Bristol Backgammon round robin tournaments

Conditions of entry common to the following Bristol Backgammon round robin tournament series:


(Entry to the tournaments mentioned below implies acceptance of these conditions -- with effect from January 6th, 2013).
Conditions revised 26/08/18.

Ensuring the completion of a round robin tournament

All entrants undertake to do everything in their power to ensure that round robins reach completion on the evening of the event. For guidance on how to achieve this, please read on.

Starting the tournament

The advertised starting time of Bristol Backgammon tournaments is 7pm. The draw will be at 7.15pm promptly. There will be no redraw, unless the Director has made an error.
Any player who knows he/she is going to be late, or suddenly finds him/herself to be late, should ring or text the Director's mobile number, which you will know when you get added to the mailing list, or the provided number of any alternative Director to signal the estimated time of arrival. Such players will be admitted to the draw wherever deemed possible.
In the event that the draw has been completed, there may still be the option to include late arrivals at the Director's discretion if the specified limits on round robin numbers are not exceeded.

Progress of the tournament throughout the initial session

It is a fact of life that not all tournaments finish during the advertised session. However, round robins ARE designed to be completed within a single session, and every effort should be made to achieve this, as finishing round robins at later dates can be a complex process.
This means that it is imperative that we make the best possible use of the time at our disposal, and there are various ways we can do this, and generally acknowledging the urgency of the situation is the best attitude to bring to the event:
(1) Slow play (except where the tournament is governed by clock rules) is to be avoided wherever possible.
It is the policy of Bristol Backgammon to show patience and understanding in the case of inexperienced players, who need to be embraced into our tournament structure, although such players will always be encouraged to play faster.
All other players, though, have a responsibility to play at a reasonable pace. If, for example, you regularly spend well upwards of 30 minutes getting through a three point match or forty-five minutes through a five point match, you would be wrong to assume you are not part of the problem.
NOTE: Since the start of 2011, should both players agree prior to the start of a match, it has been permissible for matches (in non-clock tournaments) to be played under clock rules, with time allowances for each player of 1 minute 30 seconds per point needed for victory, plus a delay of 12 seconds for every move or doubling decision.
(2) Breaks between matches. If you finish your match, and another opponent is already available, you should take no more than a five minute break before starting the match. In round robins, it is a good idea, especially after the first match, to try and engineer things so that nobody will have a long wait before his/her next match. An example of this would be where -- in a six player round robin -- matches A v B and C v D have finished, and match E v F is still in progress. Players A and C might start their next match, while players B and D should wait until the completion of E v F, otherwise E and F will have nobody to play when they finish.
(3) Recesses during matches. In a three or five point match it should not be necessary to take a break, although one toilet break is OK. Smoking breaks should not be necessary during a round robin match. And no break should ever exceed five minutes. This is difficult to police if the Director is playing as well, but wherever possible the intention is to penalise players (one point added to their opponent's score) who are taking breaks too frequently or for too long.
(4) Leaving the tournament early. We have 24 hour access to the casino. If play starts immediately after the draw, then we should have ample time to finish the round robin.
While it is acknowledged that some players need to rise early on the morning following a tournament, it should also be acknowledged that others travel some distance to compete at these events, and can be inconvenienced by premature cessation of the session. This is particularly the case with round robins.
Compromise should usually be possible, but in any event no player who has further involvement in the competition should leave without prior consultation with the Director.
Any player leaving early from the competition without consulting the Director may not be allowed to compete in future round robin competitions.

Completion of tournaments after the initial session

This should never be necessary. However, should a round robin not be completed on the initial evening, any remaining match(es) must still be completed, and this should be done at the earliest possible opportunity to avoid further difficulties (particularly with grand prix standings, and with the unwitting creation of a complacent culture).
So any round robin not completed by the time the next one in the series comes around will be subject, at the discretion of the Director, to the following penalties:
(a) Grand prix points for winning the outstanding matches may not be awarded, even if the matches are later played;
(b) Prize money will, at the discretion of the Director, be subject to a levy, which will contribute to the year end prize pool for the competition in question;

Disbursement of prize money

No prize money will be paid out until a competition is completed, unless it is clear that a player who has completed his/her matches on the initial evening is the winner. There will be no exceptions to this.