[0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional application patent application Serial No. 60/362,335, filed on Mar. 8, 2002. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention relates to a system for organizing backgammon games using multiple pairs of players and boards, scoring the winners of individual matches, calculating a handicap for each player and awarding points based on the outcome of the game.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       Rules of Backgammon  
         [0003]    Setup  
           [0004]    Backgammon is a game for two players, played on a board consisting of twenty-four narrow triangles called points. The triangles alternate in color and are grouped into four quadrants of six triangles each. The quadrants are referred to as a player&#39;s home board and outer board, and the opponent&#39;s home board and outer board. The home and outer boards are separated from each other by a ridge down the center of the board called the bar.  
           [0005]    The points are numbered for either player starting in that player&#39;s home board. The outermost point is the twenty-four point, which is also the opponent&#39;s one point. Each player has fifteen checkers of his own color. The initial arrangement of checkers is: two on each player&#39;s twenty-four point, five on each player&#39;s thirteen point, three on each player&#39;s eight point, and five on each player&#39;s six point.  
           [0006]    Both players have their own pair of dice and a dice cup used for shaking. A doubling cube, with the numerals 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 on its faces, is used to keep track of the current stake of the game.  
           [0007]    The object of the game is for a player to move all of his checkers into his own home board and then bear them off. The first player to bear off all of his checkers wins the game.  
           [0008]    To start the game, each player throws a single die. This determines both the player to go first and the numbers to be played. If equal numbers come up, then both players roll again until they roll different numbers. The player throwing the higher number now moves his checkers according to the numbers showing on both dice. After the first roll, the players throw two dice and alternate turns.  
           [0009]    The roll of the dice indicates how many points, or pips, the player is to move his checkers. The checkers are always moved forward, to a lower-numbered point. The following rules apply:  
           [0010]    A checker may be moved only to an open point, one that is not occupied by two or more opposing checkers.  
           [0011]    The numbers on the two dice constitute separate moves. For example, if a player rolls 5 and 3, he may move one checker five spaces to an open point and another checker three spaces to an open point, or he may move the one checker a total of eight spaces to an open point, but only if the intermediate point (either three or five spaces from the starting point) is also open.  
           [0012]    A player who rolls doubles plays the numbers shown on the dice twice. A roll of 6 and 6 means that the player has four sixes to use, and he may move any combination of checkers he feels appropriate to complete this requirement.  
           [0013]    A player must use both numbers of a roll if this is legally possible (or all four numbers of a double). When only one number can be played, the player must play that number. Or if either number can be played but not both, the player must play the larger one. When neither number can be used, the player loses his turn. In the case of doubles, when all four numbers cannot be played, the player must play as many numbers as he can.  
           [0014]    A point occupied by a single checker of either color is called a blot. If an opposing checker lands on a blot, the blot is hit and placed on the bar.  
           [0015]    Any time a player has one or more checkers on the bar, his first obligation is to enter those checker(s) into the opposing home board. A checker is entered by moving it to an open point corresponding to one of the numbers on the rolled dice.  
           [0016]    For example, if a player rolls 4 and 6, he may enter a checker onto either the opponent&#39;s four point or six point, so long as the prospective point is not occupied by two or more of the opponent&#39;s checkers.  
           [0017]    If neither of the points is open, the player loses his turn. If a player is able to enter some but not all of his checkers, he must enter as many as he can and then forfeit the remainder of his turn.  
           [0018]    After the last of a player&#39;s checkers has been entered, any unused numbers on the dice must be played, by moving either the checker that was entered or a different checker.  
           [0019]    Once a player has moved all of his fifteen checkers into his home board, he may commence bearing off. A player bears off a checker by rolling a number that corresponds to the point on which the checker resides, and then removing that checker from the board. Thus, rolling a 6 permits the player to remove a checker from the six point.  
           [0020]    If there is no checker on the point indicated by the roll, the player must make a legal move using a checker on a higher-numbered point. If there are no checkers on higher-numbered points, the player is permitted (and required) to remove a checker from the highest point on which one of his checkers resides. A player is under no obligation to bear off if he can make an otherwise legal move.  
           [0021]    A player must have all of his active checkers in his home board in order to bear off. If a checker is hit during the bear-off process, the player must bring that checker back to his home board before continuing to bear off. The first player to bear off all fifteen checkers wins the game.  
           [0022]    Backgammon is played for an agreed stake per point. Each game starts at one point. During the course of the game, a player who feels he has a sufficient advantage may propose doubling the stakes. He may do this only at the start of his own turn and before he has rolled the dice.  
           [0023]    A player who is offered a double may refuse, in which case he concedes the game and pays one point. Otherwise, he must accept the double and play on for the new higher stakes. A player who accepts a double becomes the owner of the cube and only he may make the next double.  
           [0024]    Subsequent doubles in the same game are called redoubles. If a player refuses a redouble, he must pay the number of points that were at stake prior to the redouble. Otherwise, he becomes the new owner of the cube and the game continues at twice the previous stakes. There is no limit to the number of redoubles in a game.  
           [0025]    At the end of the game, if the losing player has borne off at least one checker, he loses only the value showing on the doubling cube (one point, if there have been no doubles). However, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers, he is gammoned and loses twice the value of the doubling cube. Or, worse, if the loser has not borne off any of his checkers and still has a checker on the bar or in the winner&#39;s home board, he is backgammoned and loses three times the value of the doubling cube.  
           [0026]    The following optional rules are in widespread use.  
           [0027]    Automatic doubles. If identical numbers are thrown on the first roll, the stakes are doubled. The doubling cube is turned to 2 and remains in the middle. Players usually agree to limit the number of automatic doubles to one per game.  
           [0028]    Beavers. When a player is doubled, he may immediately redouble (beaver) while retaining possession of the cube. The original doubler has the option of accepting or refusing as with a normal double.  
           [0029]    The Jacoby Rule. Gammons and backgammons count only as a single game if neither player has offered a double during the course of the game. This rule speeds up play by eliminating situations where a player avoids doubling so he can play on for a gammon.  
           [0030]    Irregularities  
           [0031]    The dice must be rolled together and land flat on the surface of the right-hand section of the board. The player must reroll both dice if a die lands outside the right-hand board, or lands on a checker, or does not land flat.  
           [0032]    A turn is completed when the player picks up his dice. If the play is incomplete or otherwise illegal, the opponent has the option of accepting the play as made or of requiring the player to make a legal play. A play is deemed to have been accepted as made when the opponent rolls his dice or offers a double to start his own turn.  
           [0033]    If a player rolls before his opponent has completed his turn by picking up the dice, the player&#39;s roll is voided. This rule is generally waived any time a play is forced or when there is no further contact between the opposing forces.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0034]    The system provides for conducting a backgammon tournament for multiple pairs. The scoring of individual matches is tallied and, based on the score for each individual player during the tournament, players are ranked and Gammon points are awarded. Gammon points are accumulated over time and different levels of expertise are achieved. In addition, winning averages are developed over time allowing for stratified games in tournaments. An alternative to stratified games will be games using the players handicap. With the use of Gammon points won, the winning average, as well as the handicap system, players of every level and ability can play and have a reasonable expectation of winning some number of points. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0035]    The game is played by multiple pairs of players. The ideal number of players is twenty players or ten tables. Each pair has a first chair or player and a second chair or player. A game represents a pair playing Backgammon until a winner is established. In a ten pair tournament, there will be two (2) game per round and ten rounds per tournament. This will total twenty games per tournament. At the end of each round, the player sitting in the second chair will move up to play the next round with a new opponent. This way each first player will play every second player in the tournament. The player at table one, chair two will move up to table two, table two to table three, table three to table four, etc. The player at table ten moves to table one. The game is run by a director or a computer whose function is to roll the dice. The roll of the dice determines how the player can move the checkers. For example, if the dice roiled a 6 and a 3, the player can move one checker 6 points and a second checker 3 points, or the player can move one checker 9 points. The decision of which checkers to move is a decision of the player. To decide which player of the pair goes first, a pair of dice of different color, corresponding to the colors of the checkers played by the pair, are rolled. The dice of the color having the higher number indicates that player has the first move. If the first roll shows matching numbers, the scoring of the game will be doubled and the dice rolled again. During movement of the checkers, a checker may not move onto a point occupied by two or more of the opponent&#39;s checkers. If a single checker is moved for both parts of the move, the first part of the move also cannot be to a point occupied by two or more of the opponent&#39;s checkers.  
         [0036]    By using a single source of rolled dice, each member of the pair, first player or second player, plays the same dice as every other member of each pair. Since the decision of which checkers to move is up to each individual player, the details of the play of the game will vary from pair to pair.  
         [0037]    Duplicate backgammon uses a different scoring system. When one player removes all of the checkers from the board, the scoring is calculated. The winner receives one point for each checker in the home board of their opponent. They receive two points for each checker on the other two parts of the board. They receive three points for any checker in their opponent&#39;s home board. If the loser did not bear off any checkers, the score will be doubled.  
         [0038]    Ideally, ten tables will be used, each table used by a pair. With the roll of the dice, all first players or all second players use the same roll of dice. The rolling of dice continues until all games are completed. Again, due to the fact that each player-chooses how to move their checkers in response to the roll of the dice, the outcomes of each game will be different. Each pair plays three games at which point the pairs are changed so that each player plays a different opponent. The playing of two games against each opponent completes a round. Match points are awarded to negate the effect of a lopsided win or loss.  
         [0039]    Each game is scored by total points and at the end of the game, the total points are converted to match points. The scores for all first players and all second players are ranked separately. To calculate match points, a player receives one point for each player that he/she beats who is sitting in the same seat designation as he/she. He/she receives one-half a point for each player he/she ties. The maximum number of match points he can receive per game is nine, the maximum number of points per tournament is 180, 9 by 2 by 10 tournament. Forty percent of the first seat players and forty percent of the second seat players will win some number Gammon points.  
         [0040]    Gammon points are awarded to the winners of the tournament. The number of Gammon points won depends on the number of tables in play. One tenth of a point for each table is awarded for first place, second place receives half the number of points as first place and third place receives one quarter the number of points of first place and fourth place receives 0.13 of the points awarded to first place. In the event two players are tied, the point totals for their positions are added and split evenly. If there is a tie for fourth place, for the last place for which points are awarded, the points are divided evenly between the two.  
         [0041]    Gammon points won in tournaments are accumulated over time. Levels of accomplishments are based on the number of points won over time. Points won at high level, special tournaments are granted special favors. These points are designated with a color to result in a “pigmented point system”. Points won at local clubs and on the Internet are designated black, those won at sectional events will be black and silver, regional tournaments are black and gold, and those at national events are designated black, gold and platinum.  
         [0042]    Levels are achieved based on accumulated Gammon points. A novice player will have up to 20 points of any color. A junior master will have 20-50 points of any color, and a club master will have 50-100 points of any color. A sectional master will need up to 200 points of which 25 will be silver, whereas a regional master will require up to 250 points of which 25 will be silver and 25 gold. A national master will have 300 points of which 25 will be silver, 25 will be gold and 25 will be platinum. A grand master, the highest achievable level, will require 500 points with 25 silver, 25 gold, 25 platinum and 5 diamond points. The designation of different levels of achievement allows stratified tournaments.  
         [0043]    With stratified tournaments, a large number of players are involved and players at a lower level can compete against players at a higher level yet be scored against only players at the same level. A first scoring will take into account all players who participate in the game, the second scoring will exclude players at the highest level, and a third scoring will exclude the first and second highest level. The Gammon points awarded for each level will be based on the number of players included at each level. Under such a system, a player at a lower level can earn points for accumulating more match points than players at a higher level, and if they do not score higher, have a chance to score by being compared with players at their own level.  
         [0044]    In an example of how a stratified tournament would operate, a hypothetical tournament has 15 total pairs with the 15 first players ranked against each other and the 15 second players ranked against each other. In this case, if there are five players in the highest level, five players in the second level and five players in the third level, the 15 players for both first and second players are ranked sequentially from top to bottom. All 15 players are ranked and 40%, 6 players, receive Gammon points. These top six players receive points regardless of which level they are in. The five highest level players are then excluded and the remaining 10 first and second players are ranked separately, and four players of these 10 receive points. Lastly, the five players in the lowest level are ranked against each other and the top two, 40%, receive Gammon points. This allows players to earn points in a higher level but not at a low level. The number of points awarded is always dependent on the number of players ranked. In this instance, the top player of the 15 players ranked receive 1½ points, the highest player of the 10 players ranked in the second scoring receive 1 point and the highest player of the five players being ranked receive ½ a point. If a player were to receive points in more than one grouping, they are awarded the highest number of points.  
         [0045]    Besides a stratified tournament, a handicap can be used to level the playing field between players of different abilities. Under a handicap system, a player has points added to their score based on that player&#39;s average score and a percentage of the maximum number of points possible in a game. In an instance with 10 pairs playing, the maximum score a player could have is 270, based on nine points per game and 30 games. The average would then be 135 points, half of the maximum. A handicap can be calculated as the difference between a player&#39;s average score and a percentage of the maximum score. In a preferred embodiment, the handicap is calculated as the difference between the average score and 60% of the maximum score since the top 40% of the players earn Gammon points. An average player would have an average of 135 and a handicap of 27 based on the difference between the average and 60% of 270. If a tournament is played with other than 30 games, the handicap could be proportionately changed.  
         [0046]    Variations and modifications of the invention would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. The number of points awarded for match play between pairs and Gammon Points awarded to the winners of a tournament could be altered without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention covers such modifications and variations.
The system provides for conducting a backgammon tournament for multiple pairs. The scoring of individual matches is tallied and, based on the score for each individual player during the tournament, players are ranked and Gammon points are awarded. Gammon points are accumulated over time and different levels of expertise are achieved. In addition, winning averages are developed over time allowing for stratified games in tournaments. An alternative to stratified games will be games using the players handicap. With the use of Gammon points won, the winning average, as well as the handicap system, players of every level and ability can play and have a reasonable expectation of winning some number of points.