The following is provided by way of preliminary advice to players interested in the 2022 Playoffs and is subject to change.

All decisions noted below are for the Playoffs to select 2022 Australian Teams only and should in no way be considered an indicator of how subsequent Playoffs will be conducted. Players wishing to provide input on the playoffs for 2023 Australian Teams and beyond are requested to review the discussion paper and comment by 31 March 2021.  

PQPs

Entry to all playoffs for the for 2022 Australian Teams will be based on PQPs.

Open, Women’s and Seniors’ PQPs: The 2020/2021 PQP awards for the 2022 Playoffs begins with the 2019 Spring Nationals and ends with the 2021 Hans Rosendorff Women’s Swiss Pairs. PQPs will be calculated by adding PQPs earned from the 2019 Spring Nationals until the 2020 Gold Coast Congress (inclusive) to any PQPs earned in advertised PQP events held during this year up to and including the 2021 Hans Rosendorff Women’s Swiss Pairs. All relevant tables, awards and rules can be found on the ABF’s PQP page.

Mixed PQPs: Note that all entrants in the Mixed Playoff will need to have earned at least 1 Mixed PQP. Entry to the Playoff for the 2022 Australian Mixed Team will be based on Mixed PQPs awarded at the following 2021 events:

• Autumn National Swiss Pairs – Mixed
• VCC Swiss Pairs – Mixed (subject to the VBA choosing to hold a suitable event at the VCC in Melbourne)
• ANC Mixed Butler Pairs
• Canberra in Bloom Mixed Teams
• Spring National Mixed Teams

Awards tables for these events will be published shortly. Transfers between Mixed and other categories will not be permitted. Partnership rules will apply.

PLAYOFFS

The format and timing of the Playoffs will be confirmed once the ABF MC has a better understanding of what international travel will be permitted by the Australian Government and the location and type of WBF event(s) in 2022. Notwithstanding this, and in the interest of providing maximum information to interested players, the timing for all playoffs is likely to be Q1 2022. Likely formats are summarised as follows.

The Open Playoff is likely to comprise an 8-team playoff (maximum entry), with entry based on PQPs, and a format similar to the Open Playoff conducted in November 2019 (i.e. a knock-out event conducted over 6 days).

The Women’s, Seniors’ and Mixed Playoffs will be held concurrently after the Open Playoff. i.e. participants who are eligible for more than 1 category will have to choose which Playoff (Women’s, Seniors’ or Mixed) they wish to play.

The Women’s, Seniors’ and Mixed Playoff events are likely to be 4-team playoffs, conducted over 4 days, with entry based on PQPs, with the proviso that if the current team in each category is unable to attend the 2021 World Bridge Team Championships they be offered automatic entry and seeded 1 (provided the whole team, i.e. all 3 pairs, participates).

Mixed PQPs

The TC recommends the following mixed PQP table be applied to the designated Mixed PQP events.

Mixed PQPs 2021 events

Note: 1 PQP would be required to enter the Playoff.
There would be no transfer of Mixed PQP’s to other categories and vice-a-versa.