FTBG Scoring System
As one of the “cruelest” games where a novice player can beat a master, it’s normal to lose in backgammon.
But it is very disappointing to lose your chance to win a tournament for which you might have sacrificed a lot even to go there. For example, with Main, Consolation, and Last Chance brackets of a triple elimination format as typically used in backgammon tournaments, no player aims to win the Consolation or the Last Chance. When placing players in the Main bracket, you need to have as close to 32, 64, or 128 players but this is not always achievable.
Then some players who are not differentiated as long as backgammon skills are concerned, luckily get sit-out and advance to the next round whereas half of the players who couldn’t get a sit-out say goodbye to their hopes of winning the tournament. Sometimes you notice that all strong players are congested in one part of the tournament ladder and this also proves that good draw is also important. You can complete the tournament without playing strong players or you may notice that you have to play all the strong ones in order to win the tournament.
All players dream the same thing: To win the main tournament, that is to win the tournament. After the first round, 50% of the players are unhappy. After the second round unhappy crowd reaches to 75%. After the third round, 87,5% unhappy players cannot decide to console themselves in other brackets or to return.
After the first day, only around %10 of players can dream about winning the tournament when they go to bed. On the contrary 90% is regretful. Even they have to play with 50% motivation in another bracket, and when failing that they will play with 25% motivation in the last chance bracket. However, the game being played is backgammon. It may be inevitable to loose in this game even if you do the all things correctly. Or, both players perform very good and they reach DMP, but the last dice may determine who wins. The most important factor in the decrease of backgammon players worldwide is this one-loss system.
FTBGSYSTEM handles all of these discontent. With this system manual bracket handling, manual draws, draw chance due to accumulation of strong players in the same wing, losing with one loss, peculiarities due to not closing enough to 32, 64, or 128 players, and unjust sit-out players are not allowed.
FTBG SYSTEM TOURNAMENT OPERATION and DIFFERENCES
1) Tournament execution is performed digitally by an internet enabled pc, tablet or smartphone on a web page. There is no need for a manual progression table.
2) All progress is shared on the internet.
3) Tournament director creates her/his tournament with the password provided by FTBGSYSTEM system administrator. The director determines how many losses will eliminate a player. In FTBGSYSTEM number of losses is not necessary to be 3. The system can even be used as single-loss elimination. There is no limit to how many losses can be specified. The system was even used in 7-loss settings.
4) The players are entered to the system by the director. Since there is no need to reach to the numbers of 16, 32, 64, 128, the system performs the drawing for the first round.
5) When there is an odd number of players, the system randomly gives a sit-out to one of the players.
6) When a player gets a sit-out, the system doesn’t allow the same player a sit-out until all other players also get their sit-out.
7) After the first round, the system will give sit-out to one of the players with best performance. When the number of players comes down to an odd number, the system will give bye to one of the players. When giving byes the system gives precedence to players with less losses (e.g., if an odd number of players are reached after the 3rd round and we have three players with 0 losses, then the system randomly gives bye to one of these players). When there are continuing players with no byes, a player cannot get a bye again.
8) The system pairs continuing players randomly. Number of wins and number of losses do not play a role in this decision. No performance data is considered in this decision. All the pairings starting from the first round are performed randomly. The system tries not pairing same players again as long as it is possible. At every new round players play with a different player if possible. The draw is made after all the matches of a round has been completed.
9) End-user software interface of the system www.ftbgsystem.com shows a lot of example tournaments completed before. Until the tournament has been completed, there is no deviation from “bye handling” and “players play different player each round” rules.
10) If there are three players continuing; and if all three players have 2 losses (assume 3 losses setting) and sit-out players are equal, then the system is aborted and the director manually executes the following format: Three players play each other in matches of lengh specified by the director. The player with two wins will be the winner of the tournament. Score is not a factor when deciding. In case of equality, the same thing will be repeated with shorter matches. If the second place is not determined when the winner is known, two players will play a match for 2nd and 3rd places.
11) If three players are left, all with 2 losses, but unequal sit-out players, then the tournament continues normally (executed automatically by FTBGSYSTEM as it has started).
But it is very disappointing to lose your chance to win a tournament for which you might have sacrificed a lot even to go there. For example, with Main, Consolation, and Last Chance brackets of a triple elimination format as typically used in backgammon tournaments, no player aims to win the Consolation or the Last Chance. When placing players in the Main bracket, you need to have as close to 32, 64, or 128 players but this is not always achievable.
Then some players who are not differentiated as long as backgammon skills are concerned, luckily get sit-out and advance to the next round whereas half of the players who couldn’t get a sit-out say goodbye to their hopes of winning the tournament. Sometimes you notice that all strong players are congested in one part of the tournament ladder and this also proves that good draw is also important. You can complete the tournament without playing strong players or you may notice that you have to play all the strong ones in order to win the tournament.
All players dream the same thing: To win the main tournament, that is to win the tournament. After the first round, 50% of the players are unhappy. After the second round unhappy crowd reaches to 75%. After the third round, 87,5% unhappy players cannot decide to console themselves in other brackets or to return.
After the first day, only around %10 of players can dream about winning the tournament when they go to bed. On the contrary 90% is regretful. Even they have to play with 50% motivation in another bracket, and when failing that they will play with 25% motivation in the last chance bracket. However, the game being played is backgammon. It may be inevitable to loose in this game even if you do the all things correctly. Or, both players perform very good and they reach DMP, but the last dice may determine who wins. The most important factor in the decrease of backgammon players worldwide is this one-loss system.
FTBGSYSTEM handles all of these discontent. With this system manual bracket handling, manual draws, draw chance due to accumulation of strong players in the same wing, losing with one loss, peculiarities due to not closing enough to 32, 64, or 128 players, and unjust sit-out players are not allowed.
FTBG SYSTEM TOURNAMENT OPERATION and DIFFERENCES
1) Tournament execution is performed digitally by an internet enabled pc, tablet or smartphone on a web page. There is no need for a manual progression table.
2) All progress is shared on the internet.
3) Tournament director creates her/his tournament with the password provided by FTBGSYSTEM system administrator. The director determines how many losses will eliminate a player. In FTBGSYSTEM number of losses is not necessary to be 3. The system can even be used as single-loss elimination. There is no limit to how many losses can be specified. The system was even used in 7-loss settings.
4) The players are entered to the system by the director. Since there is no need to reach to the numbers of 16, 32, 64, 128, the system performs the drawing for the first round.
5) When there is an odd number of players, the system randomly gives a sit-out to one of the players.
6) When a player gets a sit-out, the system doesn’t allow the same player a sit-out until all other players also get their sit-out.
7) After the first round, the system will give sit-out to one of the players with best performance. When the number of players comes down to an odd number, the system will give bye to one of the players. When giving byes the system gives precedence to players with less losses (e.g., if an odd number of players are reached after the 3rd round and we have three players with 0 losses, then the system randomly gives bye to one of these players). When there are continuing players with no byes, a player cannot get a bye again.
8) The system pairs continuing players randomly. Number of wins and number of losses do not play a role in this decision. No performance data is considered in this decision. All the pairings starting from the first round are performed randomly. The system tries not pairing same players again as long as it is possible. At every new round players play with a different player if possible. The draw is made after all the matches of a round has been completed.
9) End-user software interface of the system www.ftbgsystem.com shows a lot of example tournaments completed before. Until the tournament has been completed, there is no deviation from “bye handling” and “players play different player each round” rules.
10) If there are three players continuing; and if all three players have 2 losses (assume 3 losses setting) and sit-out players are equal, then the system is aborted and the director manually executes the following format: Three players play each other in matches of lengh specified by the director. The player with two wins will be the winner of the tournament. Score is not a factor when deciding. In case of equality, the same thing will be repeated with shorter matches. If the second place is not determined when the winner is known, two players will play a match for 2nd and 3rd places.
11) If three players are left, all with 2 losses, but unequal sit-out players, then the tournament continues normally (executed automatically by FTBGSYSTEM as it has started).
