Bristol Backgammon has no membership fee, but some events you turn up for will have an advertised entry fee. Other events will be free of charge.
Since the start of 2006, Bristol Backgammon has had a meeting every THURSDAY. And from the start of 2008 we have had a regular MONDAY session, where there is less formality, and the emphasis is on fun and education.
The Thursday events are staged at the Rainbow Casino, while the Monday events take place at Sportsmans (a k a the Bristol County Sports Club) in Colston Street.
That means eight or nine different events every month, catering for a range of players from new and improving right through to expert.
Each of the Thursday events in any month will have a different competitive focus, while the Monday events are these days free of competition and solely geared towards learning and improving your game.
These Monday sessions are ideal for introducing yourself to what Bristol Backgammon is all about, and you will be guaranteed individual attention from at least one experienced player.
We also have LEAGUES, where you arrange your own fixtures, and play anywhere and at any time.
MONDAYS:
On Mondays, the session -- billed as "Ian's Backgammon Clinic" -- runs from 7pm to around 10pm.
Bristol Backgammon Director Ian Tarr (or a nominated deputy) will supervise, and activities will be arranged to suit whatever levels of player are present.
And because a great deal of discussion will inevitably be generated by the action, learning about the basics and the subtleties of the game are sure to follow.
These are also very social evenings.
THURSDAYS:
On the second Thursday of the month, there will always be a monthly grand prix tournament, where all players can test themselves against the best in the area under clock rules. The entry fee at these tournaments is £20 in March, June, September and December, and £10 in the other eight.
Nine times during the year there will be Handicap Knock-outs, where a new player would typically get a four points start against a top player in a match to 7 points. The entry fee for these is £10.
There are also eight GP20 knock-outs, where the entry fee is £20, and ten GP10 tournaments, where the entry fee is £10.
And we also have a series of eight Speedgammon tournaments, where clocks are set to scarily tight time allowances (entry is also £10 for these).
LEAGUES:
You will need to be in the right place at the right time to play in our Premier League, as entries are finalised on December 21st for each new season, which runs from January 1st to November 30th.
But we also have an informal league, the Bristol Feeder League, designed to involve all those newly aspiring league players who appear during the year.
League backgammon arguably the best way to get into competitive backgammon.
And since lockdown we have branched out into online play.
On MONDAYS and WEDNESDAYS we run tournaments at the Backgammon Studio Heroes website.
But whatever the focus of any event might be, the intention is that any player, with any agenda, can come along to any session and feel at home, even if only there to observe, or on a fact-finding mission.
Or you may just wish to talk to someone about how best to get started. If so, please email Ian Tarr, the Bristol Backgammon Director, or call, text or WhatsApp him on 07751 241774.