The league is run from the Belfast Backgammon Club, having grown from its own online league into a national tournament. It was relaunched in September 2021 as an all-Ireland competition.
Our ninth season begins on Tuesday 1st October 2024. Over 120 players have now taken part in the league – they come from all corners of the island, as well as several citizens living overseas. I hope to keep growing the league until everyone in Ireland who enjoys online backgammon is involved.
The league differs from most other competitions in that it awards points for PR as well as match wins. Although this is becoming more commonplace in the professional game, it is still relatively rare in amateur tournaments.
The format of the league is divisional, with players separated into tables of ten. Each season lasts three months, beginning on the first day of January, April and October (with a rest over the summer months for the National Championship to run). Each division is a round robin with eleven-point matches. Three points are awarded for a match win and two points for the player who finishes with the lower PR. At the end of each season there is promotion and relegation. Players who finish on the same number of points are separated by their aggregate PR from that season’s results.
To join the league you must either be resident on the island of Ireland, or else an Irish citizen living overseas. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, then simply email your name, mobile phone number, Heroes username and location to the following address: info@irelandbg.com.
To open a free account on the Heroes website, go here: https://heroes.backgammonstudio.com