Tournament Rules
Steel City Backgammon
Dice on Checkers Count
Any roll where both dice lie flat, either on the playing surface or on top of a checker, is a valid roll. In short, “dice on checkers count”. The USBGF has a much more detailed explanation in the article below.
One Set of Dice
Use a clock to commit your move, or tap the board. Even if clocks are not required, you can use a clock to keep track of whose turn it is.
Pace of Play
To keep our tournaments enjoyable for everyone, we need to keep the matches moving along at a reasonable pace. A rule of thumb is to multiply the match length by 12 minutes, so 5 points should take no longer than an hour, 7 points would take no more than 84 minutes.
This does not mean rush your decisions. An hour for a 5-point match is plenty of time. If the tournament director detects a match taking much longer than the norm, they may enforce a clock, even in the middle of a match if necessary.
Legal Moves
All tournaments will adhere to the "legal moves" philosophy of play. A detailed description from the USBGF is at the link below. In a nutshell it is just "good sportsmanship".
Most illegal plays are honest mistakes. In that spirit, if you notice your opponent making an illegal play, you must point it out and the player must correct it to be a legal play before the game continues. The same goes for you, if you accidentally make an illegal move, correct it before moving on.
Code of Conduct
So our events are fun for everyone, players attending any SC BG event are expected to:
- welcome and respect all players and guests
- refrain from negative or derogatory language or behavior
- respect all aspects of individual's identities, including the use of preferred pronouns
- observe the SC BG tournament rules and the USBGF rules of play in general
- be mindful of our host venue's generosity and flexibility (translation: come prepared to make at least one purchase and generously tip our servers)
In short: Be nice. Help out new players and don't make them feel stupid. We were all that player once.
Disputes
We want our events to be fun and fair for everyone. In the unlikely event of a dispute that cannot be resolved by the players, the tournament director(s) can be brought in to give a ruling. The decision of the tournament director will be final.
References
USBGF General Tournament Rules