Please note that the format of both the Masters and the Advanced flights of the 2018 UK Open will be different from last year: see the Format and Schedule page.
If you are not sure whether you have already pre-registered for the 2018 UK Open, check the lists on the ‘Who’s Coming’ page. If your name is not yet listed and should be, please email contact@ukbgf.com immediately to pre-register, subject to availability of places. In the event that we become over-subscribed, pre-registered players will be given priority. Please also read the whole of this page carefully. Subsequent complaints or requests will be considered only if a player has followed the explicit instructions below.
Our allocation of rooms at Coombe Abbey Hotel for the UK Open has now sold out, and the hotel is full for that weekend. See the Venue page for alternative accommodation suggestions. Irrespective of whether you are staying at Coombe Abbey, staying at another hotel, or commuting to the venue, you need to pre-register to secure your place in the tournament. Nothing is payable in advance; all registration and entry fees and side pool monies are payable when you arrive at Coombe Abbey.
Player numbers are constrained by the space available on two floors of the Courthouse at Coombe Abbey. Total capacity is just over 150 and the total number in all flights on the Saturday at the 2017 UK Open was exactly 150 players. As at 27th July 2018 we have 125 players pre-registered. The Tournament Directors reserve the right to close registration for any flight at any time, depending on numbers already pre-registered. The Advanced Flight will, in any case, be limited to 64 players.
Therefore to secure your place in your chosen Flight you are strongly advised to pre-register by emailing contact@ukbgf.com stating whether you wish to register for Masters, Advanced or Social Swiss. If you also wish to play in the Super Jackpot commencing on the Friday night please state this in your email (Masters players only). You will receive a confirmation email and your name will in due course appear on the ‘Who’s Coming’ page. In most cases no advance payment of registration or entry fees is required and you may cancel at any time without penalty. However please do remember to let us know promptly if you find that you are unable to attend so that another player can take your place in case we become fully subscribed. We reserve the right to charge a non-refundable registration fee in advance to players who have in a previous year given inadequate notice of their cancellation, or have simply failed to turn up.
The amount of the registration fee is determined solely according to which flight you are entering; this year it does not depend on whether or not you are a member of the UK Backgammon Federation. However, exclusive UKBGF member benefits will include positive equity side events and added prizes from Geoffrey Parker Games. If you are not yet a UKBGF member but wish to join, please do so in advance of the UK Open using the online form. Full details of the benefits of membership with a link to this form, can be found on the Join page. We no longer accept membership applications or renewals in person at tournaments.
Except for Social Swiss players, registration closes at 10am on Saturday 1st September 2018. Regardless of whether or not you have pre-registered by email, if you are a Masters or Advanced player you must have paid your registration fee, entry fee and any side pool money by this deadline or you will not be included in the tournament draw.
You must be a UKBGF member before the UK Open commences to be eligible to win an added prize, or to earn UKBGF Tour points, or to qualify for the Tour Winners Invitational Tournament.
No entry fees are payable by Beginners or Social Swiss players players. The registration fee for the Social Swiss tournament is £10 which covers either or both days. If you think you might like to play in the Social Swiss competitions please email us in advance so that we can get an idea of numbers.
If you are playing in one of the three main flights and you do not email us to pre-register it may be possible for you to register on the day. However, if you choose not to pre-register, we cannot guarantee that places will still be available in the flight you wish to enter. As previously stated, numbers are limited and you run the risk that you will not be able to play. It is also a great help for the organisers to have a list of attendees in advance.
The Tournament Directors may, at their discretion, refuse entry to any player into any of the scheduled events. Players are expected to enter whichever flight is commensurate with their backgammon skill and experience. The acknowledgement by us of an email from a player wishing to pre-register for the Advanced flight (for example) does not guarantee that the player will be permitted to play in that flight. The Tournament Directors may subsequently require a player to upgrade to a different flight. The Advanced Flight is for players who are experienced with the use of the doubling cube but are of an intermediate standard, and do not generally enter Open level competitions.
To determine eligibility for a particular flight the tournament directors will take into account a number of factors including the general experience and reputation of the player, successes at previous UK Open (and other) tournaments, the player’s XG PR (Performance Rating) in any recorded matches and the player’s UKBGF Elo rating, both at the time of registering and over a period leading up to the UK Open. Particular attention will be paid to players whose Elo ratings are above 1600.
Players in both Masters and Advanced Flights will earn UKBGF Tour points. Those entering the Advanced Flight will automatically be entered into the Intermediate Tour competition.
In the Swiss event for social players, only genuine social and novice players will be permitted to play. Players who have previously played in a live backgammon tournament involving an entry fee and prize money may not be eligible to play in the Swiss event unless prior approval is obtained from the Tournament Directors.
Please note that there is no prize money payable to winners in the Advanced Flight unless the players concerned have entered the optional side pool.
If in doubt as to which flight you should enter, or if you have any other queries about registration, please email contact@ukbgf.com.
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