International Membership Masterpoints®
The ACBL International Membership is available through Bridge Base Online (BBO). Two new ACBL sanctioned Instant Tournaments are being offered exclusively to International Members (District 99). These tournaments will award Silver and Gold Masterpoints.
The new games will be available to eligible players starting Wednesday, February 15. The Silver and Gold Instant Tournaments will be displayed only to players who are eligible to play them.
How Masterpoints are Awarded
Masterpoints are “pigmented” to reflect the level of competition. In general, the larger the field and the more expert the competitors are at a tournament, the greater the Masterpoint awards will be for those who place in the overall. Masterpoints at clubs are usually limited, although special games can increase the payoff.
There are formulas for computing masterpoint awards for all ACBL-sanctioned events. These formulas take into account various factors, such as the class of the event, the size of the field, the number of sessions and the level of competition, thus ensuring maximum uniformity throughout the ACBL in determining masterpoint awards.
Masterpoint Pigments
Black points are awarded for overall positions, section positions, and match awards in ACBL-sanctioned club games, in all unit events and in all other levels of tournament competition except those in which gold, red or silver points or net points are awarded.
Silver points are awarded for success in events at sectional tournaments. Progressive sectionals, Sectional Tournaments at Clubs (STaCs) and exclusive International Member Instant Tournaments on BBO also award silver points.
Red points are awarded for all regional-rated events at North American Bridge Championships (NABCs) and for all events at a regional tournament when the masterpoints are not gold. Grand National Teams (GNT) events, North American Pairs (NAP) events and other special games afford players the opportunity to earn red points at their local clubs.
Gold points are awarded at NABCs in national-rated events that have an upper limit of at least 750 masterpoints. Gold points are awarded for overall positions and for section firsts in all two-session, regional-rated events with an upper limit of at least 750 masterpoints at NABCs and regional tournaments. Pairs filling in for one session of a two-session event receive any gold points earned. Partial gold-point awards are given for certain special events.
Platinum points are awarded for NABC+ events (which are national-rated events with no upper masterpoint limit) and include the national-rated senior and women’s events.
Unpigmented points are awarded for success in online play and are colorless.
International Masterpoint FAQ
Do I need to be an ACBL Member?
Yes. If you are not already an ACBL Member, you can join
here.
How many Gold and Silver Masterpoints can I earn?
You may earn up to the Life Master requirement of 75 Silver and 100 Gold.
How do I earn black points?
ACBL Virtual Club Black Point Games may be found on
BBO by clicking the “Competitive/All Tournaments” button and then seaching “VACB”.
How do I add my ACBL number to my BBO account?
Login to BBO and click on ACBL World. Enter your ACBL number and click “update”.
Masterpoint Ranks & Requirements for Rank Advancement
Masterpoint Ranks
Rookie
Junior Master
Club Master
Sectional Master
Regional Master
NABC Master
Advanced NABC Master
Life Master
Bronze Life Master
Silver Life Master
Ruby
Gold Life Master
Sapphire
Diamond Life Master
Emerald Life Master
Platinum Life Master
Grand Life Master*
Masterpoint Races
Please note: When using the masterpoint races table you can adjust the sort fields at the top of the page to minimize results returned. If you are looking for a specific person’s position in a race you can search the table by using the search bar just above the table results to the right.
Pigmented Races
All Colors Platinum Gold Silver Red Black
Other Races
MEMBERS WHO JOINED AFTER JANUARY 1, 2010
| Title |
Masterpoints Required |
| Rookie |
Fewer than 5 |
| Junior Master |
5 |
| Club Master |
20
At least 5 are black |
| Sectional Master |
50
At least are 10 black
At least 5 are silver |
| Regional Master |
100
At least 15 are black
At least 15 are silver
At least 5 are red/gold/platinum |
| NABC Master |
200
At least 20 are black
At least 25 are silver
At least 20 are red/gold/platinum, of which 5 or more are gold/platinum |
| Advanced NABC Master |
300
At least 50 are black
At Least 50 are silver
At least 50 are red/gold/platinum, of which 25 or more are gold/platinum |
| Life Master |
500
At least 75 are black
At least 75 are silver
At least 100 are red/gold/platinum, of which 50 or more are gold/platinum
|
| Bronze Life Master |
A Life Master with 750 * |
| Silver Life Master |
A Life Master with 1000 *
At least 200 are silver/red/gold/platinum |
| Ruby Life Master |
A Life Master with 1500 *
At least 300 are silver/red/gold/platinum |
| Gold Life Master |
A Life Master with 2500 *
At least 500 are silver/red/gold/platinum |
| Sapphire Life Master |
A Life Master with 3500 *
At least 700 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 350 or more are gold/platinum |
| Diamond Life Master |
A Life Master with 5000 *
At least 1000 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 500 or more are gold/platinum |
| Emerald Life Master |
A Life Master with 7500 *
At least 1500 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 750 or more are gold/platinum |
| Platinum Life Master |
A Life Master with 10000 *
At least 2000 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 1000 or more are gold/platinum and at least 100 are platinum |
| Grand Life Master |
A Platinum Life Master with a victory in an eligible event ** |
* A Member who became a Life Master prior to January 1, 1990, will be exempt from the pigmented point requirements for this rank. Each player who has attained the rank of Life Master as of December 31, 2011, will not have to fulfill the pigmented point requirements for their next rank advancement. After attaining their first rank after January 1, 2012, all players will be required to fulfill the pigmented point requirements for subsequent rank advancement (this also applies to the new ranks added in 2015). For example, a current Silver Life Master on December 31, 2011, would retain the current requirements for Gold Life Master, would not have any pigmented requirements for Ruby Life Master, but would need to fulfill the new requirements for Sapphire and Diamond Life Master.
** This is the highest rank in the ACBL. It requires 10,000 masterpoints and one victory in a North American Bridge Championship (excluding the Super Senior Pairs, the Wagar Women’s KO won after 2013 and the Machlin Women’s Swiss Teams won after 2013) with no upper masterpoint restriction or an Open Team Trials (includes CNTC) or its equivalent or a Women’s Team Trials (includes CWTC) or its equivalent or any of the following WBF events: Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, Rosenblum Cup, McConnell Cup, Open Pairs, Women’s Pairs, Olympiad, Women’s Team Olympiad, WBF Senior Pairs event, WBF World Swiss Teams, WBF World Mixed Teams, and WBF Senior Teams.
† A Member who had red masterpoints or a fraction thereof prior to January 1, 1969, is required to possess at least 50 red or gold/platinum masterpoints in any combination to become a Life Master.
‡ Any new Member or player in an unpaid status for six months or more after January 1, 1999, will be required to earn 50 black points to become a Life Master.
MEMBERS WHO JOINED PRIOR TO JANUARY 1, 2010
| Title |
Masterpoints Required * |
| Rookie |
Fewer than 5 |
| Junior Master |
5 |
| Club Master |
20 |
| Sectional Master |
50
At least 5 are silver |
| Regional Master |
100
At least 15 are silver
At least 5 are red/gold/platinum |
| NABC Master |
200
At least 25 are silver
At least 20 are red/gold/platinum, of which 5 or more are gold/platinum |
| Life Master |
300
At least 50 black‡
At least 50 are silver
At least 50 are red/gold/platinum, of which 25 or more are gold/platinum† |
| Bronze Life Master |
A Life Master with 500 * |
| Silver Life Master |
A Life Master with 1000 *
At least 200 are silver/red/gold/platinum |
| Ruby Life Master |
A Life Master with 1500 *
At least 300 are silver/red/gold/platinum |
| Gold Life Master |
A Life Master with 2500 *
At least 500 are silver/red/gold/platinum |
| Sapphire Life Master |
A Life Master with 3500 *
At least 700 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 350 or more are gold/platinum |
| Diamond Life Master |
A Life Master with 5000 *
At least 1000 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 500 or more are gold/platinum |
| Emerald Life Master |
A Life Master with 7500 *
At least 1500 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 750 or more are gold/platinum |
| Platinum Life Master |
A Life Master with 10000 *
At least 2000 are silver/red/gold/platinum, of which 1000 or more are gold/platinum and at least 100 are platinum |
| Grand Life Master |
A Platinum Life Master with a victory in an eligible event ** |
* A Member who became a Life Master prior to January 1, 1990, will be exempt from the pigmented point requirements for this rank. Each player who has attained the rank of Life Master as of December 31, 2011, will not have to fulfill the pigmented point requirements for their next rank advancement. After attaining their first rank after January 1, 2012, all players will be required to fulfill the pigmented point requirements for subsequent rank advancement (this also applies to the new ranks added in 2015). For example, a current Silver Life Master on December 31, 2011, would retain the current requirements for Gold Life Master, would not have any pigmented requirements for Ruby Life Master, but would need to fulfill the new requirements for Sapphire and Diamond Life Master.
** This is the highest rank in the ACBL. It requires 10,000 masterpoints and one victory in a North American Bridge Championship (excluding the Super Senior Pairs, the Wagar Women’s KO won after 2013 and the Machlin Women’s Swiss Teams won after 2013) with no upper masterpoint restriction or an Open Team Trials (includes CNTC) or its equivalent or a Women’s Team Trials (includes CWTC) or its equivalent or any of the following WBF events: Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, Rosenblum Cup, McConnell Cup, Open Pairs, Women’s Pairs, Olympiad, Women’s Team Olympiad, WBF Senior Pairs event, WBF World Swiss Teams, WBF World Mixed Teams, and WBF Senior Teams.
† A Member who had red masterpoints or a fraction thereof prior to January 1, 1969, is required to possess at least 50 red or gold/platinum masterpoints in any combination to become a Life Master.
‡ Any new Member or player in an unpaid status for six months or more after January 1, 1999, will be required to earn 50 black points to become a Life Master.
