Backgammon Clubs

Forming and Operating a Backgammon Club  By Bill Davis (1996). These tips are from Bill Davis of the Chicago Point newsletter and Chicago Bar Point Club. They are primarily based on experience of United States clubs, but most of the advice should apply anywhere. Tips on Visiting Backgammon Clubs By Albert Steg (1995). Some pointers on playing in a strange town, ranging from points of etiquette to practical money matters. USA Backgammon Clubs By Bill Davis. A well maintained list of backgammon clubs in the United States with contact information and meeting times. Starting a Backgammon Club By Michael Crane (2000). It's not easy starting a new backgammon club. You need patience, at least two backgammon players, and a lot of help. Here's everything you need to know to get your club up and running successfully.

Luck vs Skill

A Backgammon Gamble Pays Off By Games Magazine (1982). An article originally published in the September 1982 issue of Games Magazine. Is backgammon a game of skill or chance? A U.S. court answered that question in a decision that may affect backgammon players and promoters throughout the country. Luck vs. Skill in Backgammon By Phil Simborg (2006). Backgammon is a game of skill, and the more skill you have, the more likely you are to win. But backgammon is also a game of luck. In the short run, just about anyone can beat anyone. A Measure of Luck By Douglas Zare (2000). Can we measure luck in backgammon? What criteria should a measure of luck satisfy? Zare defines how to measure luck in backgammon and gives some interesting properties of luck. Quantifying Backgammon Skill By Chuck Bower (2001). This article looks at various ways of assessing your skill in backgammon. Possible measures are: head-to-heading money play, tournament performance, online ratings, and software analysis. Hedging Toward Skill By Douglas Zare (2000). Zare shows how to use variance reduction to remove most of the luck from the game. This provides a way for a backgammon player (or program) to analyze games between stronger players. Zare also introduces "hedged backgammon," where you makes side-bets canceling most of the luck of the game. Backgammon, Gambling on Luck or Gambling on Skill By Hank Youngerman (2001). This article compares the luck and skill in backgammon to pure skill games, other board and card games of skill and luck, and to casino gambling games which are normally played for money. About Luck and Skill in Backgammon and Poker By Frank Frigo (2006). Answers to two common questions: (1) How much of backgammon is luck? (2) What takes more skill, backgammon or poker? Luck vs. Skill Postings By Tom Keith. Articles about the role of luck and skill in backgammon. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

Etiquette

Sportsmanlike Conduct  By Phil Simborg (1995). Here are things that I would like to suggest should be the do's and don'ts of backgammon play. Most of these apply to both live matches and electronic (internet) play. Chouette play has an even more complex set of standards. Why I Never Complain About the Dice By Phil Simborg (1999). I never complain about a roll, or bad luck. Ever. And I am sure my opponents appreciate it, and I am sure I play better and am happier as a result. Backgammon Etiquette By Tom Keith. Articles on good conduct in backgammon to make playing fun for everyone. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive. Cheating in Backgammon By Tom Keith. Ways people sometimes cheat in backgammon. How to avoid being cheated. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

Chouettes

How to Run a Chouette By Tom Keith (2004). Chouettes offer many advantages over one-on-one play in a club situation. They are fun, sociable, and exciting. And it is easy for players to join a game or take a brief break when they want to. Here are the basic rules and common variations for running a chouette. ABA Chouette Rules By Gregg Cattanach (2003). A great set of rules for chouettes used by the Atlanta Backgammon Association. Covers: Basics and terms, Stakes, Consultation, Scoring and settlements, Doubling, Rotation, Proxies, Legal Plays, Pip count, Scorekeeping, and Modifications to the rules. Backgammon ACT Chouette Rules By Greg Ash (1997). The local rules used by Backgammon ACT for playing chouette in the Club. Chouette Rules By Peter Max Friis Jensen (2001). Chouette rules translated from rules provided by the Danish Backgammon Publishers. Also: Common variations, tips, order updating examples, and a chouette score sheet. Settlements for Chouette and Money Players By Phil Simborg (2006). With the help of my good buddies, Jake Jacobs and Danny Kleinman, I have created a Settlement Chart to be used as a reference point for the more common situations where settlements occur. Online Chouettes By Hank Youngerman (1999). An introduction to online chouettes and how they can work. Most backgammon play sites have no special software to play chouettes. So you need someone to run the chouette who will keep score and keep track of the position of all cubes. Chouette Posts By Tom Keith. Several articles on rules and strategy in chouettes. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

Ratings

Introduction to Ratings  By Tom Keith (2006). An explanation of how ratings work in backgammon. What factors affect your rating. All about the rating formula. How to figure your chances of winning a match against another player. Ratings: A Mathematical Study By Douglas Zare and Adam Stocks (2001). Zare and Stocks investigate some of the properties of the ratings system used on FIBS and other backgammon servers. What is the half-life of a ratings change? How much can you expect your rating to vary over time? The FIBS Rating System By Kevin Bastian (1998). How do ratings on FIBS work? This article explains the rating formula and shows how the length of the match, each player's experience, and the difference in the players' ratings affect your rating when you win or lose a match. A similar ratings system is used on many other backgammon play sites. Rankings and Ratings By Chuck Bower (1999). "Who's the best backgammon player in the world? How does my game compare with the best players, other players on my internet server, players in my local club?" Answering these inquiries for backgammon is even more difficult than for other intellectual games like chess and contract bridge. Ratings Posts By Tom Keith. Several good articles about the ratings system used in backgammon. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

Tournament Rules

U.S. Backgammon Tournament Rules and Procedures (2009) By ABT (2008). Rules of conduct for backgammon tournaments in the United States. Previous editions of the rules: 2008 Rules * 1990 Rules. Changes in rules: From 2008 to 2009 * From 1990 to 2008. U.S. Backgammon Clock Rules and Procedures (2007) By ABT (2007). In some tournaments, games are played with chess clocks to help keep the tournament on schedule. Here are the rules that apply when clocks are used. U.S. Backgammon Tournament Rules & Procedures (2001) By Butch Meese (2001). In 2001, there was an effort put forth to update the 1990 edition of the U.S. tournament rules. Some clubs tried the 2001 rules, but now most tournaments and clubs use the 2008 edition of the rules given here. BIBA Backgammon Rules and Procedures By Michael Crane (2006). Tournament rules of the British Isles Backgammon Association including scoring and clock rules. These are based mainly upon the US Rules and Procedures with four differences described here. Crane Rules By Michael Crane (2000). Michael Crane answers questions on the rules of backgammon and tournament play. Crane is an experienced tournament director. His answers are based on the rules of the British Isles Backgammon Association (BIBA). WBF Tournament Unified Rules and Procedures By Worldwide Backgammon Federation. Worldwide Backgammon Federation Tournament Unified Rules and Procedures. WBA Tournament Rules By World Backgammon Association. Tournament rules of the World Backgammon Association. Backgammon ACT Tournament Rules By Greg Ash (1997). Tournament rules of the Backgammon ACT Club. Gammon Associates Digital Clock Rules By Patrick Gibson (2004). Clock rules used in Gammon Associates tournaments. Backgammon by the Bay Tournament Rules By Beth Skillman and Richard McIntosh (1998). Tournament rules used at the Backgammon by the Bay Club. These rules are designed to create a fair, sportsmanlike, and enjoyable tournament. Backgammon Rulings By Tom Keith. A collection of unusual situations that tournament directors have had to rule on. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

Tournaments

Mark Your Calendar Alive  By Carol Joy Cole. Calendar of tournaments held in the United States and around the world. Includes face-to-face tournaments as well as some online tournaments. Chicago Bar Point Club Tournament Procedure  By Bill Davis (1996). Procedures for running a club tournament. A sample score sheet shows how the draw works, with a side pool, and how the prizes are awarded. 31 Things You Need to Know for your First ABT Tournament By Stick Rice (2008). Advice from various players about attending your first ABT event. Running a Club Evening Tournament By Rodney Lighton (2003). The tournament format used by the Liverpool Backgammon Club. The goal is to: produce a winner and runner-up for prize/trophy purposes, provide a reasonable guaranteed amount of backgammon for everyone, and fit into the time available. A Virtual Tour of a Backgammon Tournament By Beth Skillman (1998). A nice web page describing what a backgammon tournament is like. There are quick tips, explanations, and examples of the lingo, mores and etiquette to help you feel at home when you attend your first tournament. Panic City By Stephen Clark (2000). How to handle the pressure of a major tournament match. The Simborg Doubles Conflict Resolution Solution By Phil Simborg (2007). In doubles backgammon, there are two players on a team and they consult on every play and cube decision. What if the teammates can't agree on the play to make? Here is Phil Simborg's solution. Clocks in Backgammon By Kit Woolsey (2008). An overview of how chess clocks are used in backgammon tournaments. The Chess Clock By Kit Woolsey (1996). An article Kit wrote for Inside Backgammon after the World Cup in 1996 that represents his personal views about clocks in backgammon. "The clock is here to stay. Without it, slow play becomes a major problem at backgammon tournaments." Clocks in Backgammon By Kit Woolsey (2000). Backgammon is not like chess, where the actual time required for moves is fairly constant and the clock regulates thinking time. Getting used to the clocks just takes a bit of practice. Even the players generally regarded a being slow prefer to have clocks so they can demonstrate that their speed is being unfairly criticized. A study of digital clock usage in 7-point matches By Chuck Bower (2008). The results of a study of 179 seven point backgammon matches shows that 90 minutes is sufficient time to complete 98% of matches with Bronstein clock settings of 12 sec per move plus 15 minutes of reserve time for each player. A simulation making use of the experimental results predicts that a full 16-player elimination tournament will last between 4 and 6 hours. Tournament Posts By Tom Keith. Articles on different types of tournaments and rulings that come up in tournaments. From the Backgammon Galore Forum Archive.

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Last updated: 11 Nov 2008