UKBGF League

The League and Knockout competitions are for UKBGF members only. Join the UKBGF and then register for the competitions to be included in the next quarter.

You need to maintain your membership whilst playing in these competitions. If your membership lapses you won't be able to enter results and won't be eligible to win prizes.

League

The quarters run as follows:

• 16th January to 25th March

• 1st April to 25th June

• 1st July to 25th September

• 1st October to 25th December

By joining the league you are committing yourself to play all your five opponents each quarter.

We know that there may be times that it is not possible. If you are going through one of those exceptional situations, please let the people in your division know and also inform the TDs. If you don't, you could be relegated two divisions or even removed from the league.

If you drop out of the league at any time you may re-join in the future at the bottom of the league.

Each division contains six players. You will need to play one 11 point match against every other player in your division.

Any platform and clock speed can be decided between the players. However, if agreement can't be reached, the default position is to play in the dedicated UKBGF Online League room on Studio Heroes. which is preset to 90 seconds per point and 10 seconds delay. This is non-negotiable if one player insists.

The scoring is 3 points for a win and 1 point for a loss. The top two players will be promoted and bottom two relegated. However, as the league has a pyramid structure, divisions at the top of a tier will only have one promotion spot.

In the event of a tie on points, promotion and demotion tie breaks will be by head to head score, then score difference (GPD), then by players online rating at the start of the quarter. If there is still a tie it will be decided by a toss of a coin.

The winner is responsible for entering the result on the UKBGF website. Note, if requested by the TDs, a match file must be produced - failure to do so may mean the match being voided.

Online results will count towards your UKBGF online rating. All league and knockout matches must be played online.

Players who have not played a single game by the 1st March will NOT be permitted to play any games that Quarter, and will automatically be placed bottom of their Division.

If there is a reason that you cannot complete your matches, please immediately inform the players in your division, and the TD's, as soon as you know. The TD's do not want to penalise you if you have difficult circumstances , and will be sympathetic in these trying times.

We are also going to take a harsh view on any players who play 2 matches or fewer, with a reserved position to automatically demote them a further two divisions , save in the event of mitigating circumstances of course.

Finally those only having played 3 or 4 matches, "dead-rubbers" aside, will equally be faced with a "first warning" and , thereafter, in the event of further failures to complete matches in subsequent Quarters, may be met with automatic relegations.

If you have tried to arrange your match but are getting no response from your opponent, please contact the TDs no later than 2 weeks before the end of the quarter.

There are no walkovers or defaults in the League. We don't award points to anyone when the match isn't played.

Knockout

The knockout competition is free to all UKBGF members. For 2022 the first prize is a P-40 backgammon board and second prize is an Erhan 869 board.

Each round must be completed by the published deadline. If any match is not played, both players will be eliminated unless one player can prove that they have made reasonable efforts to arrange their match. In this instance it is accepted by all who enter that the TDs have total discretion in awarding the match if proven.

Note there will be instances when players forget their arranged matches. In the spirit of the League we expect both players to act reasonably and the player waiting to have made every effort to contact their opponent.

General

The tournament directors are Andrew Selby, David Potter and Tony Lezard.

By joining the League and or Knockout you agree that your contact details are shared with other players for the purpose of arranging matches.

When agreement can't be reached over playing platform and speed, the match will be played on Backgammon Heroes in the External Tournaments | UKBGF League & Cup room where the match is preset with 90 second per point and 10 seconds delay.

The tournament directors reserve the right to remove players from the league and knockout at their absolute discretion.

The tournament directors reserve the right to make changes to the format and rules if deemed necessary in the future.

Some selected matches from both League and Knockout will be streamed with commentary. We will let you know if you have been selected, and ask you for your cooperation with the scheduling.

Finally, these events are run by the members, for the members, and it is your responsibility to make it a pleasant experience for your opponent. We will not tolerate rudeness. If in doubt, please read the UKBGF Code of Conduct.