Beginners are most welcome.  Players of all skill levels play at the Victorian Backgammon Association.  We do use the doubling cube.  Read more on the doubling cube for beginners in our Backgammon rules section.

At the moment, we do not conduct in-person events, due to the pandemic restrictions in Melbourne.  We play online on the internet instead.

Currently this is the way the VBA is continuing playing backgammon together.  We use the Safe Harbour Games site for game play, and the Jitsi video conferencing site for communications.  Please see the How To Play Online page for more details.

If you can, that would be helpful, and reduce the risk of having to wait for a board to become available. Physical boards are not required for online play.

No, you can come along just once, or just every now and then. If you have matches pending in a tournament that does not complete on the night, and you do not return for several weeks, you will eventually forfeit those pending matches, to be fair for other participants in the tournament.

No stress! Matches start all through the evening, so you can still play even if you running a bit late. The latest you could arrive and still expect to play is 9:00pm.

Yes, you are most welcome to just watch. You can learn a lot by just watching others, and many people find this relaxing.

Usually yes. We love backgammon! Check the home page of this website for when we are next meeting.

Backgammon matches consist of one, but usually more, individual games of backgammon. Each game will award a minimum of one point to the winner, or possibly more than one point depending on the final value of the doubling cube and whether the game is won with a gammon or a backgammon.  The winner of the match is the first player to reach or exceed a predetermined number of points, known as the match-length. When we say a match is to 5 points, then the first player to reach or exceed 5 points wins the match. The maximum number of games in a 5 point match is nine. The minimum number of games in a 5 point match is one (and what a thrilling game it is when that happens). Matches at the Victorian Backgammon Association are typically either to 5 points, 7 points or 9 points.

Yes. All matches employ the doubling cube. If you do not know how to use the doubling cube, let everyone know so they can take you through how it all works. Read more about the doubling cube in the Backgammon rules section.

This is a very common rule in match play backgammon that states that when the leader reaches a score than is one less than that required to win the match, the doubling cube may not be used on the very next game. However should the trailer win that game, then the doubling cube can be used once again on all subsequent games. Should the leader win that game, they obviously win the match, and there are no subsequent games. The Victorian Backgammon Association uses the Crawford Rule in all matches.

If you lose a match, then you are out of that tournament. But not all slots in the tournament fill up at the beginning. Often there are still empty slots available. When this is the case, you can “rebuy” back into that same tournament, meaning you get to play again from round one in the same tournament. As with all regular tournaments, this can either be for free or you can pay the small tournament entry fee if you wish to be eligible for prize money. Even if you haven’t crashed out of a tournament, but your next opponent is unavailable or yet to be determined, you can buy back in (or rebuy) into that same tournament. This means you may have multiple live entries in a tournament, and that can mean you meet yourself in a particular round – you will obviously win that particular round without playing an actual match. If a paid “you” meets a free “you”, then we will deem the paid “you” to have won that round.

No, although you do have to take chances during the match. Skilful players will make decisions that reduce risks later on. Backgammon is a game of risk management. Better players tend to win more matches than novice players, although the presence of dice adds an element of randomness to the result.

Luck is only one element in Backgammon. The decisions you make will sway how badly you are impacted by unlucky rolls later on. Better players tend to win more matches, so it is not just luck. This integral combination of skill and luck is what makes playing Backgammon so fascinating.

You do not need to be a member of the association to play.

Yes. If you participate in an event run by the Victorian Backgammon Association you agree to abide by the code of conduct, which involves being respectful towards all other members, guests and support personnel. Backgammon can be a very emotive game, so you also agree to be a good sport in both victory and defeat.

The Australian Backgammon Federation runs a national ratings system that calculates a rating for each player based on match results. All match results from the Victorian Backgammon Association are entered into the national ratings system. By playing at the Victorian Backgammon Association you agree for your name and match results to be entered into this system. The benefit is you can see how you rank compared to all other nationally rated players. Many backgammon clubs around Australia contribute results to the national ratings system. Refer to the tournaments page on the ABF site.

When you begin you receive a rating of 1500. When you win your rating goes up. When you lose your rating goes down. While the maths is complicated, if you win against someone more highly rated than you, your own rating will go up a lot. If you win against someone whose rating is lower than yours, your own rating will only go up a little. If your rating is lower than 1500, you are generally losing more matches than you win. If your rating is higher than 1500, you are generally winning more matches than you lose.