Mill Hill Backgammon Club 2003 Report

by Mark Driver

This year witnessed a number of changes to the club's tournament format. Due to popular demand a separate event with a $50 entry-fee and increased match length was added to supplement the traditional $20, 5-point match tournaments. An annual trophy for Player of the Year was also introduced to recognize the player with the best tournament performance (based on players' achievements in reaching the finals of either weekly event) . This first 'Player of the Year' trophy was awarded to Ian Dunstan with an impressive score of 27 Master Points, well done Ian. Ian's closest rival was Jay Deva with a score of 25 points followed by Wally Bartelme and Ryan Jones, each scoring 23 points.

Over the 48 weeks of the official club season a total of 109 separate tournaments (with a field of at least 8 players) were staged. Of these 64 were $20 entry-fee events; 41 were $50 events and 4 Value-added tournaments were staged for club regulars (eligibility dependent upon at least 50% weekly attendance during the preceding season). Over the 48-weeks the club attracted an average of 18 players per week (about the same as 2002 and slightly up on 2001 and 2000).

Although the $50 tournaments initially proved to be popular, a number of problematic issues arose.

With a 16-player field the time available to complete the tournaments (even with a reduced match length from 9 to 7 points) proved to be insufficient. Only seven $50 events were completed as a full 16-player field, and of these only three finals were actually played. Played as an 8-player field, the time was sufficient, however capping the entry to the first 8-players often resulted in disappointment for those interested players who did not manage to make the field (either due to late arrival or luck of the random draw). In my opinion the $50 event could successfully run as a 16-player field if we had a substantial increase in the number of entrants to enable completion of the field before 8pm. Basically there aren't quite enough regular players currently interested to ensure that the 16-player field runs smoothly within the available time constraints.

The introduction of increased points for players in the $50 events (double those of the $20 to reflect the increased match length and entry fee) raised concerns for many players who preferred to participate in the traditional $20 event. Namely - success in the seasonal points table was largely dependent upon participation in the higher cost tournaments..

A number of options exist to solve the above problems, however the following suggestion was well received and widely supported when presented to players recently.

Proposed Tournament Format for 2004.

Both the $50 and $20 events will be replaced by a standard $30 entry-fee tournament with a match length of seven points. This should ensure that the tournaments fill up early and progress swiftly. When the first field of 16-players has filled, an extra event also consisting of $30 entry-fee and 7-point match length will commence. The field for this event will either be capped at 8 or run to a full 16 players depending on the interest on the night and the available time This format has a number of added advantages: Standardized points for the seasonal championship and equality in competition for Seasonal Championship and for the Player of the Year Master points Facilitates increased mixing of the players and opponents throughout the season/year.

The standard schedule for award of prize money would be as follows - In a 16-player field the two finalists play for a jointly negotiated share of $400 prize money and the two losing semi-finalists which each receive $40 (a $10 profit over their entry fee). For an 8-player field, the two finalists will play for a jointly negotiated share of $240. Note as usual all entry fees are returned as prize money.

Although the new proposal represents a $10 increase in entry costs to players who traditionally prefer to participate in the $20 entry event, on the other hand it is a $20 reduction in the fees that players in the $50 event find attractive. It is hoped that both categories of players will find the $30 events a happy compromise. It should be noted that the prize pool available to the finalists marks a substantial increase ($120) to that currently provided by the $20 format; and as the $50 event is usually only played as an 8-person field, it should meet the expectations of the $50 players.

In addition to the above proposal, the club will also look into holding regular low-cost, low-match-length events for interested newcomers or casual players dependent upon demand. The incorporation of such events is beneficial to accommodate and attract new players to the formal club scene. But to make these events work we need the regular support of such players. So don't be shy come along and if you don't see what suits your needs, just ask and we will try to accommodate you.