International Backgammon Federation

All details are in our telegram channel and on the IBF website https://t.me/ibf_backgammon 🎲

All details are in our telegram channel and on the IBF website https://t.me/ibf_backgammon

MORE CHECKERS ON ONE POINT DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN A STRONGER POSITION. In backgammon, checker distribution matters. Having several checkers on one point is not automatically a problem. But when too many checkers are concentrated in one place, fewer may be available elsewhere on the board. That can reduce mobility and flexibility, making it harder to build another point, hit an opposing checker, reposition your checkers, or use future rolls effectively. The goal is not simply to spread every checker out. It is to keep enough checkers available to support your plan and create useful options for future moves. Several checkers on one point may be perfectly reasonable in a given position. What matters is whether their placement supports your plan or limits what you can do next. Good checker distribution helps keep a position mobile and flexible. #Backgammon #IBF #BackgammonStrategy #LearnBackgammon

ASIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 — DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN 🎲 October 5–11, 2026 • Kohi Navruz Complex ⚡️$500,000 guaranteed prize money Watch the video to see what awaits you in Dushanbe!

Which would you choose?

❗️IBF Players Regulations 1. The official language of IBF is English* 2. During a match, players are prohibited from: • communicating verbally or in writing with anyone other than the referee • having computers, tablets, media players, headphones, smartwatches in the playing area or using them • using mobile phones (including calls, taking photos or videos of their position)* Violators may be removed from the playing area by decision of the referee. 3. Placing food or drinks in cups on the tables and consuming them at the playing tables is prohibited. 4. Smoking at the competition venue is strictly prohibited, including electronic cigarettes. 5. Dress code: 👔 Men — shirt or polo, jeans or trousers. Footwear: shoes or sneakers. 👗 Women — blouse or polo, skirt, dress, jeans or trousers. Footwear: shoes or sneakers. *Clarification: All official announcements and correspondence are conducted in English. Conversations during a match are prohibited — both between players and with spectators. Players may carry a mobile phone in silent mode only; however, its use during a match is strictly prohibited. All other electronic devices must remain outside the tournament hall — in hotel rooms or in a designated area provided by the organizers.

INFORMATION BEFORE REGISTRATION ON ASIAN GRAND PRIX 2026. TAJIKISTAN Before registration opens, please note the following information regarding participation in the tournament events: 🐥 Players competing only in backgammon can register for all 8 backgammon events 🐥 Players competing only in longgammon can register for all 4 longgammon events For players planning to compete in both backgammon and longgammon, several restrictions apply: 1️⃣ Players participating in the Longgammon Main cannot compete in the Backgammon Superblitz, and vice versa, as these events will be held simultaneously 2️⃣ Players who remain in the Longgammon Main after Round 6 and advance to Round 7 cannot participate in the Backgammon Masters Cup 3️⃣ Players who remain in the Backgammon Main after Round 8 and advance to Round 9 cannot participate in the Longgammon Masters Cup Please keep these restrictions in mind when registering and paying for the events. Registration will be opened in September!

STRAIGHT RACE OR CONTACT? One of the key differences between backgammon positions is whether contact still remains. In a contact position, the players have not yet moved all their checkers past each other, so hitting is still possible. Checkers can still be sent to the bar, and made points can restrict the opponent’s movement. Once all opposing checkers have passed each other and no further hitting is possible, the position becomes a straight race. At that point, the players have broken contact. The distinction is simple: Contact position — hitting is still possible. Straight race — no further hitting is possible. Recognizing when contact has ended helps you understand what kind of position is actually on the board. #Backgammon #IBF #BackgammonStrategy #LearnBackgammon

UNPRECEDENTED PRIZE FUNDS AT IBF TOURNAMENTS The total guaranteed prize fund for the Asian Grand Prix in Tajikistan is 💵500,000 (after tax deduction). 🏆 The guaranteed prize fund exceeds the total amount of entry fees by at least $150,000 IBF tournaments set a new standard for prize money in international backgammon. At IBF events, the organizers add their own funds to the players’ entry fees, significantly increasing the total prize pool. We look forward to seeing you at our tournaments 🎲

🏨 ACCOMMODATION For Asian Grand Prix 2026 participants, we recommend Hyatt Regency Dushanbe, one of the most convenient accommodation options with excellent accessibility. 📅 October 5–11, 2026 📍 Hyatt Regency Dushanbe, 26/1 Ismoili Somoni Avenue IBF has arranged a special accommodation rate at Hyatt Regency Dushanbe exclusively for tournament participants: Single Room — USD 160 Twin Room — USD 180 The payment to be made in cash at the reservation desk. To book your stay at the special rate, fill the form below: https://forms.gle/HEWj2Emi9BoaC4ND6 *If you are sharing a Twin Room with another participant, only one person should submit the hotel reservation form and indicate the roommate’s full name. Once we receive your request, we will contact you to confirm your booking. The number of rooms available at the special rate is limited. We recommend booking your accommodation in advance!

Join the Dushanbe tournament chat All important updates during the tournaments will be posted here: announcements, lists, and key information 👉 https://t.me/+kZcxtdG3aldhODMy

Who helped make backgammon fashionable? In the early 1960s, Alexis Obolensky set out to make backgammon more popular — not by changing the game itself, but by changing the way people saw it. He promoted backgammon in fashionable social circles and helped develop organized tournament play. One important milestone came in 1964, when Obolensky and Bindy Banker were behind the idea for an international backgammon tournament on Grand Bahama. The event attracted members of the international jet set and received coverage in Sports Illustrated. By 1973, TIME described a clear three-step approach behind this push: build social prestige, develop a tournament circuit, and expand the audience. By the early 1970s, backgammon had become a fashionable social phenomenon in the United States, increasingly visible at parties, clubs and in celebrity circles. Obolensky did not invent backgammon. But he played an important role in its 20th-century revival and popularization — which is why he is sometimes referred to as the “Father of Modern Backgammon.” A traditional game, reintroduced to a new generation.

BACKGAMMON BEYOND THE BOARD Backgammon has lived far beyond the playing board. Across centuries, backgammon — together with earlier games from the tables family — found its way into paintings, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, furniture and even public sculpture. From medieval manuscript scenes and Renaissance paintings to Arts and Crafts design and a modern monument in Yerevan, these works reveal how deeply the game became woven into social life and visual culture. Sometimes it appears as a quiet contest between two players. Sometimes as part of friendship, conversation and everyday life. And sometimes the game itself becomes a subject worthy of being preserved in art. Together, these ten examples tell a wider story: Backgammon was not only played. It was painted, carved, recorded and preserved. Swipe through ten remarkable examples of how backgammon and its predecessors became part of cultural history. Which one surprised you most? #Backgammon #IBF #InternationalBackgammonFederation #BackgammonHistory #CulturalHeritage #ArtHistory #BoardGames #BackgammonCulture

We continue sharing more details about the tournament in Tajikistan 🇹🇯 We are publishing the conventions for each discipline — check the information and get ready to compete. Registration will open very soon! Stay tuned and follow the updates — more important information about the Asian Grand Prix is coming soon 🎲

😜😖🤗😣🥵🥰😤😣 October 4 — Registration day 12:00-20:00 registration for all disciplines October 5, October 6, October 8, October 9 — Late registration days

We continue sharing more details about the tournament in Tajikistan 🇹🇯 We are publishing the conventions for each discipline — check the information and get ready to compete. Registration will open very soon! Stay tuned and follow the updates — more important information about the Asian Grand Prix is coming soon 🎲

THE INVISIBLE POSITION Strong players see more than checkers. Every backgammon position contains information that is not immediately visible. The visible arrangement of the checkers is only the surface. Beneath it lie threats, timing, connectivity, flexibility and the potential value of future rolls. Before choosing a play, look beyond the current move: Threats — What can your opponent do immediately, and what attacking threats are developing? Timing — How long can each side maintain its structure before being forced to break an important point or change the game plan? Connectivity — Do your checkers support one another, or are some of them isolated and difficult to use effectively? Flexibility — Can the position handle a wide range of future rolls constructively, or does it depend on one specific roll? Future rolls — Which rolls improve or preserve the position, and how costly are the rolls that do neither? A position is not just the current location of the checkers. It is also a network of possibilities, risks and relationships that will shape the next phase of the game. The board shows the checkers. Strong players read the relationships between them. Which of these elements do you evaluate first?

Five cities. One game. Different places. Different cultures. One shared passion — backgammon. Yerevan. Dubai. Tashkent. Tbilisi. And now, Dushanbe is next. The journey continues. Asian Grand Prix 2026 Dushanbe, Tajikistan October 5-11

SAME PIP COUNT. DIFFERENT POSITION. Pip count is an important part of evaluating a backgammon position. It tells us how much total distance the checkers still need to travel before they can all be borne off. But the same pip count can appear in positions that look — and play — very differently. That is why the number itself is only part of the picture. When comparing positions, it can also be useful to consider: Checker distribution — how are the checkers spread across the board? Contact — can opposing checkers still interact, including through hits? Positional structure — are there anchors, primes, made points, or vulnerable blots? Flexibility — how easily can the position adapt to different future rolls? In a pure race, pip count can be especially informative. In positions where contact remains, other positional and tactical features may also play an important role. The same distance to go can come with very different positional features. Pip count gives us one useful measure. The rest of the position helps put that number in context. #Backgammon #PipCount #BackgammonStrategy #IBF #InternationalBackgammonFederation #BackgammonEducation #CheckerPlayу

Guaranteed prize fund and number of players 🤩 The total guaranteed prize fund for the Asian Grand Prix in Tajikistan is 💵500,000 (after tax deduction). Please note that a 15% tax will be withheld from the prize money in accordance with Tajikistan’s legislation. We look forward to seeing you at our tournaments 🎲