There is no charge for pupil games if the teacher is an ACBL member, if the game is restricted to students of the teacher, if the game is accompanied by lessons for at least 45 minutes and if at least six boards are played. Eight participating students are needed to make a game. With two tables, the game must run as a team event, individual event or Swiss pairs. No monthly report is required since there are no table or sanction fees.

The game may be sanctioned as a regularly scheduled session or periodically, subject to ACBL regulations. The sessions may run at different times and places from the lessons. The teacher who runs the game need not be an ACBL club director. The interests of both the teacher and the pupils are advanced substantially, however, if the teacher has such a rating.

A club game sanction application will need to be completed before the pupil game can be sanctioned. You can get an application from our website at https://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/clubs/ClubSanctionRenew15.pdf. The application cannot be completed online, but it can be printed, filled out and mailed or faxed to my attention at 662-253-3187.

If the application is in order, the pupil game can be sanctioned immediately upon receipt of the application. Please be sure that you include the name and location of the game, the manager’s name, address, and player number. In the upper right hand corner, you don’t have to check any of the boxes in the type of club section, just write “Pupil Game” in that area. Please sign your name as manager in the lower right hand corner. If you are a director, write your name in the space provided for director names. There is no charge for the games, so you may leave the fee area blank. You can leave the rest of the application blank, as it is not applicable to pupil games.

This is a regular game and has to have a set schedule, it will be added to your existing club as a Class 1.

These games provide a transition from ACBL beginning bridge classes to newcomer games conducted at ACBL-sanctioned games. They are operated by ACBL accredited teachers. Players are encouraged to ask the teachers for advice on bidding and playing the hands.

A sanction is required to conduct an ACBL Bridge Plus game. Bridge Plus sanctions are issued free of session fees if all of the following conditions are met:

• The applicant must be an ACBL accredited teacher or a club manager in conjunction with an ACBL accredited teacher, but only the teacher is authorized to run the game.
• Only bona fide students with fewer than 5 masterpoints may participate in the game.
• The game must consist of 6 boards.
• The game must be sanctioned for weekly operation and should be run for no fewer than two hours and no more than two-and-one-half hours.
• Monthly Report must be sent to ACBL by the tenth of the month following the month in which the game was held, and the reports must show the dates the games were held and the number of tables in play. 1.00 per table fees must accompany the reports. The ACBL Club and Member Services Department provides the blank Monthly Report Forms.

If an accredited teacher is not able to meet all the above conditions, he or she may conduct a cost-free sanctioned pupil game.

ACBL recommends (but does not make mandatory) the provision of a non- smoking environment in a separate room in which there are no other games being conducted.

Club masterpoint receipt pads are available to the sanction holder, and only the club manager or co-manager can issue the masterpoints. A minimum of 0.10 masterpoints will be awarded to the winners of three-table games.

The teacher who runs the game need not be a club director, although ACBL encourages teachers to have this rating. The teacher/director resolves all irregularities.

At the teacher’s discretion, beginning bridge players with whom he or she is acquainted or friends of the students may play in Bridge Plus games.

The teacher may use pre-dealt hands each week.

Newcomer/Novice (Class 2) This game is for players with less than 20 masterpoints.

This game can be invitational or masterpoint restricted.

Open to anyone
In any open club game every contestant must be scheduled to play a minimum of 18 boards to receive full masterpoint awards. Sanctioned clubs may hold shortened regular open games with a minimum number of boards played of 12-17 and will be awarded 60% of the award for open games. Sanction fees are reduced for games of 12-17 boards.