Bristol Premier League Division Two rules and formats 2024
(a k a PREMIER TWO)
Eligibility for the Bristol Premier League
Until 2023 eligibility to play in the Bristol Premier League was dependent on the assignment of Premier Status. Click here for the criteria. However, from the 2023 season eligibility is achieved a via a vetting process.
Rules for Premier Two 2024
The season
The league season runs from January 1st to November 30th inclusive. Only play-off matches can be concluded after the end of the season, but these MUST be completed by December 14th at the very latest.
Membership and number of matches
The twenty-eight members of the league were split into two equally sized divisions of fourteen players (known as Premier Two Blue and Premier Two Red), where each player plays each other twice in first-to-11-point matches, which can be arranged at any time during the season and at any place to suit the players.
It is the responsibility of each player to ensure completion of his/her fixtures in the allotted time.
Winning scores are truncated to 11 points.
League placings
League table placings are determined by the following criteria:
- (1) number of match points (3 for a win, less penalty points incurred);
- (2) "average points difference", i.e. points scored minus points conceded in matches throughout the season, divided by the number of matches completed;
- (3) results (i.e. wins and defeats, but not actual scores) of matches between players who could not be separated by criteria (1) and (2);
- and (4) play-offs where the first three criteria are indecisive and the finishing positions are significant in terms of prizes, promotion places, qualification for other events, or avoidance of relegation.
And the Premier Two championship will be decided by a single 11 points match play-off between the two divisional champions.
Promotion and relegation
Players occupying the top two positions in each of the two leagues at the end of the season will be deemed promoted to Premier One.
Additional Premier One places may become available, if qualifiers do not take up their positions, or if the numerical split between divisions needs to be changed as a result of numerical fluctuations in the total Premier League entry.
Players occupying the bottom four positions in each of the two leagues at the end of the season, plus the fifth from bottom player with the inferior record, will be deemed eligible for relegation to Premier Three.
Such relegation may be avoided in the event of either qualifiers for the following season's Premier One or Two not taking up their places, or the numerical split between divisions needing to be changed as a result of numerical fluctuations in the total Premier League entry.
The precise rules for population of the various divisions can be viewed here.
Reporting of results
Results must be reported to the Director and are only deemed to be results when they have been recorded by him (or his designated representative), and contestants must complete (and report the results of) their fixtures by the end of November.
THIS DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ALTERED.
BOTH players should report results, and in the event of a discrepancy occurring, the Director will endeavour to resolve this.
Any player querying a result or score more than seven days after the event will only effect an alteration with the consent of his/her opponent.
Alternative methods of play
Players may agree to "double up" the result of an 11-point match in another competition as a league result.
But this can only apply with the PRIOR agreement of both players.
This could be in another Bristol Backgammon competition, or any other event.
BUT IT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE TO PLAY A SINGLE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AND COUNT IT AS TWO RESULTS!
Internet play is (from 2021) permissible with the consent of both players.
The preferred website for online Bristol Backgammon play is Backgammon Studio Heroes, and our own room on that site will allow players to play with default settings of:
(i) pipcount on; and
(ii) clock on, set at 120 seconds per point with 10 seconds delay.
Entry fees
The entry fee for 2024 is £25.
This must be paid by the end of February, and will go into the fund for the engraving on the Premier Two trophy, engraved mementoes for the winner and runner-up of each division, and cash prizes for the top finishers in each division. An admin fee amounting to no more than 10% of the total fund will be charged by Bristol Backgammon.
Failure to pay the entry fee by the end of February will be punished by a single penalty point.
The split into two or more Divisions
Premier League membership has historically risen year on year.
A second division arrived in 2003, a third (Premier One and two Premier Two divisions) in 2008, a fourth (Premier One, two Premier Two divisions and Premier Three) in 2015, a fifth (Premier One, two Premier Two divisions and two Premier Three divisions), and a sixth (Premier One, two Premier Two divisions and three Premier Three divisions) in 2024.
The criteria for splitting into two or more divisions in any given season can be seen here.
The Penalty Points and Expungement processes
Players who lag behind schedule will incur penalty points (see Table PB and explanatory notes, below). Players who lag FAR behind the schedule will have their complete records expunged from the league table (see Table PB and explanatory notes, below). Both of these occurrences are subject to an appeals process, which is detailed below.
TABLE PB -- Penalty Points and Expungement
| Checkpoint date | Advisory schedule | Penalty avoidance | Expungement avoidance |
|---|
| 31 Mar | 10 results | 7 results | 4 results |
| 31 May | 15 | 13 | 10 |
| 31 Jul | 20 | 18 | 15 |
| 30 Sep | 25 | 23 | 20 |
| 30 Nov | n/a | 26 | n/a |
Penalty Points
are deducted on the following basis. By each of the checkpoint dates in table PB above, the number of results in the corresponding column 'Penalty avoidance' should have been reported by each player.
If not, penalty points will be deducted from that player's total points at the rate of 1 PENALTY POINT PER MATCH short.
The player can then claw back such penalties by avoiding penalty at the following checkpoint. Failure to catch up by that stage results in the penalties becoming permanent, although still subject to appeal.
At the end of the season, any results left unreported will be penalised at the rate of 4 PENALTY POINTS PER MATCH short.
At the September checkpoint only, a 5 points penalty shall be added to a player's "points against" column for each match short of the penalty avoidance requirement for that checkpoint.
Expungement
from the league table occurs when a player has not reported the number of results in column 'Expungement avoidance' at each checkpoint.
In this case, where a player has fallen so far behind the schedule as to seriously jeopardise the completion of the competition, all of that player's results will be erased from the record. This is also subject to appeal.
After the September 30th checkpoint expungement does not occur. At this point the Director reserves the right to take whatever measures he deems necessary to bring about the completion of the league, as far as is possible.
The advisory schedule
(see column 'Advisory schedule' in the table above) is nothing more than a guideline as to where you ought to be at any given checkpoint to have a chance of completing the season in good time.
Players' progress against the 'Advisory schedule' will be monitored throughout the season, however, and this evidence will be made available to any appeals sub-committee.
Appeals
against the imposition of expungement, penalty points or September "points against penalties" must be submitted to the Director within one week of notification, or -- in the case of end of season penalties -- within two days of notification.
This applies only to those punishments which have become "permanent", i.e which can no longer be clawed back.
The only possible exception to this would be at the end of the season, when failure to claw back points could be argued to be the result of exceptional circumstances.
A "sub-committee" of three peers, excluding any player with a possible vested interest in the outcome, will be asked to adjudicate on any appeal.
The appeals sub-committee shall have the power to reinstate or let stand penalty points, either in total or in part, or increase the penalty (but by no more than one point or 50%, whichever is the greater) where the appeal is felt to have been frivolous.
APPEALS SHOULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED SYMPATHETICALLY IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, e.g. unavailability through illness, or other unavoidable reasons, for a period in excess of two months.
The Director
shall have the power to take whatever decisions he considers to be in the best interests of the league.
Historical rule differences
The HALO status system (see below), has been abolished from the 2024 season.
Eligibility for the Premier League changed after the abolition of the distinction between Premier Status players and Intermediates. From 2024 eligibility is decided on a case by case basis.
Guidelines for arranging matches across different environments, known as the HALO status system, were introduced in 2022, along with a dedicated room for Bristol Backgammon League matches on the Heroes website.
Provisions for online play were made in 2021, as well as changes to the deadlines for league fee payment.
The September "points against" penalty was introduced in 2015, at which point the Director's discretionary powers were increased.
The entry fee was raised from £20 to £25 in 2013.
In 2010 a limitation was placed upon querying of results after a seven day period.
In 2008 the Director was given additional powers to resolve issues concerning completion of the season, and the table for splitting the league into various combinations of divisions was completely overhauled.
Before 2006, prize money was only available for the top three positions in each division. Also before 2006, there was no points penalty for late entry fee payment.
In 2003 promotion and relegation affected only three players in each division.
And the Penalty Points and Expungement
was adjusted during the season to allow for a player resignation.
For rules prior to 2003, click here.
Find out more about the Bristol Premier League by clicking on any of the following links:
Current Premier One rules
Current Premier Three rules
Current Premier Two Blue positions
Current Premier Two Red positions
Current Premier One positions
Current Premier Three positions
Premier Status
Procedure for splitting the Premier League
Back to Premier League home page