MABC Weekly Update
Results, Players of the Month, and Important Updates!
Greeting, backgammon friends,
Before jumping into some news, you have probably noticed that the club has really grown over the past month or so. We went from an average of 8 or so players per week to over 20 players regularly. This is awesome! But, it has also caused some unintended negative consequences. As a result, at the end of this email, and every email from now on, I am including a brief guide to the club. Whether you are new or a veteran, I ask you to please read it and, if needed, watch the video (also linked here). We want to keep the club running, and running smoothly. With so many players though, we need to make a few tweaks. Thank you for taking the time to consider them!
Now, onto some results! Last week, in a field of 22, Rick Penn returned to the winners circle, going 6-1 on the night, and defeating Bill Spruce in a 2 match final. Rick is in 2nd place in the club standings, and quickly closing in on the top spot! We also have some player of the month news! In August, I did not report, but Stephen Soukup claimed his first POTM. Stephen entered all 4 tournaments in August, going 12-6, winning one, and coming in second in another. In September, Bill Spruce earned his first POTM, going 15-6, winning one tournament, and coming in second in another. Great work, guys! It is great to see people claiming this most prestigious honor for the first time. Be sure to include it on your CV!
We will run as always tomorrow - 5 PM study session with Jason, and tournament at 6 PM sharp. Again, please see the notes below!
MeetUp Link (Please RSVP on MeetUp!)
All the best,
Wes
1) About us
Mid-Atlantic Backgammon Club (MABC) is an online club that came out of COVID. It welcomes players of all skill levels to its free weekly tournament that begins at 6 PM (Eastern Time) every Wednesday. Players compete for the glory of victory, bragging rights, and the admiration of their peers. The club maintains year-long player standings that can be found here: club standings.
We operate fully online and with no entry fee. The purpose of this is to provide a highly accessible tournament. We envision this being useful to everyone, but especially hope it creates a welcoming and low-stakes environment for those learning the game or who have trouble making it to live tournaments. Indeed, the director finds this latter part especially useful as making live tournaments is nearly impossible. However, the club is for everyone, and we welcome players of all skill levels, from beginners to grand masters!
In 2025, the club has grown from average tournament sizes of 8-10 to 20-24. This has made administration more challenging, which is what inspired the creation of this document. Whether you are a new or returning player, please take a moment to review this short document.
2) Format
Tournament Format: The tournament is a double elimination event. 5-point matches are played in the winner’s bracket and 3-point matches are played in the loser’s bracket. Due to the double elimination format, you can still win even if you find yourself in the loser’s bracket!
Tournament Forum: MABC uses three web applications to run its tournaments: Zoom, Challonge, and Backgammon Studio Heroes
• Zoom - The club uses Zoom for social interaction and face to face conversation during play. No account registration is required and the Zoom link is provided in the Club’s weekly emails.
• Challonge - The Club uses Challonge to create and manage the weekly tournament brackets. A free Challonge account is strongly encouraged, as it allows self-reporting of match results, as well as full visibility of playing-room assignments and the tournament’s progress. The link to the Challonge tournament page will be provided each week in the chat feature of Zoom.
• Backgammon Studio Heroes - The Club has its own “tournament room” labeled “Mid Atlantic Backgammon Club” located within Studio Heroes. An account with Studio Heroes is required.
3) How to join
How do I sign up?: Just send an email to midatlanticbg@gmail.com with your name, email address, and a phone number (preferred); indicate whether or not you already have a Heroes account. The Club can get you sponsored for an account but please note that Studio Heroes can take 24-48 hours to establish your account. If you ask on Tuesday or Wednesday, your account may not be established before we start the tournament on Wednesday. Please be patient with replies and recognize that this club operates gratis and the director has other obligations.
How does this work on Wednesday? Just follow the Club’s Zoom link to enter the meeting between 5:45 and 5:55 PM and hang out. If you’re new, please arrive closer to 5:45 PM (or earlier). The Club’s Director will take roll call to note who is present for the weekly tournament. The tournament bracket will be created and you and your opponent will head to a Zoom breakout room and play a match in Backgammon Studio Heroes.
4) Expectations
The learning curve for participation is small, but the time to get over the curve is not Wednesday at 6:00 PM. MABC has a Director and other Club “ambassadors” who would be happy to have a one-on-one call before your first tournament to get you all set-up with Heroes, Zoom, and Challonge. Please reach out! This can be by email before the tournament or via the chat function of Zoom before the tournament. The Zoom will open at 5:00 PM for a study session, so someone should be able to meet you in a breakout room then. Please use the chat feature when the study session is in progress. There is also a short video about the club that may be able to help you, that you can find in our weekly emails or here.
Etiquette: The goal of the Club is to provide a friendly, competitive and smooth-running backgammon tournament experience. Please help us!
• Please log into Zoom on Wednesday evenings between 5:45 and 6:00 PM. As we try to get the roll taken and the tournament started, this is a hectic time, mostly due to the online format. Please mute your microphones, keep chatter to a minimum, let the Director answer questions that may be asked and ensure any new players are included in the bracket.
• Please have a basic working knowledge of Zoom and Heroes
• In Zoom, you need to be able to use the mute key to mute and unmute yourself, use the chat feature, and be able to navigate to a breakout room to meet your opponent. (If you need help with this you can reach out to the Director to schedule an orientation prior to the tournament; if you forget something during the tournament, please ask for help and someone can take you to a breakout room to assist)
• Make a Challonge account (free) and report your own results, (www.challonge.com) and keep an eye on the bracket to see who you play next, and in what room. This historically was handled entirely by the Director, however with the larger number of participants, it has become challenging.
• Watch the video to familiarize yourself with Heroes, please figure out how to find your way to our tournament room. The Director has made a video on club rules and expectations, and there is a short tutorial at the end
• Additional notes
• Be mindful of background noise around you. If your TV or radio is on, please stay muted as that is distracting to everyone else in the meeting.
• If you wish to socialize between matches, we will designate one room for that. Or, you can hang in the main room and socialize if the Director is not also playing a match.
• Have fun and be nice to your opponents. Basic backgammon behavior is expected. This is a fun game, and there is no money involved.
• If you can’t stay for the whole tournament, please don’t enter. If you exist early, it leaves long waits for people.
• Let the Director know if you are leaving for more than a couple of minutes. If you will step away to get dinner or something, that’s fine, but please let the Director know and be back before your next match. If your match is set to start and you’re not present and we can’t reach you, you will have 5 minutes before a forfeit is awarded to your opponent. This tournament can run rather late on a Wednesday, so we cannot push it even later due to someone disappearing.
congratulations on the growing success of MABC!