When you are ready to complete your application to join the UKBGF, using a credit or debit card to make a secure online payment, please click HERE. Prospective Youth members (UK residents under the age of 26), for whom UKBGF membership is free, please click HERE.
If you enjoy playing backgammon please consider joining the UKBGF – the cost and benefits of membership are listed further down this page.
The best way to grow the game of backgammon for the benefit of both new and existing players is by means of subscription income and practical assistance from as many members as possible. With your help we will continue to build a diverse community catering for all backgammon players. If you would like to read more about what the United Kingdom Backgammon Federation does before you join, go to What is the UKBGF? (and other pages under the ‘About’ tab).
When you are ready to join the UKBGF for the first time, please click Apply to Join, select either one-year or three-year membership, and complete the online form including payment details by credit or debit card. Note that joining for three years involves a one-off payment, whereas one year membership requires the completion of a recurring payment mandate for future annual renewals. The recurring payment mandate saves time and effort, both for you and for the UKBGF, and can be cancelled at any time without notice. We will even refund your fee if you realise that it has recently been taken because you forgot to cancel.
If you have been a member in the past, but you know that your membership has lapsed (and to confirm that it has), you should visit your membership account: https://ukbgf.com/membership-account/ and log in with your original username (or email address) and password prior to renewing. If you cannot remember your password, click ‘Lost your Password’ and a new temporary password will be emailed to you. If you just try to join again without logging in, the system will not allow you to use the same username or email address as used for your earlier membership. Once logged in to your membership account, select ‘Renew’ for the same period of membership as previously, or ‘Change’ to switch from 1- to 3-year membership or vice versa. If you have any difficulty, just email subscriptions@ukbgf.com for assistance.
If in doubt about whether your membership is still current, and you have played any live or online rated matches in UKBGF-affiliated clubs or events, first check either the live or online ratings where members’ names are in bold (start entering your name in the Filter box). You can also check your current membership status, category, renewal date and (for 1-year members) recurring payment details in your membership account. You will first be prompted to log in with your username (or email address) and password (or if you have forgotten this you can request a new temporary password). If your membership has lapsed, please proceed as in the previous paragraph to re-join for 1- or 3-years and follow the renewal instructions. If you experience any difficulty please email subscriptions@ukbgf.com for assistance.
Please note that automated emails which will be sent to you when you complete the online join process should be regarded as an acknowledgement of receipt of your application, and not confirmation of your membership. Your UKBGF membership will not be effective until reviewed and accepted by the UKBGF. Membership may be refused and fees refunded as deemed appropriate by the UKBGF in its sole discretion.
UKBGF Membership Fees
Membership Level | Youth (Under 26)* | Student** | Adult (26 & over) |
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1-year | Free | Free | £25 |
3-year | N/A | N/A | £60 |
Life Member | N/A | N/A | £150-£500*** |
* Free Youth membership (for those under 26 years old) applies to UK residents only. To register as a Youth member click here.
** Free student membership applies to any UK national in full-time education, or to a student from overseas living in the UK while studying here. Students under 26 may use the link for Youth member applications.
*** The cost of Life membership is £500 for any player under 60. At age 60 the cost drops to £350 and is further reduced, by £20 for each additional complete year of age, to £150 for those aged 70 and above. Proof of age will be required before your Life membership is confirmed.
For Student or Life membership, please do not try to join using the link from this page; instead email subscriptions@ukbgf.com for more details.
All other prospective members should click here, select 1- or 3-year membership, and complete the online form, including payment details using a credit or debit card. This is a secure automated process: no payment card data is accessible to UKBGF officers and none is recorded on the UKBGF website. All automated membership fee payments are processed by Stripe, and card details are encrypted when entering their payment gateway. After joining, only the last 4 digits of a member’s card number, and its expiry date, are accessible to the UKBGF via our Stripe account.
You may select either one year membership for £25, or three years for £60. If you select one year, a recurring payment mandate will be set up for ease of renewal. You can cancel this mandate at any time or, if you forget to cancel before it goes through, you may request a refund (within a reasonable timescale). Three year membership requires a one-off payment of £60 without a recurring payment mandate. One week before their membership expires, a three year member will receive an automated reminder email to renew.
Once the application process is completed, your membership number will be allocated and you will have access to the Members’ Area of the website using your chosen password. You will also be eligible for all the member benefits listed below.
Players were originally invited to become UKBGF members in April 2015 and one of the objectives set by the first elected Board (which can be found here on the blog) was to have at least 250 members by the end of 2016. This number was attained ahead of schedule, and by March 2023 the there were well over 700 members.
Welcome to the club!
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UKBGF Membership Benefits
Benefits which apply to all members include:
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- 10% discount off ALL ArtGammon products, including boards, during 2024. Mention that you are a UKBGF member when contacting them.
- The right to vote and stand as a candidate in future UKBGF Board (or other) elections;
- Access to non-public areas of the UKBGF website including UKBGF Accounts and Papers;
- Access to all material on the UKBGF website. As well as tournament blogs and round-ups, this includes analysed matches between top players from the UK and abroad, articles on backgammon theory, instructional videos, and more;
- All matches played in UKBGF affiliated clubs and UKBGF recognised events are included in the UKBGF National Ratings System, freely available to all players – the names of UKBGF members appear in bold in this list;
- All matches played in UKBGF affiliated online events are included in the UKBGF National Online Ratings System, freely available to all players – the names of UKBGF members appear in bold in this list;
- Eligibility to play in the UKBGF Online League and Knockout, sponsored in 2023 by ArtGammon, and to qualify to win prizes in these events;
- Eligibility to play in annual UKBGF online championships;
- Eligibility to enter the Backgammon Hub Online Championships;
- Eligibility to receive UKBGF Tour points for every Tour event entered – the top 16 of both UKBGF Live Tours – Masters and Intermediate – will receive free entry, including accommodation, to the annual Tour Winners Invitational tournament;
- Eligibility for selection by UK Team Captains (online and live) to represent the UK in International Team Championships (subject to fulfilling appropriate selection criteria);
- A discount of 10% off all tuition services (except videos) listed on the Backgammon Workshop (BGWS) website – see the Tuition section in the ‘Resources’ drop-down menu for more details;
- Reduced registration fees, or other member bonuses, at the UKBGF Clubs Championship and at various other tournaments, some of which are on the UKBGF Tour;
- Eligibility to win added prizes, including backgammon boards, at some UKBGF Tour events;
- A discount of 10% off any order placed with KATGAMMON (excludes boards and precision dice). Mention that you are a UKBGF member when asking for a quote.
- A discount of 5% off any backgammon board order placed with Gammoner boards. Mention that you are a UKBGF member when asking for a quote: US; Europe
- Premium membership upgrade on Backgammon Studio Heroes discounted from $30 to $25 per year – the upgrade page for UKBGF members is here;
- A discount of 20% off the cost of eXtremeGammon analysis software (first activation only). Note that you may download XG for a free trial period of 14 days with all features enabled before deciding whether or not to buy. When you are convinced that you need to keep this essential learning tool permanently you can still get the 20% discount by using an activation code purchased from UKBGF. Just email contact@ukbgf.com for payment instructions.
- Update emails, and other important notifications, are circulated to all members (except those who choose to opt out) from time to time, providing news and information about events and opportunities for players.
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UKBGF Founder and Life Members
All Founder and Life members of the UKBGF will enjoy all the benefits of membership listed above, plus any benefits which may be added subsequently, for their lifetime with no further subscription payments ever becoming due. The cost of life membership depends on your age as detailed in the above table of membership fees. If you wish to join as a Life Member of the UKBGF, or to upgrade from one or three year membership, please email subscriptions@ukbgf.com. Please do not try to use the online ‘Join’ form which cannot be used for life membership applications.
There are four Founder Members of the UKBGF and this special membership category is no longer available. In addition to all the benefits listed above, founder members received:
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- Lifetime membership
- A specially embossed UKBGF Doubling Cube
- A series of free lessons from some of the UK’s best players
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UKBGF Member No.1
The unique opportunity to become the very first member of the United Kingdom Backgammon Federation was sold to the highest bidder at the annual Charity Backgammon and Bridge tournament held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London, on Sunday 22nd March 2015. Scope received all the money raised at this event, including all auction proceeds, to fund its essential work helping people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.
James Ramsey placed the winning bid of £1700 and is therefore UKBGF Member No.001. The size of the winning bid qualified James for lifetime founder membership of the UKBGF – congratulations James!
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Further benefits for all members will be added over time.
When you are ready to complete your application to join the UKBGF, using a credit or debit card to make a secure online payment, please click HERE. Prospective Youth members (UK residents under the age of 26), for whom UKBGF membership is free, please click HERE.
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