Main Event

95% Return in all side pools

Open Championship 

Eligibility
Open to All Players
Entry Fee
$450, 90% Return
Side Pool
$225
Match Points
All rounds are 9 points
Format
This event will use the "More Swiss" format

Intermediate

Eligibility
Open Championship level (≤ 8.0 PR) players are not eligible
Entry Fee
$250, 85% Return
Side Pool
$125
Match Points
All rounds are 9 points
Format
This event will use the "More Swiss" format

Novice

Eligibility
Players in the Novice Division are new to Backgammon and do not have a BMAB rating ≤ 16.0 PR
Entry Fee
$50, 100% Return
Match Points
All rounds are 3 points
Format
This event will use the "More Swiss" format

 

More Swiss Format

Tournament Format

  1. Players will be eliminated when they lose their fourth match.
  2. Byes will be treated as wins.
  3. Players with 3 losses are still eligible to cash, but can no longer win the tournament.
  4. ​​​​A minimum of 10% of the field (rounded) must always be paid in all divisions as per ABT rules.
  5. When the tournament starts, we will identify the maximum number of places that we are willing to pay.
    • Open Division: We will pay a maximum of 15% of the field rounded. i.e. if we have 100 players, we will pay 10 to 15 places
    • Intermediate Division: We will pay a maximum of 20% of the field rounded. i.e. if we have 100 players, we will pay 14 to 20 places
    • Novice Division: We will pay a maximum of 30% of the field rounded. i.e. if we have 20 players, we will pay 4 to 6 places
  6. Special playoff rules apply when one of the following conditions first occurs at the end of any round:
    • Only three players remain eligible to win the tournament, and they would all be ineligible to win the tournament with another loss. Those three players shall finish the tournament in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places alone to be determined using the USBGF 3-player playoff format (see below).
    • Only two players remain eligible to win the tournament, and they would both be ineligible to win the tournament with another loss. Those two players shall play a championship match and finish the tournament in 1st place and 2nd place alone.
    • Only one player remains eligible to win the tournament. That player is the tournament winner and is done with play.
  7. If at the end of any round, the number of players not yet eliminated from play is less than or equal to the maximum number of places we are willing to pay:
    • Everyone remaining will have cashed and shall continue play to improve their placement.
    • However, if a championship match has been reached, or if a tournament winner has been determined, then all non-playoff players remaining are done with play and shall finish tied.
  8. At the appropriate time the Director will gather the remaining players before posting the next round pairings to explain all the possible scenarios. Payouts will be determined by the appropriate payout structure. All players eliminated with the same record and who did not participate in a playoff will receive the same prize money.

Pairing Rules

  1. No player can receive a second bye until all remaining players have had at least one bye.
  2. Byes are awarded to a player with the worst possible record.
  3. Players will be paired against players with as similar a record as possible.
  4. Players will be paired against players they have not played in previous rounds.
  5. If a player has played a previous round against an opponent with a better record, they will not be paired against a player with a better record again, if possible.
  6. If a player has played a previous round against an opponent with a worse record, they will not be paired against a player with a worse record again, if possible.

*As the number of remaining players decreases, the pairing rules become harder to enforce and we will relax them from the bottom up.

Handling 3-Way Ties

  • Some tournament formats may play down to a 3-way tie. That tie must be broken to determine a tournament winner, as well as second and third places.
  • All 3-way ties that occur at ABT tournaments must be resolved using the following playoff format, which provides equal equity to each of the three tied players:
    1. A standard four player elimination bracket shall be used to determine matches.
    2. A bye is awarded to one player randomly chosen from among those who received the fewest byes previously in the event.
    3. The phrase “total award” represents the total prize allocated for places 1, 2 and 3.
    4. For events using a Swiss or other non-Elimination format (will be used for this Main event only): 
      • The two players who did not receive the bye shall each be awarded 1/12 of the total award.
      • The remaining 10/12 of the total award shall be divided between places 1, 2, and 3 with ratios 32:20:13 respectively.
    5. For events using a standard Elimination format (will be used for all side events):
      • The two players who did not receive the bye shall each be awarded 1/10 of the total award.
      • The remaining 8/10 of the total award shall be divided between places 1, 2, and 3 with ratios 3:2:1 respectively.

Unlucky Dice Last Chance

  • The Chicago Open "MoreSwiss" tournament (Open and Intermediate divisions) lasts 3 days and some players are eliminated on the 1st day.
  • Many players travel far and spend a significant amount of money to attend backgammon tournaments.
  • For players eliminated from the Main Event on Saturday, The Director has decided to provide some added value and a reason to return for the 2nd day of the tournament as a sign of appreciation to his unlucky attendees.

Format

  • This is a side event. If you cash in the UDLC you do not receive ABT points.
  • All players in the Open and Intermediate that lose 4 matches Saturday (end of round 5) will get a "Free Roll" into the UDLC.
  • Single elimination bracket played Sunday.
  • All matches are 5 points.
  • Anytime an Intermediate player faces an Open Player, they will start with a 1-0 lead.

Prizes

  • 1st Place receives a custom FM Gammon Board.
  • 2nd Place receives $300.