Ensuring That You Have The Upper Hand In Backgammon Tournaments

By: Sky Joe
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:09:36
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Backgammon tournaments are very common and you may well like to play in some of them. To survive and do well, you will need to modify some of your normal methods of play.

There are many different types of tournaments, but if the number of entrants is more than a handful the only practical type of tournament is a knockout, or elimination tournament. Most of the tournaments you enter will be of this type, so it is the adjustments required for this form that we examine here.

First of all, remember to ask the organizer about the rules of the contest. These can vary greatly, but look for the following:

1. Doubling. Is it permitted? Contests for inexperienced players often exclude doubles. Make sure that all automatic doubles are ruled out and whether there is a limit on the number of doubles and re-doubles permitted.

2. Are gammons and backgammons included?

3. Does the Crawford rule apply?

4. Does the Jacoby rule apply?

There may be other rules that could alter your method of playing but the above are the most likely ones. In most contests, the winner is the person who first attains a specific number of points, ie 5, 7, 9 or 11. So make sure you know exactly the number of points required to win each round. The number of points usually increases the closer you get to the final.

In any knockout contest, you can only lose once. There is no second chance. This and the fact that you are playing to win a contest, not money, alter your altitude and style of play. There may be prize money for the winners, but each match you play is played to win the match, not to make money off your opponent. Therefore, there is no material difference between winning 11-0 and 11-10. No money exchanges hands, so there is on need to take risks to win by a large margin.

A win by a gammon is partly due to luck rather than to skill. For this reason, backgammons are not very often allowed in tournaments. To a lesser extent, the same can be said about gammons. This can given rise to the Jacoby rule that states no gammon can be claimed unless a double has first been offered and accepted during the game. In other words, a player must have had the opportunity of resigning by refusing the double, and only if he does not resign may the gammon count. This rule forces players to be even more cautious with the doubling cube as the loss of a doubled gammon is a painful experience.

The rules governing gammon and backgammon clearly have a major effect on the way you play. Of none are allowed, or if the Jacoby rule applies you can risk playing a back game, or waiting in your opponent's home board for a shot at him. If he doubles you, resignation and the loss of 1 point is not too costly, but as long as he does not double you, you can remain waiting for the lucky shot that might save you. If, however, gammons and backgammons do apply, or if there is no Jacoby rule, never risk a situation where you will be gammoned or backgammoned. In an elimination match, you cannot afford to lose 2 or 3 points in one game. You never play a back game, preferring instead to run and lose a point.

For more information on the playing backgammon online, learning backgammon rules or getting backgammon chips, please visit the following website: Backgammon Guide

Article source: Expert Articles