August 2021 - 9

A MESSAGE
FROM THE
PRESIDENT
I believe that face-to-face and online bridge are both important parts of ACBL bridge
play. They are very different but complement each other. I have long used the phrase
AMERICAN CONTRACT
BRIDGE LEAGUE
PRESIDENT
Georgia Heth
CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Suzi Subeck
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Joe Jones
CHAIR, BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Doug Couchman
Board of Directors
District 1 * Leo Weniger
District 2 * Flo Belford
District 3 * Carlos Muñoz
District 4 * Joann Glasson
District 5 * Brian Ellis
District 6 * Margot Hennings
District 7 * Mike Kovacich
District 8 * Georgia Heth
District 9 * Jeff Overby
District 10 * Larry Sealy
District 11 * A.J. Stephani
District 12 * Dennis Carman
District 13 * Suzi Subeck
District 14 * Deana Liddy
District 15 * Warren Smith
District 16 * Paul Cuneo
District 17 * Cindy Shoemaker
District 18 * David Johnson
District 19 * Tim White
District 20 * Laurie Rowe
District 21 * Stu Goodgold
District 22 * David Lodge
District 23 * John Jones
District 24 * David Moss
District 25 * Carole Weinstein
To contact a district director,
visit acbl.org/boardofdirectors.
" bridge friends " - people I like very much who I see at bridge events but rarely, if ever,
see otherwise. Playing online does not provide anything similar. The social aspect of
bridge, whether with the people you see at your club on a regular basis or people you see
only a few times each year at tournaments, just cannot be
duplicated online. Cheating is also much more difficult in
face-to-face bridge, providing a cleaner game.
Online bridge is much more convenient than face-to-face
bridge. You don't have to get cleaned up and travel to the
game. You can play anytime, not just when a game is scheduled
at your local club. You can play with partners from anywhere,
not just those geographically close enough to make it
to the club. Online bridge provides a place to play for those
who can no longer leave their homes, and for those who can't
risk bringing home any illness to a loved one they care for.
I believe the long-term success of the ACBL depends on
getting right the integration of these platforms, and that
this is the most important issue facing management and
the Board of Directors this year. I also believe that no matter
how hard we try, not every decision will turn out to be the
right one. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. What is
important is what you do when you realize that you have made one. Do you deny it and
keep going in the same direction? Or do you admit it was a mistake and fix it?
GEORGIA HETH
Know the types of masterpoints
I have heard much confusion about the different types of masterpoints since the
pandemic. Before the pandemic, except for the three NABC Robot Individual championships,
only unpigmented points were available online. BBO and the other two
sanctioned providers held games which paid ACBL masterpoints, but they awarded
unpigmented points.
Now pigmented points are available online in several other ways: virtual club games,
the Support Your Club games and the tournaments run by the ACBL. In addition to
the previously mentioned NABC Robot Individuals, the ACBL tournaments include
the NAOBCs and the regionally rated events, such as Endless Summer and Virtual
Vacation. When one of these events is running, the games show up on the BBO lists
highlighted in blue, listed as ACBLTour.
You might ask what difference does pigmentation make. While all points count in
determining which flight or stratum you play in, all rank achievements, from Sectional
Master on up, require various amounts of pigmented points. Also, most masterpoint
races count only pigmented points. Unpigmented points only count in the annual online
masterpoint race and in the lifetime accumulation masterpoint winners list.
Generally, black points are won in clubs, silver points are won in sectionals and STaCs,
red and gold points are won in regionally or higher-rated games; and platinum points
can only be won in most NABC championships. There are various special events that
award pigmented points differently, e.g., the North American Pairs and the Grand
National Teams, but these are exceptions.
The " tournaments " run by the online providers such as BBO do award ACBL masterpoints,
but only unpigmented ones. I play in the unpigmented-point games when I have
half an hour free and an urge to play bridge, and I play in the pigmented games when I
have time to set up a game in advance with a partner. They both provide a place to play
bridge - just know the difference between the two types of games.
I start traveling to tournaments later this month. I look forward to seeing many of
you there.
August 2021 | Bridge Bulletin |
9

http://www.acbl.org/boardofdirectors

August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2021