UPDATE Grand Prix Round 2 - Backgammon (Take 2)

If you read the forum thread, as instructed, you would know that there were many legitimate concerts with the format for round 2 of the grand prix. As state, the grand prix itself is an experiment, and changes are constant. If we ever do this again, it should be a much smoother operation. In the meantime, I have completely rewritten the rules for round 2.

More importantly, I have also decided to sacrifice one of the principals of the grand prix itself. I originally planned each round to last a week or two. Now I realize that is not possible due to the online ad-hoc nature of the competition. Therefore, participants must expect that while any individual round of the grand prix will be somewhat short, the entire competition may last for months. Anyway, here are the new updated rules for the backgammon round.

The backgammon round of the tournament will consist of a swiss tournament of six rounds. Every participant will play six opponents, one per round. In each match the opponents will play repeated games of backgammon until one of the players has scored a total of 5 points. The first player to reach five points is the victor.

The game will still be played according to standard backgammon rules using the doubling cube. One variant to those rules that will be used is the Crawford rule. No other rule variants will be in effect. Any digital or physical mechanism of playing backgammon is permitted.

The first round of the tournament will be seeded by convenience and also randomness. Each player who actually wishes to participate in this first round must email grandprix@frontrowcrew.com before Wednesday, March 20th 2013 New York time declaring that they wish to participate. A lack of any email will disqualify a player from the second round, and they will score zero grand prix points. In that email a player may either declare the name of their first round opponent, or request to be randomly paired. In the case of an odd number of players, a player will be randomly selected each round to receive a bye. Rounds after the first round will be seeded properly based on performance in earlier rounds.

It is up to the players to coordinate with each other and play their backgammon match within 7 days. If the first match must be completed and reported by Wednesday March, 27th 2013 New York time. Both players must submit the final scores by email to ensure they match. The score, and not just the name of the victor, is important for tie-breaking and seeding purposes.

If there is improper reporting, or if a match is not played or reported on time, the match will be scored as a draw. If the reports of both players conflict, it will result in a draw unless one player provides evidence to prove their opponent is lying. Anyone caught lying or cheating even once will be immediately disqualified from the entire grand prix. The opponent of a cheater will receive a total victory for that round. If you trust your opponent, no evidence gathering will be required for this round.

As usual, any questions and discussion that are necessary may be posted in the official forum thread for this round. Good luck.