Talking during tournament play

Blitz · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 18

Are there any rules about talking to your opponent during a match in a backgammon tournament? I was recently in a tournament and one of the people I played against was constantly talking, saying stuff like “What’s the pipcount?” “Which checker should I move?” “Take that man!” He wasn’t really saying anything abusive, but it was just annoying. Are there any rules against that sort of thing?

Catalin · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 24

Well, I have been in a few tournaments and I’ve never been exposed to anything like this. If your opponent was asking for the pipcount and advice about what checker to move, maybe he was talking to himself and didn’t realize what was going on. If he was actually asking you then you could fight back by giving him the wrong pipcount or bad advice!

Pigeon · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 13

There are no official rules about talking during a match. This is sort of up to the discretion of the tournament director. If it was really bothering you then you could first ask the other player to stop talking and if he didn’t listen then you could call the tournament director who would probably impose a rule of silence for the match or something similar.

I play in monthly tournaments and usually it’s the same people who play every month. We have all gotten to be friends, so we talk during the matches and joke around. However, if we are playing against people we don’t know, or in more serious tournaments we are generally quiet unless something important needs to be said. I think that’s how everyone should be.