World Backgammon Day - 21st March 2024

21st March is "World Backgammon Day" !!!

For 10 years, we have been encouraging the backgammon community to celebrate the World Backgammon Day by gathering, playing, organizing tournaments and enjoying the game, especially on March 21st. 

We encourage everyone in 2024 celebrate the oldest game on the planet with friends and family, in clubs and through live and online tournaments and events.

Have fun & play backgammon! 

 

Mallorca Speedgammon Challenge 2024

 Mallorca 2023

The yearly event for speed lovers is on once again on sunny Majorca.

Save the dates: 02 to 06 of October 2024

The highlights will be a "Double Doubles" (Doubles Consultation with 2 lives) and the "Bogidar-Superspeed (5 points, 30 secs total bank time + 8 secs delay per move), along with the main event with 3 lives and best of 3 in each round and a super-jackpot.

For more info, visit the website 

Hurry to book your room at the ElCid Playa de Palma at the special backgammon rate, as it fills quickly.

Come to Mallorca, play backgammon, enjoy the sun, meet old and new friends and have fun.

For full info, please visit the website: https://ckt816.wixsite.com/website

Speed

 

Attachments:

Download this file (Program Mallorca 2023.pdf)Schedule Mallorca 2023[ ]145 kB

ChivaGammon - a new variation

ChivaGammon

A new variation of modern backgammon has been invented: ChivaGammon.

It can be played with or without clocks with the regular time settings. It´s modern backgammon with cube played as a match to 5 points.

However, the Crawford Rule has been skipped and instead, in order to win the match, a player must reach minimum 5 points, but with minimum 2 points difference. Like in Tennis and other sports, the match continues as long as the 2 points difference have not been reached.

It´s a great game, demanding special skills and calculations. Try it out.

New World Record to be set in Istanbul

The Anniversary Tournament of ISTAVDER in Istanbul (Turkey) is a must attend in terms of space, equipment, organisation and format. It has been attracting more and more players in the history of is existence.

In 2024, from 24th to 28th of April, the tentative is to break another record in terms of attendance with over 700 players. The location is a huge convention center, which 2 hotels on each side with direct access. The WOW-Hotels and Convention center will be exclusively for this huge tournament during those days. Regardless of the number of participants, there will be plenty of space and "squeezing" won´t happen.

Selected matches will be recorded and streamed, live commentary by top players will be provided, a huge screen will display the most interesting pairing, beautiful and unique trophies will be handed out to the winners, and a wonderful closing awards ceremony will take place.

The entry fee is inexpensive and is only aimed to cover partly the organization costs. Special rates have been arranged at both WOW-Hotels. Side-events such a Consultation Doubles and SpeedGammon, as well as DMP-Challenges and numerous Jackpots will be available throughout the tournament days. The total prize pool is projected to exceed 90.000 € !!!

This is a tournament to experience by every player and a benchmark for all other events around the world.

All the info and bookings are available on www.ftbgsystem.com 

Mark your calendar and make your reservation NOW!

WBA has been helpful in the creation of ISTAVDER and is fully supportive of this mega-event and real "backgammon feast"

Attachments:

Download this file (15_Anniversary_ENG__TR2023.pdf)Brochure Anniversary Tournament 2023[ ]1758 kB

Michi´s Tribute to Falafel

While the passing of Matvey Mike Natanzon aka "Falafel" has got the entire backgammon community mourning, his Japanese friend and backgammon Giant Michihito Michi" Kageyama has written a wonderful tribute to the late hero.

A classy top player honoring another classy top-play!

You can read the tribute here.

Attachments:

Download this file (I-Mourn-for-Falafel.pdf)I Mourn for Falafel[Michi´s Tribute]1011 kB

WBA is now BMAB Partner

WBA Events in 2016 are in accordance with BMAB Partnership Program.

Recording is allowed. Matches of the players wanting to be rated and ranked for BMAB will be accepted as such in accordance with the BMAB rules.

The tournaments in Munich, Köln, Portugal, Frankfurt and Prague will be BMAB labelled.

New Pipcounting Method Released

Axel Reichert, a software programmer and analytic backgammon player from Munich, has analyzed several pip-counting methods and developed a few of them for a more simple but efficient use during matches.

Continue Reading

SassanGammon

So everyone knows backgammon, played with 2 dice. But who knows and enjoys SassanGammon, the variation played with 3 dice?

One die is rolled by each player for the toss. The winner of the toss plays the opening roll. From there onwards, a player rolls with 3 dice and his opponent takes away 1 die, leaving him the 2 others to play.

Exception: When a player has a checker or more on the bar, he rolls with 2 dice and plays them.

Try it, you´ll love it !

The Chaos of the Dice - Falafel

In order to meet Falafel, the highest ranked backgammon player in the world, I took a Greyhound bus to Atlantic City, and then hopped a jitney to the Borgata Hotel. Falafel’s real name is Matvey Natanzon, but no one calls him that, not even his mother, who calls him Mike, the name that he adopted when they emigrated from Israel to Buffalo—one leg in a long journey that began in Soviet Russia. Now even Falafel calls himself Falafel...

Read the rest of the article, published in New York Times here.

General Rules updated - Junary 2024

The number of breaks during a match has been changed.

Breaks are now added to the time bank of each player when a clock is in use. Clocks are NOT to be stopped during the breaks and the time will be running on the player on break. Please check General Rules section for the updates.

Changes have been made in the section of rolling dice and cube action in situations with and without cube.