Camera & Framing
Eye-Level Positioning: Place your camera or laptop on a stand so the lens is directly at eye level.
Rule of Thirds Framing: Frame yourself from the mid-chest up, leaving a small gap of “headroom”
Direct Eye Contact: Don’t watch the match on a side monitor. Try to place the match you’re watching near your camera, so it feels as if you are staring ahead.
Screen Management & Focus
Dual-Monitor Setup: Keep the live backgammon stream (e.g., Heroes, Nextgammon, or XG) on your main screen near the camera. Place your reference notes or chat on a secondary screen.
Silence All Notifications: Mute phone ringers, close email clients, and disable system notifications (Mac/Windows “Do Not Disturb” mode) to prevent chime sounds from leaking onto the air.
Dark Mode & Screen Glow: Set background software to dark mode to minimize blue-light glare reflecting on your face or glasses.
Audio & Technical Hygiene
Dedicated Microphone: Use an external USB microphone or a quality broadcast headset rather than your computer’s built-in mic. Some built-in microphones are quite good, so make your own assessment here or conduct a test with Stu (stu@usbgf.org)
Disable Zoom Audio Processing: Go to Zoom Settings → Audio → Turn on “Original Sound for Musicians” and set High-Fidelity Music Mode. Turn off “Echo Cancellation” only if you are wearing headphones.
Respect the Community
Best Practice: Treat all players with dignity, regardless of rank or experience. Frame mistakes as learning moments or natural pressures of live competition rather than incompetence. Maintain high standards when speaking about tournament organizers and the game itself.
Positive Example:
1. “Player took a good amount of time here. Finding the optimal play can be incredibly tough.”
2. “Sometimes opening rolls can shift with the slightest checker differences, this might be one to study.”
3. “They might be considering a double, not sure if it’s time just yet, but always a good to take a pause and think about it.”Negative Example (Avoid):
1. “I have no idea what Player A is doing. That play makes zero sense”
2. “Oh no, that’s not how you play 6/4 in crawford! That’s a huge blunder!”
3. “This guy is playing really weak with the cube.”
4. “They are doing poorly with clock management, they might lose on time here.”
5. “I know this player and they are always a big Taker with risky cubes.”
Standard 1: Respect the Community
Best Practice: Treat all players with dignity, regardless of rank or experience. Frame mistakes as learning moments or natural pressures of live competition rather than incompetence. Maintain high standards when speaking about tournament organizers and the game itself.
Positive Example: "Player A took a deep line here. Under the pressure of a live match clock, finding the optimal $4/1^*, 4/3$ play can be incredibly tough, even for seasoned masters."
Negative Example (Avoid): "I have no idea what Player A is doing. That play makes zero sense—anyone off the street could see the right move."
Standard 2: Inclusive Tone
Best Practice: Keep the focus strictly on strategy, positional analysis, and board state. Use gender-neutral or requested pronouns, avoid making assumptions about a player's background, and celebrate diversity within the international backgammon community.
Positive Example: "We're seeing a fantastic variety of playstyles in this tournament, with players joining us from all around the globe, bringing unique tactical approaches to the board."
Negative Example (Avoid): "You don't usually see female players take such an aggressive cube position," or making stereotypical jokes about a player's country of origin.
Standard 3: Professional Presence
Best Practice: Maintain full focus on the match while on air. Keep food, personal phone use, and off-topic social, political, or profane remarks entirely off the broadcast. Treat every moment behind the microphone as live to the audience.
Positive Example: (Focused narrative on the match during a long roll think-time) "While Player B considers this crucial 5-2 roll, let's take a look at the Pip count and how the race shifts if they decide to hit on the 2-point."
Negative Example (Avoid): (Chewing or rustling food packaging) "Oh, hold on a sec, let me reply to this text... wait, what did they just roll? Ah, damn it, missed it."
Standard 4: Teach, Don’t Mock
Best Practice: Use unconventional moves or blunders as opportunities to educate the audience using engine metrics (like XG analysis) and strategic concepts (e.g., timing, checker distribution, risk vs. reward).
Positive Example: "Player A chose to slot the 5-point here. Extreme Gammon rates this as an error because it leaves four shots, but you can see the strategic intent: they were desperate to build a prime before Player B escaped."
Negative Example (Avoid): "What a terrible blunder! That's just beginner-level backgammon right there. What were they thinking?"
Commentary Best Practices
Here are the key technical and environmental setup standards for backgammon commentators broadcasting over Zoom:
1.
2. Lighting & Background
Key Light in Front: Position your primary light source (a desk lamp, ring light, or soft box) directly behind your camera, aimed at your face. Never sit with a bright window or lamp directly behind you.
Clean, Uncluttered Backdrop: Use a neutral, professional background (a neat room, bookshelf, or clean wall). Avoid standard Zoom virtual backgrounds if possible, as they create distracting edge artifacts around your head and headsets.
Color Contrast: Wear clothing that contrasts clearly with your background so you don't blend into the wall behind you.
3.
4. Screen Management & Focus
Dual-Monitor Setup: Keep the live backgammon stream (e.g., Heroes, Nextgammon, or XG) on your main screen near the camera. Place your reference notes or chat on a secondary screen.
Silence All Notifications: Mute phone ringers, close email clients, and disable system notifications (Mac/Windows "Do Not Disturb" mode) to prevent chime sounds from leaking onto the air.
Dark Mode & Screen Glow: Set background software to dark mode to minimize blue-light glare reflecting on your face or glasses.
Standard 1: Respect the Community
Best Practice: Treat all players with dignity, regardless of rank or experience. Frame mistakes as learning moments or natural pressures of live competition rather than incompetence. Maintain high standards when speaking about tournament organizers and the game itself.
Positive Example: "Player A took a deep line here. Under the pressure of a live match clock, finding the optimal $4/1^*, 4/3$ play can be incredibly tough, even for seasoned masters."
Negative Example (Avoid): "I have no idea what Player A is doing. That play makes zero sense—anyone off the street could see the right move."
Standard 2: Inclusive Tone
Best Practice: Keep the focus strictly on strategy, positional analysis, and board state. Use gender-neutral or requested pronouns, avoid making assumptions about a player's background, and celebrate diversity within the international backgammon community.
Positive Example: "We're seeing a fantastic variety of playstyles in this tournament, with players joining us from all around the globe, bringing unique tactical approaches to the board."
Negative Example (Avoid): "You don't usually see female players take such an aggressive cube position," or making stereotypical jokes about a player's country of origin.
Standard 3: Professional Presence
Best Practice: Maintain full focus on the match while on air. Keep food, personal phone use, and off-topic social, political, or profane remarks entirely off the broadcast. Treat every moment behind the microphone as live to the audience.
Positive Example: (Focused narrative on the match during a long roll think-time) "While Player B considers this crucial 5-2 roll, let's take a look at the Pip count and how the race shifts if they decide to hit on the 2-point."
Negative Example (Avoid): (Chewing or rustling food packaging) "Oh, hold on a sec, let me reply to this text... wait, what did they just roll? Ah, damn it, missed it."
Standard 4: Teach, Don’t Mock
Best Practice: Use unconventional moves or blunders as opportunities to educate the audience using engine metrics (like XG analysis) and strategic concepts (e.g., timing, checker distribution, risk vs. reward).
Positive Example: "Player A chose to slot the 5-point here. Extreme Gammon rates this as an error because it leaves four shots, but you can see the strategic intent: they were desperate to build a prime before Player B escaped."
Negative Example (Avoid): "What a terrible blunder! That's just beginner-level backgammon right there. What were they thinking?"