How did it happen, that Backgammon became so attractive? Well, it definitely owes its populatity to the Tournament play. The game actually went through a real metamorphose. With prizes and cash incentives and head-to-head compwtition in the spotlight, it has transformed from its position in the elite private clubs of gentlemen, and led to a worldwide craze of competition. What particularly attracts the players and the spectators? The drama, intrigue, and spectatle that the tournaments produce. Backgammon is well-adapted for tournament because the pace is quick and the duration is short in most matches. Below you will find the information about how a succesful tournament is organized and run as well as how to improve your competitive game.

Elimination Tournaments
        Like in other individual sports, elimination tournaments are best suited for brackets of 16,32,64,96,128,192, or 256 players. How are the players placed? Either randomly, or by some predeterminated ranking system. The elimination system is simple: a player who wins his match goes to the next round and so on and so forth until the winner from the left side of the draw meets the winner from the right side of the draw in the finals. There are two types of eliminations: single and double. In the first one, if a player loses, he must wait for another tournament or a day to play. In the second one, you still have the chance to win the tourney, even if you lose a game. What you should remember about a typical tournament (one in which one evening or weekend afternoon is set aside, and is comprised of, say 64 entrants) is:

1.    How long does the tournament last? An average game of backgammon takes 6-8 minutes. Depending on time restrictions, a well-run tournament should last for three or four hours.
2.    Let’s say that time-limit for each match is 45 minutes. When the time is over and the match is still in progress, the winner will be determined by a roll of the dice. Most people will play quickly in order to avoid it.
3.    Taking into consideration the size of the tournament, it is recommended that the 1st and the 2nd rounds should be played to five points, and the semi-finals and finals played to seven or nine points.

Round- Robin Tournaments
        This kind of tournament is best suited for smaller competitions with an uneven number of contestants. Generally, a player competes in a short match ( to 3 points, for instance ) with each entrant. There is a special board on which the player’s name and point total is recorded. Everybody can check it anytime. The winner is the player with the highest number of points.

Unlike typical Tournament Play, here the doubling cube is rarely used. Below we present a list of tournament rules:
•    All entrants must have the approval of the tournament committee.
•    Any player may be disqualified if acts against the sport rules of fair play.
•    In all cases of problems, or disputes the final decision belongs to the judge.
•    The dice must come to rest flat on the section of the board to the player’s right. If either of the dice is not flat, they are said to be cocked and must be re-rolled.

        The dice must come to a complete stop before they may be touched by the player. Also, they may not be rolled until an opponent has completed his play. In both cases, when the rules are broken, the dice must be rolled again.
We have presented only some of the rules. The list may be longer ofcourse. Everything depends on particular tournaments and committees.