Spring Season Begins: Monday 1st April 2024
- The league runs three times each year, beginning on the first day of January, April & October, with the summer off for the National Championship to run. Each season lasts three months.
- Divisions are made up of ten players.
- At the end of each season, two players are promoted from each of the top four divisions and two relegated. In division five and below, one player is promoted from each division and two relegated. The remaining places are filled based mainly on PR. This is done at the tournament director’s discretion.
- The league format is round robin. Each player in a division competes in one eleven-point match with all other players. Three points are awarded for a match win and two points for the player with the lowest PR. Each division has a PR upper limit that must be beaten for the bonus points to be awarded – these are listed at the bottom of this page. Average PR is used to separate players on the same points total in their division.
- All matches take place on the Heroes website, which is free to join and has an easy-to-use interface. There is a special room assigned to the league and this can be accessed by clicking on ‘Tournament Rooms’ in the main drop-down menu and then entering the room labelled ‘Irish Backgammon League’. All matches must be played in the designated room as the tournament conditions are preset and results are automatically sent to the tournament director. Any match not played there will be ineligible and must be re-played. If a player is having difficulty accessing the main Heroes site then the Heroes3 server can be used instead. The links for both can be found at the bottom of this page.
- At the completion of each match both players must email the result to the tournament director, putting the division and score as the subject line, for example: “D7 Emma v Rich 11-3”. The address to use is: results@irelandbg.com
- All matches are run through XG for analysis at World Class level. The result of this analysis is used to decide the bonus PR points. No other analysis is relevant for the awarding of bonus points, including that shown by Heroes at the completion of each match, or that of any player running analysis on their own computer. The tournament director will not enter into discussion over PR results.
- If at the completion of a match the players’ PR scores are within 0.09 points, then both players will receive one bonus point. The exception to this rule is in Division One, where the match will be re-analysed at Extensive level. The results of this analysis are final. If the gap remains at 0.09 or below, both players will receive one bonus point. This rule also applies to the Premier League.
- If a player gives notice and withdraws during the first month of a season, they will be placed at the bottom of their division. Failure to give notice, or failure to finish a season that is more than one third complete, will mean removal from the league, barring serious extenuating circumstances. When a player leaves, those matches already played will be deemed void and the results removed (this will include PR information).
- It is important that all matches in a season are completed, even if a player’s outcome is already decided – for example, they might already have won their division or been relegated. Failure to complete all matches without notice will result in the player being removed from the league. Any player experiencing problems in arranging matches must let the tournament director know as soon as possible, otherwise both players will end up being penalised for unplayed ties.
- All players must complete at least two matches by the end of the first month of each season, and six matches by the end of month two – failure to do this will mean automatic relegation. Additionally, you cannot play more than five matches in the first month of each season.
- By registering for the Irish Backgammon League, you agree that your contact details can be shared with other players for the purpose of arranging matches. You also grant permission for any league match to be recorded and commentated on for streaming purposes.
- The tournament director reserves the right to remove players from the league at their discretion.
- The tournament director reserves the right to make changes to the format and rules if deemed necessary.
- All players must treat one another with respect, observing the usual etiquette associated with the game.
PR Limits For Each Division:
D1 – 6.99
D2 – 8.49
D3 – 9.99
D4 – 12.49
D5 – 13.49
D6 – 14.99
D7 – 15.99
Heroes: https://heroes.backgammonstudio.com
Heroes 3: https://heroes3.backgammonstudio.com