What's on at Melbourne Backgammon Club
On club nights we conduct various tournaments, depending on who is present.
100% of tournament entries returned as prizes.
Sometimes there is a chouette, and we hold special tournaments from time to time.
We play the international rules, with the doubling cube.
Coaching and help available - beginners welcome!.
At our regular Thursday club meets you can find some or all of the following events,
from free entry to $25 and above, depending on who turns up!
Our aim is for everybody to enjoy themselves, and able to play as much backgammon as they want,
without being knocked out of a sudden death tournament and then having nothing to do.
Or suffering a run of bad luck and having no hope of progressing.
Yes, our Main Tournament is definitely more complicated than your boring standard knock out event,
where 50% of the participants may as well go home after just one match!
Carefully designed to ensure that everyone always has chances to win, and and can recover from runs of terrible luck.
Now read on!
Our Free Entry Tournament
Suits all backgammon players, whether experienced or not.
4 or more matches guaranteed. Start and finish when you like.
This event finishes on the same night.
The Regular $10 Entry Tournament
This is our basic money tournament, suitable for all comers.
The $10 stake adds a bit of pizzazz!
4 or more 5 point matches guaranteed.
Kicks off around 7pm, but start and finish when you like.
This event finishes on the same night.
Main melBG Tournament - First Prize $250
These tournaments run continuously, alongside our regular $10 and free entry events.
$25 per entry - first prize $250, runner up $100, semi-finalists $50 each.
9 additional prizes in the early stages of the tournament.
Everyone is in the running for prizes even if their luck is bad.
How does it work?
Some people like to know every little detail - what follows is for them.
This tournament is designed to be totally fair, and give everyone a fair go.
Lots of detail, but in practice it's quite straightforward.
Sensible people will stop reading right here and just sign up! :)
There are 3 preliminary round robin stages ('heats') - first and second qualify for the 8-player knock out finals.
10 players in each heat, with each person playing 3 7-point matches.
Each heat offers 3 cash prizes, and 2 spots in the final stages for the winner and runner-up.
As soon as a heat fills, the next opens for registration.
Typically, more than one heat is in progress at any time. All matches to be played at the club.
As soon as 3 heats are complete, the finals get under way. And so on ...
Order of Play in the Heats.
The 10 players are randomly numbered from 1 to 10. Everyone plays 3 seven point matches, as follows:
#1 plays 2, 6, 8, #2 plays 1, 7, 9, #3 plays 4, 8, 10, #4 plays 3, 6, 9, #5 plays 6, 7, 10,
#6 plays 1, 4, 5, #7 plays 2, 5, 8, #8 plays 1, 3, 7, #9 plays 2, 4, 10, #10 plays 3, 5, 9.
First and second each receive one finals spot. Standings are based on matches won, then total points,
then points difference, then head-to-head result.
In the extremely unlikely event of a tie for second place, the contenders play a one point game.
Every heat offers 3 money prizes in addition to the 2 spots in the final.
The outright winner of the heat receives $40, and there are 2 more $30 prizes to be awarded.
Even if you lose all 3 of your matches, you can still reach the finals, and even win one or both of the $30 prizes!
Our aim is for everyone to stay involved and have a chance, even if the actual matches didn't go as planned!
Therefore we have a lottery so that everyone can win prizes after each heat has been completed.
Everyone has virtual lottery tickets - the better you do in your 3rd match, the more lottery tickets you get.
Take the 3rd match seriously! You receive 2 more lottery tickets than the points you scored in that match!
Minimum 2 tickets, maximum 9. So if player 2 lost her last match 3-7, her 5 lottery tickets are numbered 21-25.
Player #10 has tickets numbered 01,02,03 etc.
When 3 heats have been completed, it's time for the 3 round, 8 entry knockout stage.
6 spots have already been allocated, 2 from each of the 3 heats.
2 lucky entries are drawn at random from the 24 that didn't make the finals, completing the 8 starters.
It is not unlikely that one or more players will have more than one of the 8 spots.
Some lucky player could win both these finals spots without having won a single game!
An even luckier player might win 5 of the 8 finals spots. This is backgammon - anything can happen and usually does!
The finals brackets are randomly filled, with matches to 9, 9, 11 points.
First prize $250, runner up $100, semi-finalists $50.
GOOD LUCK!!!