How to Start Playing Backgammon Competitively

If you have been playing backgammon for a while now, and you want to get even more out of the game, there are a few major ways you might decide to do that. One of the best is simply to start playing backgammon a little more competitively, including getting involved in competitions and contests, in your local area as well as online. As you are about to see, this can be a fun and enjoyable way to improve your game as well as getting a lot more out of it.

But where do you begin if you want to start playing backgammon on a competitive level? In this blog post, we will introduce you to all the things you need to be aware of and consider if you would like to start playing backgammon in this way - to help ensure that you do so in the right way, and in a way that keeps it fun.

Are You Ready?

First of all, you might want to make sure that you are genuinely ready for playing backgammon competitively. This might sound obvious, but if you are not quite ready for it, or you're not sure whether or not you are, then you might want to think about this before you actually try to play competitively. There is no reason to start doing this before you feel that you are genuinely ready to play in contests and other such situations.

So how do you know whether or not you are ready? Probably you will need to be at least fairly confident in your abilities, and to feel that you are generally a pretty good player. On top of that, it helps if you of course enjoy playing backgammon, as there is little reason to do this if you don't enjoy it on a basic level.

So if those are true, you are probably already in a good place to start thinking about playing competitively. You might also have been thinking about it a while and decided that it's time to do this. Or you might have played other players who have themselves played in contests, and who have told you that you would be good enough to try your hand at it too.

On the other hand, you might just be keen to throw caution to the wind and start playing in competitions, just for fun and to see what happens. Actually that is one of the best reasons to do it in the end.

Developing The Right Mindset

It's good to go into competitive playing with the right mindset, as it could make a world of difference to what you get out of the experience, how much you enjoy it and so on. As long as you are approaching it in the right way mentally, that is probably going to make a huge improvement to how you experience it on the whole. So what is the right mindset, and how can you make sure you have it when you start to play competitively?

Generally, it's best if you are calm and collected, and you enjoy playing for its own sake. Even though you are going to be competing, if you don't enjoy it for what it is, there is little reason to do it at all. Try to keep a sense of perspective, or what is important here, as you play the game. You will also find it is best if you are able to have a good attitude towards both winning and losing. Everyone wins some games and loses others, and that's just how it goes - if you are able to take both in your stride, you will do much better in competition.

If you think you might have the right attitude for playing backgammon competitively, then you can start to think about what you need to do to actually get involved in it.

Ratings

Before you get into a competition, it's good to know whether or not it's rated. This will be through a rating body such as the UKBGF. You don't have to play only rated competitions, of course - the point is to make sure that you are playing whatever you want. But if you want to be rated, then you'll need to look for one of these competitions specifically. And if you want to simply play a friendly competition, you might want to go for an unrated option instead.

Your rating will naturally start out quite low. But if you want to improve it, you can do so over time by playing and winning. It can take time, however, so be prepared for that, and make sure that you are patient. However, if you are, there is no reason you can't improve your rating soon enough. It's something that can make the game even more rewarding.

Finding A Tournament

You might be wondering how you actually go about finding a tournament in the first place. There are a few ways to approach this. You might have heard of one through word of mouth, which is often the best way as you know that your friends vouch for it and it has a reputation. Or you might simply search online for some tournaments near you. In either case, it's relatively easy these days to find one.

Again, you will want to consider whether it's rated or not, but also how big it is, how many players generally get involved. That is something that you will find really important to consider, and you will want to make sure you are choosing your tournaments carefully, especially the first few that you do, and particularly the very first of course.

Once you have found a tournament, it's time to bite the bullet - sign up and see what happens. This is an exciting time for most players, and one that you are probably going to remember well later on if you advance in the world of backgammon even more.

On Arrival

When you arrive at a tournament, it can be helpful to know what you are supposed to do. Usually the first step will be to find the tournament director, or TD. This will either be an individual person, or at larger events, a group of people. In any case, they will be able to answer your questions about the day, and you should not be afraid to ask whatever you need to know. That's what they are there for, so don't be shy.

It is also at this time that you will probably be asked to pay the tournament fee. This fee varies from tournament to tournament, but it's usually fairly minimal, and will ensure that you are going to be included in the tournament. After that, it's just a case of settling in and getting yourself ready to play. You might have a little waiting around before your first game, but hopefully you shouldn't be waiting too long.

Tournament Formats

Bear in mind that there are a few different major kinds of tournament formats, and they can differ considerably. Because of this, it's important to know what kind you are going in for, so you know what to expect. This will not only help you to get ready for the day itself, but might in some cases even change the strategy or tactics that you use within a game. So what are some of the main formats of tournaments that you might find yourself playing?

First of all, and perhaps most commonly, there is the knockout tournament. In this kind of event, players are paired randomly at the start of the day, and you need to win every game in each round to progress. If you lose a single round, then you are eliminated from the competition. This means you might have a very short day if you don't do too well in your first or second games, but it is also a particularly exciting kind of tournament that most people find quite fun and even thrilling.

Alternatively, there might be a tournament known as a knockout with consolation. In this type, it is the same as above, except that after the first round, the losers play a game to have another chance at remaining in the competition. This is less common, but you do still find it in play in some places.

Then there is the round robin tournament, whereby each player has a match against each other player. Obviously that takes longer on average, so this is generally reserved for tournaments with fewer players overall. Usually there is some kind of points system where the player who wins the most games will win overall, or something similar like that. It can be quite a fun way to play, and it seems to be gaining popularity overall.

Another common format is the swiss variation. In this type, all entrants play a fixed number of games against a selection of their opponents, and the winner is simply the player who wins the highest number of these matches. Often there will need to be a knockout game for third place and other places, giving people the chance to play more games.

There are some other types as well, but these are the main ones. It's good to know which you are going to be playing before you go into an event, so you can be as prepared as possible.

Fees & Prizes

We mentioned briefly above about fees, and these are essential. They not only cover the cost of the tournament itself, but they are often necessary in order for there to be a prize for the winning players too. Those prizes may be for just the first player, or for top two, or three, or even more in some cases, especially where there are many more players. And there are even some competitions that are completely free to enter, but in those cases the prize is usually less or perhaps even zero.

Again, this is something you might want to find out before the day - both so you know how much you will need to pay, and so you can know what you might potentially win. Knowing what you are playing for can help to inspire you to play your best game, sometimes.

Sometimes, there might also be a side pool, or a jackpot, giving other chances to win some money. Again make sure that you are aware of these when you sign up.

Warming Up

Very often, there will be a chance to warm up before the main event starts in a tournament. If there is, this is certainly something that you will want to make full use of. That can help you to have a much better game, to enjoy yourself more, and generally to be in a much better place when you are playing. This is therefore something to take advantage of if you want to make the most of the experience on the whole.

Find out at the start whether there is such a warm up event. And then, if there is, you might want to get involved. It's also an important part of the social side of the day, which is one of the most important elements of the experience for many people. You will have a chance to meet the players, get a sense of who they are and how they play, and therefore get so much more out of the experience.

Etiquette At Tournaments & Other Events

A lot of that is important to know, but what is also important to know is some of the unofficial stuff, including how you are expected to behave and act while you are competing. It's therefore a good idea to have a sense of the etiquette involved at tournaments, so you know how you are going to be expected to behave. Let's take a quick tour now through some of the major elements involved in the etiquette you can normally expect at backgammon tournaments.

First of all, it is generally considered good manners to greet your opponent at the start of the match. A simple shake of the hands and a hello, or a 'good luck', is usually sufficient. This is one of those very simple things that just makes the experience so much better for everyone, and it's therefore something you should certainly make sure you remember to do. If you don't, you might not be giving off the best impression of yourself to other players or to the TD.

There can also be occasions when both you and your opponent have the same preference for something - such as which color to go first, which side of the board to be on, and so on. If there are any issues here, you can simply roll dice in order to decide. That is the simplest, most mature approach, and the one that the TD will expect you to take. They will certainly not want to be called in to help you decide something so trivial!

There is another kind of preference in competitive backgammon known as clock preference. This simply means that if your opponent prefers to use a clock to play, you must oblige. However, at some tournaments it is made explicit that you don't have to comply. So this is another thing that you should make sure to check before you go.

A lot of professional and regular players will use precision dice. These are more expensive than normal dice and are known to be the most trustworthy around, meaning that they are sure to be absolutely fair. You might well be asked by an opponent whether you have your own precision dice - and if you don't, they might ask you to use theirs. There might be some available at the TD's desk, but it's really up to you whether or not you buy any. For your first tournament, you may well not need them.

Speaking of dice, it is also considered proper play and good etiquette to roll them thoroughly. That means that you give them a vigorous shake of the box, and it is something that helps to show you are being fair and not trying to manipulate the dice in any way. It's a really important part of playing that you do this. If a dice rolls off the table, you must re-roll them - rather than reading them from the floor.

It's also considered wise and proper to keep your own record of scoring, and for each player to do this. This can help to avoid confusion and disputes. Of course, if there are disputes, then you should call over the TD and make sure that they are helping you, but try only to do this if you can't come to an agreement yourself.

As you can see, playing backgammon competitively can be really enjoyable, and it's something that you are going to find a lot of fun. If you approach it with the right attitude, you might find that it is one of the most enjoyable ways to play the game overall.

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