We’re excited to share some important updates regarding the selection criteria for our Women’s Teams, which represent the USBGF in both online and in-person competitions.
Our new Women’s Teams Committee has been diligently working to create and refine these criteria to ensure a fair and engaging process for all participants, increase awareness of women’s team tournaments, and let you know how you can qualify in the future.
The following events are upcoming:
September 1, 2024 – WBIF Women’s Team Championship (online)
November 2024, days TBD – Genud Cup (online)
April 7-13, 2025 – Women’s Team Championship in Loutraki, Greece (in-person)
To give everyone sufficient notice, the following eligibility requirements apply to 2026 and beyond. Not all eligibility requirements are necessary for the 2024-2025 season.
Eligibility Requirements
For Team Formations in 2026 and beyond (starting January 2025):
Online Teams:
- Must be a USBGF member.
- Must be a USA citizen or resident.
- Must have played in at least 6 Online Tournament Series (OTS) events from January to December 2025.
In-Person Teams:
- Must be a USBGF member.
- Must be a USA citizen or resident.
- Must have competed in the ABT Open Division.
- Must have played in at least 3 ABT tournaments from January to December 2025.
Team Selection Process
Our team selection will be streamlined and priority-based, focusing on OTS results, World Backgammon Internet Federation (WBIF) Finals performance, and WBIF all-time PRs for online teams.
- Initial Selection: We’ll first extend invitations to the top 2 players from the OTS.
- Next Tier: Following this, we’ll select the top 2 players from the WBIF World Women’s Championship Finals, excluding those already qualified.
- Final Spots: The last 2 spots will be filled by the highest WBIF all-time Performance Rating (PR), excluding those already qualified.
If any selected player withdraws, we will replace them with the next highest-ranked player from the respective category.
For a 6-Player Online Team:
- Top 2 finishers from OTS in the previous year.
- Top 2 finishers from the WBIF World Women’s Championship Finals in the previous year.
- Top 2 all-time WBIF Performance Rating (PR) at the time of selection.
For an 8-Player Online Team:
- 1 top finisher from OTS in the previous year.
- 1 top finisher from WBIF World Women’s Championship Finals in the previous year.
- 1 Winner of the USBGF Women Championship in the previous year.
- 1 best all-time WBIF PRs at the time of selection.
- Qualifier for the remaining 4 spots (registration required; format to be determined based on entries). Selection will be based on a mix of results and PRs.
For In-Person Teams Representing USBGF at the WBGF Women’s Championship:
- Invites may include all qualifying members.
- Half the team will be selected based on BMAB Certification order or the lowest BMAB PR.
- 1 spot reserved for the previous year’s USBGF Women’s Champion.
- If more players meet the criteria than the number of spots available, a qualifier tournament may be held to decide who fills the remaining spots.
Eligibility Requirements for online team formation in 2024 and 2025 are the same as above, but there is no minimum participation in OTS required. For the 2025 in-person team, a player must have played in any ABT Open Division event in the past 2 years (2023-2024).
We believe these updates will help provide more opportunities and clarity for our players, ensuring a competitive and exciting environment for all. We will continue to refine the process and provide updates as we progress.
If you have any questions, or input, or would like further details, please feel free to reach out to one of us directly.
Irina Litzenberger
Lynda Clay
Kara Schultz
USBGF Women’s Teams Committee
