Hello,

First of alll let me introduce myself Im Bogdan im 35 years old.And i love backgammon been playing it as child.And now people are keep pushing me to go into tournaments.I wanted to know how fierce is the competition in tournaments.I do a lot better online then live.And on Microsoft backgammon i lose about 1 in 20 games.
What do you guys think is this enough to be taken seriously?

If there is a local club that holds tournaments in your area, by all means, give it a try! Usually, the entry fees are small, and you should have a lot of fun, win or lose.

Entering a national or international tournament is another thing entirely. Travel and hotel costs can be prohibitive unless the tournament is held in your area. Competition is generally quite strong, but this may be offset if you can enter a beginner or intermediate division. With costs so high, there are very few who a show a profit at the end of a season. The reason most people enter these big tournaments is because they like them! If one comes to your town, I would definitely check it out.

If you use XG, what is your PR? In GnuBg, a similar stat is called “Snowie ER.” The average open player in the US has a PR around 6.0-6.5. I don’t know about intermediates, but my guess is that PRs range between, say, 6.0 and 18.0, averaging around 10.0.

One thing I would say, it is time for you to move up from Microsoft’s online backgammon. Try SafeHarborGames, GridGammon, or FIBS. GridGammon is generally acknowledged to have the strongest players, including many of the world’s best, but signing up can be a hassle. A caveat: at SafeHarborGames, be sure you play only in the “rooms” that have regular dice. You’ll see the warnings when you get there. Lastly, wagering online is not a good idea. All too often, your opponent will be getting help from a bot!

Mike