Preparing for Backgammon Club Tournaments
Playing in a club tournament is the fastest way to improve at backgammon. Even an informal event with four players teaches you something casual games cannot: how the match score changes the right move. This page is about the practical side of that change. For how events are organized and the formal rules, see backgammon tournaments.
Practice in Matches, Not Single Games
If you only play single games at home, start playing short matches to 5 or 7 points, against friends or against software. You will get used to tracking the score and asking, before each decision, "what does this game mean for the match?" That habit is the core of tournament play.
Think in Match Score
In a single game you only care about winning more often than losing. In a match, the value of a gammon and of the cube depends on the score. A few principles follow from that.
Watch the Gammon Danger
When you lose a game, try to lose only a single game. Be especially careful when a gammon would win the match for your opponent. In that situation, give up some winning chances if that is what it takes to save the gammon, for example by running your back checkers home earlier than you otherwise would.
When Your Opponent Needs One Game
The opposite case also matters. If your opponent will win the match by winning this game, then losing a gammon costs you nothing extra: a loss is a loss. Play boldly for the win and accept positions that risk a gammon.
Leading and Trailing
As a rule of thumb, the player who leads the match can afford to be more careful with the cube and more conservative in play. The player who trails needs swings, so he can be more willing to double and to take. The exact adjustments depend on the score, and match equity tables are the tool serious players use to work them out.
The End of the Match
The Crawford Game
When one player first gets within one point of winning, the next game is the Crawford game, and the cube cannot be used. If you are the leader, play this game normally and try to win it. If you are trailing, remember that you will need to win more than one game, so a gammon in the Crawford game can be very valuable to you.
After the Crawford Game
If the leader still needs one point after the Crawford game, the cube returns. For the trailer, doubling right away is usually correct: the leader wins the match with any win anyway, so the cube costs the trailer nothing and turns each game into a match-deciding one. For the leader, the cube is useless, since a single win is already enough.
For example, if you need two points and your opponent needs one, doubling at the start of a post-Crawford game means that whoever wins that game wins the match. Without the double, you would need to win two games in a row.
Avoid Handing Over the Crawford Game Cheaply
Be careful with plays and doubles that could take your opponent to one point from victory. Once he is there, you will usually need to win at least two games to come back. That is a reason to be a little more patient with the cube when losing would put him at match point.
Know Your Opponents
In a club you will meet the same players often. Notice how they play: who attacks, who plays safe, who takes too many doubles, who passes too quickly. Small adjustments based on that knowledge can be worth more than any memorized rule.
Club Etiquette
- Roll with a cup and let the dice land flat on your side of the board.
- Wait until your opponent has picked up his dice before you roll.
- Announce cube actions clearly.
- Keep the score visible and agree on it after every game.
- Be a gracious winner and a good loser.
Good manners make you a welcome member of the club. Good results will follow with practice, and the improve your game article has more ideas for that.