Backgammon Match Play RulesMatch play is the type of competition commonly practiced in backgammon tournaments. A backgammon match consists of a series of games designed to name an overall winner. The games in backgammon match are all played for a set number of points, so the first player who attains the desirable number of points becomes the winner of the match. Another type of backgammon competition is money play, in which the result of each game is counted individually.
Scoring in Match Play
Backgammon match scoring is affected by the results of each game (one point for a single win, two points for a gammon, and three for a backgammon win), as well as the concluding value of the doubling cube (if at the end of the game the doubling cube points on 2, the game value is doubled; if the doubling cube points on 4, the game value is quadrupled, etc). Scoring more than the determined number of points has no benefits and it is counted as scoring the exact number of points.
Additional Match Play Rules
The Crawford Rule is usually enforced in backgammon tournaments. The rule, phrased by backgammon champion John R. Crawford, rules that once either player is one point away from winning the match, then the next game (called the "Crawford Game") will be played without the doubling cube. The Crawford Rule is designed to balance the power between two players while maintaining a suspenseful atmosphere. The game following the Crawford Game is called the "Post-Crawford Game", in which the use of the doubling cube is permitted.
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