International Internet Backgammon Federation, Update June 2011

Since its launch two months ago, the International Internet Backgammon Federation (IIBGF) has grown rapidly, attracting over 300 members from around the world at various levels of play from beginner to world-class players. So far, 15 tournaments of five different types have begun. The five levels are described below:

·        Promotion Open Tournaments – open to all players

·        Promotion Higher Tournaments – open to players of intermediate/advanced level upwards

·        Promotion Master Tournaments – open to players of advanced/expert level upwards

·        Master Norm Tournaments – open to players of expert/world class level upwards

·        Grandmaster Norm Tournaments – open to players of world class/world champion level

These tournaments are all round robin, involving between 7 and 13 players playing each opponent twice. So there are ample opportunities for revenge! All matches are to 13 points. The length of the tournaments suggests that an average of one match per week should be played. However, one may play 3 or 4 matches in one week and then perhaps have a period of 2 or 3weeks when there might be no play. Players arrange mutually convenient times and dates with their opponents. The arrangement is intentionally flexible, enabling the maximum number of players to participate in IIBGF events. Players who prefer more action may enter more than one tournament at any one time.

Registration with the IIBGF is free and is carried out online using the registration page on the IIBGF Official Homepage http://iibgf.weebly.com/ The applicant is required to provide basic details comprising, full name, email address, primary backgammon server used together with nickname and nationality. When an applicant is registered, the unique IIBGF registration number is then emailed. Registered players may then make themselves available for suitable tournaments using the tournament page on the homepage. Note that the IIBGF is not a server. Matches may be played on any BG server where there is the facility to record matches. Tournaments have now commenced on three different severs: GridGammon, FIBS and NetGammon. It is anticipated that tournaments will also be held on other suitable servers within the next few months.

The drawsheets/score sheets for the various tournaments may be viewed from the IIBGF Official Homepage from the Tournaments page. For example, the first Grandmaster Norm tournament (with thirteen Backgammon Giants including both #1 and #2, Mochy and Falafel) may be viewed on http://iibgf.weebly.com/grandmasternorm001.html. Leonardo Jerkovic, Rick Janowski and Amir Eshraghi have been sharing tournament director responsibilities for the tournaments already started. They will continue in this role together with other suitable directors giving coverage over the various time zones. New tournaments start as soon as sufficient players become available to fill the brackets.

The 300+ registered members come from 46 different countries. Most countries with several registered players are represented by Provisional National Delegates who help deal with specific national issues (e.g., liaison, clarification or translation of IIBGF rules and policies, etc). The international nature of the Federation will soon be demonstrated by the Second Nations Cup, now an IIBGF event, where it is anticipated that 34 countries will participate, in comparison to the 28 countries participating in last years tournament.

The IIBGF will provide an ELO based rating system and Master Norm award system. The highest level performers will be able to obtain masterships such as International Master (IM) and Grandmaster (GM).

In addition to the round robin type tournament types listed above, in the future, the IIBGF will also promote/organise other types of tournaments as follows:

·        World Internet BG Championships

·        Zonal Internet BG Championships

·        Internet BG Olympiads (World Championships for National Teams)

·        World Cup Tournament

·        National Internet BG Championships (in association with National BG Bodies where appropriate)

Further details may be found on the Rules page of the IIBGF website.

The IIBGF have been fortunate to have gained proactive support from many National Backgammon Federations and Associations and online Backgammon Servers, together with associated discussion groups. Moreover, there has already been very positive endorsement from over 30 Backgammon Giants, many of whom are already participating or are likely to be participating in forthcoming prestigious events together with the very highest achieving players from the lower divisions.

The IIBGF have been very encouraged by the great success of the first fifteen tournaments, which makes us very optimistic for the success of future IIBGF events. Also, we are very grateful for the extremely useful and helpful support and feedback received from registered members, potential members and interested individuals, through online messages, emails, and through discussion groups. We are looking to redesign the IIBGF website over the next few months and the lessons learnt should be invaluable in improving efficiency and user friendliness.

Regards,

Leonardo Jerkovic & Rick Janowski, IIBGF Executives and Tournament Directors

(Contact email for enquiries: iibackgammonfederation@gmail.com)