Q: What are Bracketed Pairs ?
A: Bracketed Pairs is a format where you compete against pairs with a similar masterpoint level. Before play begins, all registered pairs are grouped by their masterpoint average and divided into brackets. This online regional will use brackets of 12 tables.

Q: Will my score be compared with everyone or only the players in my bracket?
A: During the event, BBO will display provisional scores across the entire field. After the event, ACBL will rescore the results so that each bracket is ranked independently. Each bracket will be re-scored as its own separate tournament. Your final placing and masterpoint awards are based only on your bracket.

Q: Is Bracketed Pairs a stratified event?
A: No. Bracketed Pairs is not stratified. Instead, players are grouped into small brackets, based on their masterpoint average, so you'll be playing only against pairs with a similar level of experience.

Q: How many sessions are there for the Online Regional?
A: There are two sessions:

• Session 1: 1 PM US Eastern Time
• Session 2: 4:30 PM US Eastern Time

Each session consists of 20 boards (10 rounds of 2 boards), with 7 minutes per board. Each session lasts approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Q: Where can I find the final results and masterpoints?
A: Once ACBL has processed the results, they'll be available on live.acbl.org. You'll also receive the usual results email from ACBL.

Q: Can I choose to play in a higher bracket?
A: No. Brackets are assigned automatically based on the pair's average masterpoint total. Players cannot choose to play in a higher or lower bracket.

Q: When can I register, and where do I find the event?
A: Registration opens 24 hours before the event. During that time, simply search for "Bracketed" or "Regional" in "ACBL World" on BBO.

Q: I only see one tournament. Where are the brackets?
A: Everyone registers for the same tournament. Once registration closes, BBO organizes all pairs into brackets based on their masterpoint averages. For the second session, each bracket has its own tournament, and players are automatically registered into the correct one. There is no need to register again for the second session.

Q: Will I be playing against much stronger or weaker pairs?
A: No. The goal of Bracketed Pairs is to group players with similar masterpoint levels. Each bracket contains 24 pairs (12 tables) whose averages are as close as possible.

Q: What happens if the number of pairs doesn't divide evenly into brackets ?
A: Most brackets will have 12 tables. If there are extra tables left over, they are combined with the lowest bracket to create one slightly larger bracket. Even then, players in that bracket are expected to have similar masterpoint levels.

Q: How are masterpoints awarded?
A: This is a Regionally Rated Online event. The exact number of masterpoints depends on the size of your bracket and your final placing, so awards can't be determined in advance. However, it offers one of the highest regional masterpoint awards available in ACBL online play.

Q: Can I play only one session?
A: No. The Online Regional is a two-session event, and players are expected to participate in both sessions when they register.

Good luck! If you have any questions, please contact us at acbl@bridgebase.com.


Learn more about the ACBL Online Regionals on BBO here.