The pairings and detailed results for 2013 are available in an on-line spreadsheet.
The rules of the championship are described below. Please see also the BIC addendum 2013.
Idea
Creation in 2012 and playing in 2013: a Belgian Individual Championship to have in 2014 a division 1 with exactly 8 players and a division 2 grouping all the other participants. The format could be changed and/or extended in the next years if necessary.
For 2013: all players in the same division but in multiple groups if more than 8 participants.
No entry fee in 2013. No prizes are given by BGFed.be but a generous sponsor donates some precious presents.
Who?
- Frequently playing persons mentioned on the Bigelo ranking. To be precise: experience of at least 100 on 01/12/2012. Exceptions tolerated by BGFed.be approval.
- Member in 2013 of BGFed.be (5,- € for 1 year)
How in 2014?
Division 1: 8 players, every player plays against all the other opponents (best-of-three till 11, 2-0 or 2-1). Ranking based on number of victories, mutual encounters and set average (difference +/-) to rank numbers 1 to 8. Winner is Belgian Individual Champion, players ranked 6 to 8 go to division 2. Format and length of matches could change and/or be extended.
Division 2: all other players. Tournament format and match length depend on the number of participants. Players ranked 1 to 3 go to division 1.
New players (not participating in 2013) start in division 2 in 2014. For the next years: if a player does not participate in a given year, he or she will start the next year in the lowest division. If a player does not complete all matches in a given year without a valid reason, he or she will not have access to the BIC the next year.
How in 2013?
Format and length of matches are depending on the number of participants: not more than 8 players per group, giving at most 7 matches per player.
If 8 players or less: one group, round-robin (everybody plays everybody). Match length: best of three sets to 11 points, result 2-0 or 2-1. Ranking based on number of victories, mutual encounters and set average (difference +/-) to rank 1 to 8. Winner is Belgian Individual Champion, players ranked 5 to 8 go to division 2 in 2014.
If 9 players or more: two or more groups of (approximately) the same size, no more than 8 players per group. The match format is depending on the number of participants in each group. Up to 6 players: best of five sets to 11 points, score 3-0, 3-1, or 3-2. If 7 or 8 players: best of three sets to 11 points, score 2-0 or 2-1.
Assignment of players to the groups: draw based on Bigelo ranking on 1 December with seeding rights. Suppose for instance there are 11 participants with Bigelo ranks 1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 28. Then players 1 and 3 go into the first urn, 8 and 9 in the second urn, 10 and 14 in the third urn, and so on, up to the sixth urn, containing only player number 28. From each urn, one player is drawn to go to the first group, and the other goes to the second group.
Final result if two groups: ranking within each group based on number of victories, mutual encounters and set average (difference +/-). Then the winners of each group play a final for the title of BIC. The four best players of each group will play in division 1 in 2014; the others in division 2. If three groups: to be considered but the same principles apply.
Schedule
BGFed.be supports ‘live’ backgammon play and organizes ‘live’ tournaments.
Home and away matches will be sorted by draw. At home is normally around the city where the players live (for Van Middelem: Brussels; for Van Herreweghe: Tienen; for Van Dijke: Antwerp). Players should be flexible in fixing a date and a venue. And: solidarity should prevail (picking up someone at the bus or train station) and we count on the goodwill of all the participants! (Even if Van Middelem is playing at home against Meuwis, he’s ready to drive to Hasselt!) And most of the players can meet in Leuven or Brussels (before a club evening, for example). Home and away should not be taken too strictly. The most important thing is that appointments should be made sufficiently long in advance. Because backgammon is a social event, BGFed.be strongly recommends meeting before or during club evenings and tournaments in Antwerp, Brugge, Brussels, Gent, Hasselt, and Leuven.
A complete program will include all matches to be played in each group. Starting with match 1 to (X to 7). Players should try to stick to the order of this program (though it’s not a real necessity, as long as the imposed deadlines – see below – are respected). By making appointments, priority should go to the scheduled order of matches.
Deadlines are imposed to insure matches are played at a regular basis. Deadlines will depend on the number of matches to be played and the length of matches. Example: if 7 best-of-three matches (14 to 21 sets) to be played: 3 sets by 28/02; 6 sets by 30/04; 9 sets by 30/06; 12 sets by 31/08; 15 sets by 31/10; etc. All matches should be finished by 15/11/2013! All appointments should be confirmed by email, with a copy to the tournament director. The tournament director will follow the progress of the tournament closely; if needed, warning messages will be sent. These deadlines will only be guidelines to avoid having players who will start their program too lately.
Rules
The BIC will be played according to the rules of the World Backgammon Association.
Unlike matches in the 4 Cubes / tournaments / club evenings, where you have captains / referees / organizers who can handle eventual quarrels, in most cases the players of BIC matches will be on their own. BGFed.be counts on a very high level of gentleman’s agreement.
BGFed.be cannot foresee all possible dispute scenarios but let’s say that a slip of the mind (damned, I didn’t see I could enter a checker from the bar to the six-point) is a mistake; a mechanical error (I really think the score is 8-8 even if the scoreboard mentions 9-8; this checker put on the bar has inadvertently fallen on the board) is not.
BGFed.be strongly dislikes illegal moves but in absence of a referee, the legal moves rule cannot be enforced. Still, we count on the goodwill of the players, especially if a match is annotated.
Anything not in the rules and requiring arbitrage will be considered seriously by BGFed.be and the BIC organizer.
Clocks
Clocks are in use if available (and very strongly recommended). Playing with a clock cannot be refused by one player if the other requests it. The time control for a set to 11 points is Bronstein with 22 minutes bank time plus 12 seconds per move.
Annotation
Annotation of matches in 2013: ONLY if both players agree. The way they agree is their concern.
- Most common way to behave if both players agree: the player who takes notes (by pen or computer) receives 20 seconds per move (instead of 12). The match MUST be annotated till the end, even if the player who takes notes is in Zeitnot. BGFed.be counts on the goodwill of the participants – for example, the player who takes notes can ask to stop the clock to recover from notation mistakes. If this common way is used, both players must receive the analysis of the game.
- Take care: a lot of players do not agree with this common way, they would allow taking notes only in the 12 allowed seconds. If this is the case, taking notes in Zeitnot is not obliged neither sending the analysis to the opponent.
- The use of a camera to record a match is allowed but the owner of the camera gets 12 seconds (not more) per move like his opponent and MUST send the analysis to his opponent.
Registration
By email to tournament director Guy Van Middelem: guy.van.middelem@telenet.be. Deadline: November 20, 2012.
Registration fee: 5,-€ BGFed.be membership fee, to be paid in cash to Guy Van Middelem or Johan Segers or by bank transfer to:
330-0707961-12
Johan Segers, Oudebaan 126, B-3360 Korbeek-Lo, Belgium
ING BELGIUM; IBAN: BE19 3300 7079 6112; BIC SWIFT: BBRUBEBB
Prize giving ceremony?
Will be held between 16/11 and 31/12/2013.
