Following previous years' popularity, there will be four Tiers of entry: Thrift (£30), Bronze (£60), Silver (£120), and Gold (£240). Upgrades close on the Thursday before the tournament.
In addition to the registration fee, each of the 64 players must subscribe £30 to the mandatory Thrift Tier, producing a guaranteed prize fund of £1,920 which will be 100% returned to 16 players as follows
If £75 (£65 for UKBGF members) is the depth of your pocket, read no further - simply go the Entry process page and sign up! If, however, you prefer to play for higher stakes, please read on....
Through additional payments, any player may enhance their entry beyond the mandatory Thrift Tier. An additional £30 (i.e. £60 entry in total) adds Bronze participation. Alternatively, an additional £90 (i.e. £120 in total) adds Silver; or an additional £210 (i.e £240 in total) gives entry into all four tiers. The aggregate additional prize monies for Bronze, Silver, and Gold Tiers will each be distributed across the various flights in the same proportion as the Thrift prize fund, rounded down to the nearest £1. These Tier-specific prizes will be awarded to the Tier entrant(s) who progress furthest in each flight (i.e. not necessarily those who progress to the end of a flight). If two or more players are tied for the highest ranking prize, the first two (or more, as applicable) prizes will be aggregated and shared equally between the tied players. The remaining lower ranking prizes will be awarded to (or, in the case of a tie, shared between) the players in the next highest ranking position
If fewer players in a particular tier qualify than there are prizes available in a given flight, then the number of prizes for that tier-flight will be correspondingly reduced, starting with the lowest prize. Prizes that are withdrawn in this manner will be returned in equal shares to all the players who entered that tier, rounded down to the nearest £1. For example: the Consolation Flight has four prizes available: winner, runner-up and two semi-finalists. If 20 players subscribe to the Silver tier, but only three of them qualify for the Consolation flight, then one of the Silver Tier Consolation semi-finalist prizes will be withdrawn and returned in equal portions to the 20 subscribers. In this example, the 20 Silver tier subscribers have paid 20 x £120 entry in total, of which 20 x £30 belongs to the Thrift Tier prize fund, 20 x £30 to the Bronze Tier, and 20 x £60 = £1,200 to Silver. The portion of this £1,200 Silver Tier total to be allocated to Consolation flight prizes is then calculated pro rata, based on the Thrift Tier prize distribution, i.e. (250+100+2x50)/1920 = 15/64. So the Silver Tier Consolation flight prizes in this example total 15/64 x £1200 = £281. This in turn yields 4 silver-tier-flight prizes of £156, £62 and 2 x £31 (rounded down). One of the £31 losing semifinalist prizes is to be withdrawn, so each silver tier subscriber is refunded £31/20 = £1 (rounded down).
Note that, in any flight, a prize-eligible subscriber in, say, the Silver tier, may or may not also win Bronze and Thrift Tier prizes - it will depend on whether they have also progressed furthest in those lower tiers.
Thrift Tier subscriptions are payable not later than 31 January 2025. You can then pay to upgrade to a higher Tier at any time until the Thursday before the tournament; downgrading of Tier entry will not be accommodated. A list of Gold, Silver and Bronze Tier entrants can be found here.
Optional side-pools... (which close immediately before play commences on Saturday)
are £10, £20 and £40 for each of the Main, Consolation and Second Chance flights, and £10 for Last Chance. There are no side-pools for the ReMAINders or DisCONSOlates flights. All pools are separate from each other. A player may enter none, one, or two adjacent value pools in the same flight. Each pool will be returned 70% to the player (or divided equally between two or more players) in that pool who progresses furthest in the relevant flight, and 30% (or similarly divided) to the player(s) who progress second-furthest, with the amounts paid being rounded to the nearest pound. Note that pool winners will not necessarily be finalists in their flight. If two or more players are tied, the 70% and 30% prizes will be aggregated and shared equally between the tied players.
You are strongly encouraged to subscribe to side-pools at the same time as you pay the applicable Tier subscription, but there will also be a very limited time window on the Saturday morning of the tournament to join side-pools. A list of advance side-pool subscriptions will be maintained on the web-site. Side-pool subscription(s) for lower flights than you actually play in will be refunded: e.g. if you subscribe to the £10 pools for each of the four flights, get relegated first to Consolation, and then to 2nd Chance, but avoid Last Chance; your £10 Last Chance pool subscription will be refunded.
Group "Calcutta" Auction
Prior to play commencing on Saturday, the 16 round robin groups will be randomly paired to produce an auction of 8 groups of 8 players. The "owner(s)" of the group(s) that contain the eventual winner and runner-up of the Main will receive 70% and 30% of the auction proceeds respectively, rounded down to the nearest £1.
Bad luck Awards
A choice of small prizes will be offered to each player who is first to achieve, and to claim from the Tournament Director, one of the following:
* Loses a match without scoring a point * Misses a triple direct shot * Dances against a one-point board
* Loses a match after leading "Crawford" * Qualifies for the Last Chance flight * Loses when hit after having borne off 12 or more checkers
In addition to the registration fee, each of the 64 players must subscribe £30 to the mandatory Thrift Tier, producing a guaranteed prize fund of £1,920 which will be 100% returned to 16 players as follows
- Main: Winner £500, runner-up £200, losing semifinalists £100 each.
- Consolation: Winner £250, runner-up £100, losing semifinalists £50 each.
- Second Chance: Winner £90, runner-up £45.
- ReMAINders: Winner £120, runner-up £50,
- DisCONSOlates: Winner £110, runner-up £50,
- Last Chance: Winner £70, runner-up £35.
If £75 (£65 for UKBGF members) is the depth of your pocket, read no further - simply go the Entry process page and sign up! If, however, you prefer to play for higher stakes, please read on....
Through additional payments, any player may enhance their entry beyond the mandatory Thrift Tier. An additional £30 (i.e. £60 entry in total) adds Bronze participation. Alternatively, an additional £90 (i.e. £120 in total) adds Silver; or an additional £210 (i.e £240 in total) gives entry into all four tiers. The aggregate additional prize monies for Bronze, Silver, and Gold Tiers will each be distributed across the various flights in the same proportion as the Thrift prize fund, rounded down to the nearest £1. These Tier-specific prizes will be awarded to the Tier entrant(s) who progress furthest in each flight (i.e. not necessarily those who progress to the end of a flight). If two or more players are tied for the highest ranking prize, the first two (or more, as applicable) prizes will be aggregated and shared equally between the tied players. The remaining lower ranking prizes will be awarded to (or, in the case of a tie, shared between) the players in the next highest ranking position
If fewer players in a particular tier qualify than there are prizes available in a given flight, then the number of prizes for that tier-flight will be correspondingly reduced, starting with the lowest prize. Prizes that are withdrawn in this manner will be returned in equal shares to all the players who entered that tier, rounded down to the nearest £1. For example: the Consolation Flight has four prizes available: winner, runner-up and two semi-finalists. If 20 players subscribe to the Silver tier, but only three of them qualify for the Consolation flight, then one of the Silver Tier Consolation semi-finalist prizes will be withdrawn and returned in equal portions to the 20 subscribers. In this example, the 20 Silver tier subscribers have paid 20 x £120 entry in total, of which 20 x £30 belongs to the Thrift Tier prize fund, 20 x £30 to the Bronze Tier, and 20 x £60 = £1,200 to Silver. The portion of this £1,200 Silver Tier total to be allocated to Consolation flight prizes is then calculated pro rata, based on the Thrift Tier prize distribution, i.e. (250+100+2x50)/1920 = 15/64. So the Silver Tier Consolation flight prizes in this example total 15/64 x £1200 = £281. This in turn yields 4 silver-tier-flight prizes of £156, £62 and 2 x £31 (rounded down). One of the £31 losing semifinalist prizes is to be withdrawn, so each silver tier subscriber is refunded £31/20 = £1 (rounded down).
Note that, in any flight, a prize-eligible subscriber in, say, the Silver tier, may or may not also win Bronze and Thrift Tier prizes - it will depend on whether they have also progressed furthest in those lower tiers.
Thrift Tier subscriptions are payable not later than 31 January 2025. You can then pay to upgrade to a higher Tier at any time until the Thursday before the tournament; downgrading of Tier entry will not be accommodated. A list of Gold, Silver and Bronze Tier entrants can be found here.
Optional side-pools... (which close immediately before play commences on Saturday)
are £10, £20 and £40 for each of the Main, Consolation and Second Chance flights, and £10 for Last Chance. There are no side-pools for the ReMAINders or DisCONSOlates flights. All pools are separate from each other. A player may enter none, one, or two adjacent value pools in the same flight. Each pool will be returned 70% to the player (or divided equally between two or more players) in that pool who progresses furthest in the relevant flight, and 30% (or similarly divided) to the player(s) who progress second-furthest, with the amounts paid being rounded to the nearest pound. Note that pool winners will not necessarily be finalists in their flight. If two or more players are tied, the 70% and 30% prizes will be aggregated and shared equally between the tied players.
You are strongly encouraged to subscribe to side-pools at the same time as you pay the applicable Tier subscription, but there will also be a very limited time window on the Saturday morning of the tournament to join side-pools. A list of advance side-pool subscriptions will be maintained on the web-site. Side-pool subscription(s) for lower flights than you actually play in will be refunded: e.g. if you subscribe to the £10 pools for each of the four flights, get relegated first to Consolation, and then to 2nd Chance, but avoid Last Chance; your £10 Last Chance pool subscription will be refunded.
Group "Calcutta" Auction
Prior to play commencing on Saturday, the 16 round robin groups will be randomly paired to produce an auction of 8 groups of 8 players. The "owner(s)" of the group(s) that contain the eventual winner and runner-up of the Main will receive 70% and 30% of the auction proceeds respectively, rounded down to the nearest £1.
Bad luck Awards
A choice of small prizes will be offered to each player who is first to achieve, and to claim from the Tournament Director, one of the following:
* Loses a match without scoring a point * Misses a triple direct shot * Dances against a one-point board
* Loses a match after leading "Crawford" * Qualifies for the Last Chance flight * Loses when hit after having borne off 12 or more checkers
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