Backgammon Tournaments: Rules and Concepts
Since the first international backgammon tournament was held in 1964, the number of tourneys, the participating players and the cash prizes have grown tremendously. If you have notions of joining one, you should become familiar with their rules.
Of course every Backgammon tournament have their own unique regulations, but some generalities can be made.
A lot of the international Backgammon tourneys usually hold "local" competitions to determine who will qualify for the championships. At the major tournaments they usually have the same format: players are drawn and paired. They compete in the elimination rounds, then proceeding to the semis (and some have playoffs) and then the finals.
Some Backgammon tournaments, not all, have relegation rounds, or "bonus" rounds that will allow ousted players another chance to advance.
The outcome of Backgammon tournament matches are determined by points. It is not, as some believe, a race to seven games (i.e., the first player to win 4 games will win the match). Rather, it is a race to a predetermined number of points. What this means is that a Backgammon match can end in a single game.
As an example, in a race to 7 points, a player wins a gammon game with the doubling cube on 8. He earns 16 points, more than enough to end the match. However, it should be emphasized that these extra points do not "carry over" to the next Backgammon match.
The points being contested vary from each tournament, but they range from 9 points to 13 in the early rounds, and 23 to 25 in the finals. Anther thing to remember is that the Jacoby rule is never availed of, and that beavers and raccoons are not allowed; settlements are not allowed either. The Crawford rule is always in effect.
A rule that is becoming more prominent in Backgammon tournaments is that of time restrictions. By imposing a limit on the time allotted for a player to make a move (i.e., 12-15 seconds), game play is speeded up. This also means that the players will have to think on their feet, and learn to improvise if the situation should call for it. If the player runs out of time, then he will lose by default.
Needless to say, you will have to practice constantly. Always check the rule of the tournament that you want to participate in. If there are time limits, try playing that way.
When you get accustomed to this style, then you will be able and ready to compete with the very best in the world of Backgammon.