Bridge Victoria
30th August 2026
People
| Organiser: | Laurie Kelso |
| Phone: | 0412559171 |
| Email: | lskelso@ihug.com.au |
| Chief Tournament Director: | Laurie Kelso |
GENERAL INFORMATION
Round-Robin Teams Event. (This is Phase 1 - the first two teams will qualify for Phase 2).
Phase 1 – Melb-Metro Regional Final
Only those Teams who have qualified via a Metro Club GNOT Heat are eligible to enter.
Phase 2 – Online National Qualifying Final
Dates: Friday 18 September – Sunday 20 September 2026
Format: Online
Field: 64 teams
Duration: 2.5 days (0.5 days less than previously)
From Phase 2:
- 8 Open teams qualify for the F2F National Final
- 12 Non-Metro teams qualify for the F2F National Final
(Previously: 4 Open and 8 Non-Metro teams)
Phase 3 – Face-to-Face National Final
Dates: Friday 27 November – Sunday 29 November 2026
Venue: Queensland Contract Bridge Club (QCBC), Brisbane
Tournament Organisers: Kim and Ray Ellaway
Open Final (8 teams):
Quarter Final → Semi Final → Final and playoff for 3rd place
Non-Metro Final (12 teams):
Format: 12 x 14 board matches with a round-robin for the first 11 matches and then first plays second, third plays fourth through to eleventh plays 12th.
NEW EVENT: GNOT PLATE
A new open-entry gold point teams event will be run alongside the National Final.
Event: Grand National Open Teams Plate
Dates: Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 November
Venue: QCBC, Brisbane
Format: Teams, 8 x 14 board matches
Masterpoints: Gold (Grade A2 – same level as major gold congresses)
Entry Fee: $100 per player (2 days)
Additional feature:
Teams eliminated from the quarter finals of the National Final will be required to play in the Plate.
Losing semi-finalists will play off for third.
Quarter finalists playing in the Plate will do so at no additional charge.
The purpose of this event is to:
- Improve the atmosphere of the Finals weekend,
- Increase participation,
- Provide additional gold-point opportunities, and
- Help offset the cost of running the larger Phase 3 national finals.
FEES AND FINANCIAL SETTINGS
The following fee changes for 2026 will apply:
- National Final entry fee: increasing from $300 to $400 per team (Paid by Bridge Victoria)
This increase in the club qualifying fee is the first increase in many years. The national final entry fee will remain significantly below the historical F2F entry level of $750.
Location - Victorian Bridge Centre
Catering
Lunch will be supplied on the day.
PROGRAM
* For teams events Entry fee per player assumes a team of 4. Amounts will differ for teams of 5 or 6.
| Event Category |
Full entry fee per player | Day | Time | Total entries | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNOT Metropolitan QualifyingTeams Open | 60 credits* | Sunday | 30-08-2026 - 9:30am | 4 | Enter View Entries |