Hotel Reservation link is now Available

The 2021 Open USBC will select the 2 USBF teams for the 2021 Bermuda Bowl, to be held in Salsomaggiore, Italy from March 27 through April 9, 2022.

Location & Dates

Entries have now closed, and there are 21 teams in the 2021 Open USBC. We will not accept any additional entries, but will refund the entry fee for one team that withdraws, since reducing from 21 teams to 20 would improve the format.

The stages before the Quarterfinal of the 2021 Open USBC will be held on RealBridge. Online play will be September 13th-15th and September 17th-19th.

The face to face stages of the 2021 Open USBC will be held at the Schaumburg, IL Hyatt Regency, from October 5-12. The room rate for the USBC is $124 + tax per night, including internet; there is no early departure fee. You can make a reservation for any or all of the 2021 USBCs at our online reservation page, or by calling Hyatt at 877-803-7534 and asking for the UBFF code. You may be able to find a lower special or AAA or Senior rate on the Hyatt website. If you have any problems with hotel reservations, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and she will try to straighten things out. The hotel has extended the cut off date for reservations to Friday, Oct. 8th. After Oct. 8th, our link will no longer work; you will have to make resrvations on the hotel's regular reservation page. Reservations will be accepted at our rate as long as the hotel has available rooms, but you will have to call the hotel and ask for the UBFF rate. It will be easier for everyone if you reserve using our online reservation page before Oct. 8th.

Eligibility for subsequent events

A player may enter the Open USBC and any other USBC for which s/he is eligible, and may play in the online stage(s) of more than one event. A player whose team qualifies for the Bermuda Bowl is not eligible to play in the face-to-face stages of any other USBC.

Entry Information

Entries are now closed

Entry Fees

There will be an event entry fee of $500 for each team, and session fees for the face-to-face stages of $400 per day. All of the teams have paid the $500 event fee, which is now non-refundable except if one team wishes to withdraw. Any team that is eliminated after playing only 2 or 3 days online will receive a credit of $200 for a future 2022 JLall event; any team that is eliminated after playing only 4 days online will receive a credit of $100 for a future 2022 JLall event.

Format

The online format with 21 teams will be 2 complete Round Robins.

Round Robin 1 will have 21 scheduled matches of 7 boards each to qualify 12  teams for Round Robin 2. Each team will have one sit out during Round Robin 1. 

Round Robin 2 will have 11 matches, each played as 2 7 board halves, to qualify 8 teams for the face to face USA1 Quarterfinal. The IMP scores in each half of each match will be converted to Victory Points and the VPs added together to obtain the team's score for Round Robin 2. The matches will be played in the same order for the first half and the second  half, so one half of each match is played in the first half of the day and one half of each match is played in the second half of the day.

Carryover: There will be no carryover from Round Robin 1 to Round Robin 2, except that if 2 teams are tied for eighth place, the result of the Round Robin 1 match between the 2 teams will be used to break the tie. If the teams are still tied, the team that earned more Victory Points in Round Robin 1 will qualify.

Roster Change between Round Robin and KO: Teams that qualify for the KO stages may change their rosters so long as at least 4 players who met the Round Robin play requirements are still on the team, any additional players have been added to improve the team's performance at the table, and no added player competed on a different team in the online stages of the event.

The face-to-face USA1 stages will be 2-day, 120-board KO matches.

The face-to-face USA2 stages will be: a 2-day, 120-board KO R16 in which the 4 losing USA1 Quarterfinalists will play, followed by a 1-day, 60-board KO Quarterfinal, in which the 2 USA1 Quarterfinal losers will play the 2 USA2 Round of 16 winners; a 1-day 60-board KO Semifinal in which the USA2 Quarterfinal winners will play, and a 2-day 120-board Final between the USA1 Final loser and the USA2 Semifinal winner.

Play Requirements: Each player must play 10 matches in Round Robin 1 and at least one segment against each other team in Round Robin 2 in order to qualify for the KO stages (a player who does not meet the play requirements can be added back to the team as long as the requirements for roster changes are met. Each player must play 50% of the boards in every KO match in order to be eligible to continue on the team. See General Conditions of Contest Section XII for how to count boards and potential waiver of this requirement.

Closed Notes: Players may not consult their notes at any time during play, unless they are dummy.

Withdrawal: A player or team may withdraw at any time.

Setting the KO Bracket

The KO bracket will be based on ACBL seeding points, excluding points awarded for online play, plus added seeding points for performance in each stage of the Round Robin.

Byes

There will be no byes.

system forms

Each pair is required to submit a System Summary Form 2 weeks before play starts. To create or edit a SSF, first log in to this site, then click on "Create or Edit SSF" under the User Menu, which appears in the left hand column when you log in. You can either create a new form or copy an old one. If you have any problems, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they will try to help.

Each pair is also required to submit an ACBL convention card 2 weeks before play starts. We haven't yet been able to set up a way for you to upload your ACBL convention card or link to a BridgeWinners card online, so please either share your BridgeWinners card with us or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. the "print" URL from your BridgeWinners card or a PDF or JPG version of your convention card to us, and we will link it to your SSF. If you sent us a convention card or link for a prior event and it's the same for this year, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know to copy that card or link to this year. Thanks.

If you are playing a method that is allowed under paragraph 3 or paragraph 7 of Opening Bids on the new Open+ Convention Chart, and there is not now an ACBL approved defense for the method, you must submit a full description of the method and a recommended defense at least 4 weeks before the start of the USBC. Our software no longer allows you to create an Advance Submisstion Form online, but you can download the form as a Word document and use it as an outline of the information you should submit. Complete it, send it by email to us and we will convince the website to see it as an ASF and link it to your SSF. We will also send it to the USBF Conventions Committee for review. If the committee has not rejected it within 1 week of submission, it is accepted and you may play the method and must bring the recommended defense to the table with you.

Relevant Dates

July 24: Last day to enter for guaranteed entry.

August 16: Final day to submit Recommended Defenses for any paragraph 3 or 7 methods.

Sept. 21: Last day to make hotel reservations and be assured of receiving our hotel rate. The hotel may honor the rate for later reservations, but is not required to do so.

August 30: Final day to submit System Summary Form and ACBL Convention card. Penalty for late submission is loss of seating rights in one segment of a KO match (starting with the first match the team plays) per day that either the SSF or Convention Card is late. SSFs will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the ITTC and rejected if not adequate..

Results

When the event has started, you will be able to click here to get to the results page for the USBC. Once there, you can click on the stage of the event in which you are interested.

If WBF Cancels

If the WBF cancels the 2021 Bermuda Bowl (BB) before the online stages of the Open USBC start, the Open USBC will be canceled and entry fees will be refunded. If the WBF cancels the 2021 BB after the online stage has been played but at least a week before the Quarterfinal is scheduled to start, the USA1 stages will be played online, there will be no USA2 stages, and there will be no reward for doing well. If the WBF cancels the BB within one week of the Quarterfinal or after the event has been played, the face-to-face stages will be played, the USA1 & USA2 winners will  each receive a bye for the 2022 Open USBC such that they start play one stage later than  they would otherwise, except that there will be no byes to the Finals.

Available Documents

Calendar of Face to Face Dates

Special Conditions of Contest for the 2021 USBC in PDF format. Your comments are welcome, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Conditions of Play for the 2021 USBC in PDF format will be posted after entries have closed.

2020 General Conditions of Contest in PDF format.

ACBL Convention Charts in PDF Format; the Open+ Chart will apply for USBF events.