefits, like a personal results page and optional automated emails with results information, and clubs will enjoy a simplified process and added customization abilities.

Live FAQ
Tutorials

Guides


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ACBLscore

clubscoreACBLscore® is software used by clubs to score duplicate bridge and report results to the ACBL. ACBLscore® will handle almost any variation of movement, including individual. It can rank a stratified game with up to three strata, and can score by matchpoints, IMPs or Swiss Teams. It supports a database of players so that it will compute handicaps, print mailing labels, etc.

For installation or technical questions email ACBLscore@acbl.org.

Report Special Games Report Special Games Post Results/Recap Sheets Post Results/Recap Sheets Sending Attendance Reports Sending Attendance Reports
Specifications

Specifications

Note: A previous version of ACBLscore® is not needed to install.

Note: The ACBL is no longer producing a DOS version of ACBLscore.

System Specifications
New in version 8.33

Version 8.33 Release Notes

Requirements:

  • Operating Systems Supported: Windows XP, Windows 7 – 32 bit, Windows 10 – 32 bit (DOS), Windows 10- 64 bit (Windows)
  • Printer: Any is acceptable. A wide-carriage printer (132 columns) dot matrix will produce recaps that may be easier to read, but a narrow dot matrix, laser or inkjet will be adequate. These printers will work with ACBLscore only in Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 or XP.
  • Keyboard: Should have a numeric keypad separate from the letter keys for easier numeric entry. A separate set of arrow keys is also helpful.

To report bugs, or if you have installation or technical questions: email ACBLscore@acbl.org or phone 662-253-3165.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Update club database/ Member Rosters
Updated on the 7th of every month

Reminder: Club managers can order a full database refresh by logging into MyACBL and selecting Order Member Rosters via email.

Update Instructions – Windows

Just open ACBLScore® , go to Database, Import/Merge, and again option 5. With Windows, the program will ask if you would like it to access the file for you. All you will need to do is provide the District number.

District Files

Link District
D00MP All Districts. Note: This file will not fit on one diskette
D01MP E Canada
D02MP Ontario, Manitoba, Bermuda
D03MP E New York (not New York City), N New Jersey
D04MP C New York, E Pennsylvania, Delaware, S New Jersey
D05MP W New York, W Pennsylvania, NE Ohio, N West Virginia
D06MP Virginia, Maryland
D07MP Carolinas, E Tennessee, Georgia
D08MP N Indiana, Illinois (not Chicago), E Missouri
D09MP Florida
D10MP W Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas
D11MP S Ohio, S Indiana, Kentucky, S West Virginia
D12MP Michigan, NW Ohio
D13MP Wisconsin, Chicago, Upper Michigan
D14MP Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska
D15MP W Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, N Texas
D16MP Texas (not N or El Paso), Mexico
D17MP E Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, S Nevada
D18MP Saskatchewan, Alberta, Montana, Idaho, Utah, W Wyoming
D19MP Washington, British Columbia, Alaska
D20MP Oregon, N Nevada, N California, Hawaii
D21MP San Francisco area
D22MP S California (not Los Angeles)
D23MP Los Angeles
D24MP New York City
D25MP Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
D99MP All areas outside North America

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Laws & Discipline

LAWS / CHANGES /VIDEOS

Duplicate Decisions Duplicate Decisions  Laws of Duplicate Laws of Duplicate Laws of Rubber Bridge Laws of Rubber Bridge Options Under the Laws Options Under the Laws

Laws Changes

Changes in the Laws Changes in the Laws Other Laws Changes Resources Other Laws Changes Resources

Club Discipline & Zero Tolerance Policy

View the Zero Tolerance Policy View the Zero Tolerance Policy
View/Print Club Discipline Regulations
Print

Club Discipline Regulations

The purpose of this article is to discuss the impact upon sanctioned games at clubs of the most recent changes to the ACBL Code of Disciplinary Regulations (CDR).

The basic rules governing discipline by clubs have been changed very little. A club’s disciplinary process is its own. ACBL only has jurisdiction and rules governing discipline imposed by a club in very limited circumstances. Please refer to the ACBL Handbook of Rules and Regulations (HB), Chapter Four, Section Three, IV, H Club Discipline for specifics.

Club Discipline

Club management should deal promptly and fairly with all cases of improper conduct that occur during an ACBL-sanctioned masterpoint game in the club, including cases of unethical practices. The club manager should either handle these situations personally or establish a standing committee to review all disciplinary problems. Clubs holding non-sanctioned games may deal with problems arising in these games as they see fit.

The club manager can handle many behavior problems by discussing them with the offenders, by issuing a warning, or declaring a period of probation. In extreme cases or cases of repeat offenses, the manager can bar the player from the club game for a stipulated period of time, or permanently.

No open club may bar a player or players as a class, based upon the player’s race, creed, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, national origin, and physical handicap or on his proficiency at bridge.

Unless a non-ACBL member is currently suspended or expelled from participation in an ACBL sanctioned event at that club is at the sole discretion of the club management and ACBL has no jurisdiction. Therefore, except for a barring alleged to be for the above discriminatory reasons, these regulations do not apply (i.e. the ACBL requirements and rights enumerated in this section do not extend to non-ACBL members).

Except as detailed in the previous paragraph, a club may bar a player for whatever reason it deems proper and consistent with ACBL Rules and Regulations and the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. An obnoxious or incompatible partnership may be barred as a pair, but each may be permitted to play with other partners.

To bar a ACBL member, club management must notify the player in writing and send a copy of the notification to the ACBL Club Membership Department.

The notification must include the player’s name and player number and the reason for the barring.

An open club can bar players from its regularly scheduled club masterpoint games, membership games, ACBL-wide games, club championships, charity and international fund club championships, and other special events specifically allocated to clubs as outlined above.

These regulations also apply to a club with an invitational sanction except that the club has the additional authority to refuse admittance to an invitational game to someone who does not meet the criteria upon which the invitational sanction is based (e.g. a player who has 500 masterpoints is denied admittance to an invitational game that is limited to players with less than 300 masterpoints).

If the member feels that his barring does not comply with these regulations prohibiting barring players as a class, religious or political affiliations, race, creed, sexual orientation, national origin, physical disability or proficiency at bridge, he may appeal the barring to the unit disciplinary committee. Appeals from the unit disciplinary committee may be filed in accordance with and under the authority of the ACBL Code of Disciplinary Regulations. Until the appeal is lodged and heard, the player remains barred unless reinstated by the club unless a stay is granted by the Unit Disciplinary Chairperson.

A club may extend the barring of an ACBL member from Grand National teams, North American Pair events, STaCs, qualifying sessions of a progressive sectional, ACBL-wide games, unit or district competitions, and/or unit-wide or district-wide championships held at the club. A member so barred may appeal the extension of the barring under the process described in the previous paragraph. In such cases, the written notice to the member barred must include the member’s right to appeal the action to the Unit Disciplinary Committee in which the club is located within thirty days of the action taken by the club. Such written notice is required, otherwise the barring shall not be effective.
Unless the discipline includes suspension or expulsion from the sanctioned game, ACBL rules and regulations regarding discipline imposed by the club do not apply. These “minor” sanctions are completely between the player and club management.

The following games at clubs are the current games to which the extension of the barring applies. If a game is not listed, it comes under the club barring.

  • NAP
  • GNT
  • STaC
  • Progressive Qualifier
  • District-wide Championship
  • Unit Championship
  • Unit-wide Game
  • Unit Extended Team Game
  • Unit Charity Game
  • Unit-wide Charity Game

If the discipline imposed is barring (suspension for a specified time or lifetime expulsion), ACBL rules and regulations (per the ACBL Handbook) come into play. See chart below for a short summary of these rules.

Action Notifications in writing Notification must include Appeal Rights Appellate Body
Barring from club sponsored games 1. Barred person 2. ACBL Club Department 1. Barred person’s name and ACBL player number. 2. Reason for barring. Only if the barring is alleged to be for religious or political affiliation, race, national origin, physical disability or bridge proficiency. Unit Disciplinary Committee
Barring from ACBL, unit or district sponsored games 1. Barred person 2. ACBL Club Department 1. Barred person’s name and ACBL player number. 2. Reason for barring. 3. Person’s right to appeal to the Unit Disciplinary Committee within 30 days. No limitations on reasons, but the appellant should include reason why the appeal is being made. Appeal must be submitted within 30 days of the action being taken Unit Disciplinary Committee

Change to Code of Disciplinary Regulations (CDR)

Irrespective of discipline imposed by a club, the unit has jurisdiction over participants in ACBL sanctioned games conducted in its geographical area. A unit has no authority over a club’s disciplinary process and only limited appellate jurisdiction over a club’s decision to bar a person from its games.

The changes made to the CDR affect the jurisdiction of units, districts and ACBL over participants in ACBL sanctioned games held by a club. One of the main goals is to extend the club the opportunity to resolve matters within the club and eliminate the right of a participant to go elsewhere when dissatisfied with the club’s resolution.


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Education & Resources

Convention Cards & How to Fill Them Out

CONVENTION CARDS

ACBL Convention Card: Download a PDF file and print a blank card. You may also save the file to your computer and edit this card for your personal use.
ACBL “Fat Free” Convention Card: Download a completed card with a basic system for you.
Basic 2 over 1 Convention Card: From Larry Cohen’s Conventional Wisdom Lite series featured in the ACBL Bridge Bulletin. Download the completed card. To view the Conventional Wisdom Lite series, click here.
Bridge Bulletin Standard Bridge Bulletin Standard
Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC): Download a PDF of the card as well as full instructions for using this popular convention card in single-page format or paginated format. A Spanish version of the instructions is available at Bridgear.com.

Useful Documents

Handbooks Handbooks Player Movements and Games Guides Player Movements and Games Guides ACBL Codification ACBL Codification Convention Charts Convention Charts Other Resource Sites Other Resource Sites

Continuing Education

Club Director Course Club Director Course Local Director Course Local Director Course Club Refresher and Cruise Director Course Club Refresher and Cruise Director Course

Become a Club Director

Become a Club Director

Opening a new bridge club or starting a new game is an exciting venture for bridge players. Clubs are like families, and you as the director have the opportunity to be the perfect host. The atmosphere of fun and competition is yours to create.

What does it take to be a good club director? These are the essential requirements:

  • Technical skills needed to run bridge games of all types.
  • Knowledge and understanding of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge and ACBL regulations.
  • Knowledge of Live for Clubs, ACBLscore, and ability to work with required software and hardware.
  • Public relations skills to balance the roles of referee, judge, teacher, psychologist and entertainment director.

First, however, you need to prepare for the Club Directors Exam.

Preparation

You can prepare for this exam by studying on your own or by enrolling in the Club Directors Course, which is given regularly at the North American Bridge Championships, online and at number of regional tournaments. It is an open-book, online test. You must answer at least 65 percent of the questions correctly to pass the test and become a certified ACBL Club Director.

These materials will help in your preparation for the exam:

Taking the Exam

Registration for taking the exam can be found at https://my.acbl.org/events/lookup. Look for the “Test Only” sign-up.
You can also register for the full club directors’ course at the link above.

Questions?

Email Melody Euler at melody.euler@acbl.org.

What’s Next?

Check out the other resources on this page to make the most of every game at your club.

Become a Local Director
Become a Local Director

Starting in 2023, the ACBL introduced a new kind of sectional tournament, the Local Sectional. These sectionals award partial silver points, but the unit can use a specially certified club director or tournament assistant (a Local Director) instead of a regular tournament director.

Beginning July 1, 2023, Local Directors must receive certification to direct Local Sectionals. The position requires knowledge and performance higher than what is required at the club director level.

Local Director Certification

The certification course is highly reliant on directed self-study. Students will receive a link to written study materials after registration but are also expected to also gather their own resources.

There is a period of four weeks between the end of registration of the course and the final exam with three Q&A Zoom sessions in the meantime. While attendance at the tutor-led Q&A sessions is strongly recommended, it is not required. Students may also reach the tutor via email at training@acbl.org.

Following the third Zoom session, students will receive a link to the final exam and have a week to complete it. They may refer to their study materials while taking the exam.

Each course is limited to 40 students.

Questions?

Email training@acbl.org for questions on becoming a Local Director.

Become a Tournament Director

Become a TD

Become a Tournament Director

How can you better understand our great game and earn some extra income too? Consider part-time employment as an ACBL Tournament Director. An applicant should be a certified club director with at least one year of experience. While a tournament is, in some cases, simply a larger club game, it differs in many key aspects. Apart from the size, the players and the sponsoring organization take a tournament much more seriously than a club game. All the skills practiced while working alone in a club will be important—but not as important as being a good team member and sharing common goals.

Job Requirements: The Essentials
  • Technical skills needed to run bridge games of all types and sizes.
  • Thorough knowledge and understanding of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge and ACBL regulations.
  • Thorough knowledge of ACBLscore and ability to work with required software and hardware.
  • Ability to be a sales person and accountant, able to sell entries and balance large sums of money.
  • Public relations skills to balance the roles of referee and judge, schoolteacher, psychologist and entertainment director.
  • Ability to work in a busy and noisy atmosphere while maintaining an even and friendly disposition.
Rulings and Bridge Ability

A thorough understanding of the Convention Charts and Alert procedures is crucial. Keeping up to date on bidding conventions and current trends is strongly encouraged as well as reading the NABC+ casebooks and articles dealing with rulings. Discuss potential rulings with other TDs and ask questions so that you know and understand what others think. Ask the leading players at your tournament for bridge judgment opinions per the instruction of the director-in-charge. Know your responsibilities if called upon to present a case to an Appeals Committee. While it is not crucial to be an expert player, it is important to understand as much as possible the game situations being discussed and the reasoning behind the rulings.

Knowledge of Movements

It is essential to have a complete knowledge of all movements one might encounter at a tournament (Mitchell, Howell, Board-a-Match, etc.). In addition, a TD must know all movements dealing with half tables and have the ability to add tables after a game has started regardless of the movement being used. It is important to know how to repair movements that have gone off track (such as pairs or boards going to the wrong table) with a minimum of delay. In addition, TDs must know to conduct Swiss and Knockout Team events of all sizes.

Technical Skills

A complete knowledge of ACBLscore is essential for a tournament director. Directors must be thoroughly aware of how to set up and score all types of games. In addition you should be aware of all secondary aspects of the program such as bulletin, summary, Edmov, all Set commands, etc. TDs should be comfortable entering names and scores for up to four two-board sections. In addition, they should have a working knowledge of computers, software, hardware and printers in use and be able to resolve minor problems.

The ACBL is also involved in online bridge. Eventually, work may be available directing online bridge, so a working knowledge of how this form of the game works will also come in handy.

Customer Service

While the items mentioned above are important in developing the skills necessary to be a Tournament Director, none is as important as the ability to deal with people. Obviously, players are drawn to a bridge tournament by the competitive side of the contest. The desire to win is very important to them. Never forget that the social side of the game is also very important.

A TD must be aware of the personal needs of our customers; this is an even more important aspect of directing than running the contests in a technically correct manner. Equally crucial is maintaining order, discipline and assuring all contestants that they will be spending their time in a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. While it is vital that we deal with rulings and penalties in a manner consistent with our laws and regulations, it is even more important to do so in a manner that shows that we realize that these players are our customers and have many other options for spending their leisure time. Presentation is everything.

Contests must be run smoothly, on time and with little or no disturbance to the customers from the staff or other contestants. You must be consistent and impartial. When you do make a mistake, admit it, apologize and fix it as best you can. It is crucial that the players consider you someone they can rely on to be competent, fair and objective. Try very hard to treat all contestants equally, be they expert or newcomer.

Even when you are unable to satisfy a player’s immediate needs, let him or her know that you will pass the message along to the right parties. Also tell them to advise you if the problem has not been rectified in a reasonable amount of time so that you can look once again into resolving it. Remember that people making complaints will usually be in an agitated state. It is therefore crucial for TDs to maintain their cool and to be as sensitive as possible to the players’ concerns.

Teamwork

It also is important for TDs to recognize they are a member of a team. They will be judged, invariably, by the performance of the group—not an individual action. You should make every effort to perform the tasks assigned in a competent and professional manner. It is just as important for a TD to always be on the lookout for how to help fellow staff members perform to their best.

Workload

It is reasonable to expect it to take a couple of years to become established. Your workload will increase over time as your skills develop. Some areas have a greater need for directors than others.

Employment Policy

No ACBL employee (full time or part time) may stand for election or serve as an elected member of any ACBL unit, district or conference body, ACBL Board of Governors or ACBL Board of Directors. Further, no employee may serve as an appointed voting member of any of these bodies.

More Information

This is a job where technical ability and classroom study account for a small percentage of the necessary prerequisites for success. It is a profession that is constantly evolving. A TD must understand that the education process never ends. We are always on the lookout for the right people. For more information, please contact ACBL HR department, at 662-253-3109.

Cooperative Advertising Program

CAP/Facebook Ads

You do the advertising. We’ll help pay!

The Cooperative Advertising Program (CAP) partially reimburses bridge teachers, club, units and districts for advertising expenses so long as they promote programs and lessons designed for bridge newcomers and/or to recruit ACBL members. CAP will refund 50% of eligible advertising costs with a maximum amount of $500. Qualifying advertisements must be date-specific and use approved ACBL logos. Note: Teachers cannot take advantage of both Boost and CAP for the same course.
Cooperative Advertising Program Details
Cooperative Advertising Program
ACBL reserves the right to refuse reimbursement for any reason for CAP submissions. Submissions by a person who has any ownership, management or conflict of interest in the media outlet in which they are advertising (e.g. personal websites, online and print publications) will not be approved for CAP reimbursement.
CAP Reimbursement Form
CAP Guidelines & Requirements
Eligible Media
Pre-Approval & Submission
CAP Request Checklist
Ad Templates Ad Templates Logos Logos  Clip Art Clip Art

Facebook Ads Webinar

Recruitment Incentives

ACBL Recruiter

Up to $30 for each new member

ACBL recruiters keep bridge thriving, and we want to show our appreciation. With our new Recruitment Incentives, we’ll award up to US$30 for each new member a registered recruiter brings to the ACBL!

Read More

Bigger bonuses paid more quickly

Under this new reward initiative, recruiters receive a US$10 bonus for each new ACBL member*, plus US$10 more when the member renews after the first year, and another US$10 if the member renews a second time. (Accordingly, a new three-year membership pays a one-time US$30 bonus.)At least twice a year, we’ll issue a check for the recruitment incentives balance.

* Incentives are not available for recruiting junior (under 26).

Who are our recruiters?

Teachers, Club Managers and active Club Directors are automatically registered as recruiters. In order to have the monetary incentives credited to their account, recruiters need to ensure that their member number is entered in the New Member Application form (either online or printed forms).

We depend on our recruiters to promote bridge at the local level as we work to serve all members. Together we can ensure a bright future for the game. —Joseph Jones, ACBL Executive Director

ACBL’s previous incentives will be gradually phased out (check the FAQ, question 4), so ACBL recruiters will be eligible to receive both incentive rewards for a certain period! Note that the upgraded club championship game awarded to recruiting clubs for every 10 new members is still available.

Questions or suggestions? Please contact us at recruiter@acbl.org.

Recruiter FAQ

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