Duel is where backgammon lovers from all over the world sit down across from each other. To keep that experience safe, fair and enjoyable for everyone, we ask all members to follow these principles. This document is part of the Terms of Service, and you accept it by joining Duel.
The short version is simple: treat your opponent the way you would like to be treated, and win with your own skill.
Fair competition
The result of every match affects players' statistics and ranking and, in paid matches, their balance. That is why fairness is Duel's most important principle, and any form of cheating counts as a violation even when it does not succeed.
Anti-cheating rules
- One person, one account. Creating a second account to raise your ranking, collect bonuses or play against yourself is forbidden.
- During a live match do not use any analysis software, AI or move-suggestion tool, and do not take help from another person. Game analysis is for after the match.
- Bots, scripts, extensions and any tool that plays for you or talks to Duel automatically are forbidden.
- Do not collude with an opponent; losing on purpose and staged matches meant to move balance, points or ranking are forbidden.
- Do not hand your account to someone else and do not play on someone else's account.
- If you find a bug or flaw in the site, do not use it; tell us. Tampering with the site, reverse engineering it or trying to disrupt it is forbidden.
Suspecting that your opponent is cheating is never a licence to cheat yourself. Finish the match and report it.
Behaviour during a match
- Finish the matches you start. If you do not want to go on, use the resign option rather than closing the page and leaving your opponent waiting for the clock.
- Do not stall. Using your time to think is your right; deliberately dragging out a lost game to annoy your opponent is not acceptable.
- Winning and losing are both part of backgammon, and sometimes the dice are not with you. Do not blame bad luck on your opponent or on Duel.
- Respect your opponent, beginner or expert, whether you are ahead or behind.
If your opponent suddenly leaves the game, it was not necessarily on purpose. A dropped connection, a dead battery or a technical problem can happen to anyone. The clock settles the match either way.
Names, profile pictures and talking to others
Your display name and profile picture are seen by everyone, including spectators who are not members. The same principles apply to any feature for chatting, sending emoji or posting comments that exists on Duel or is added later:
- Insulting, threatening, harassing or humiliating others is forbidden.
- Racist, discriminatory, sexual, violent or hateful content is not allowed.
- Do not pretend to be another person, or a Duel employee or support agent.
- Advertising, spam and promoting other sites and services are forbidden.
- Do not publish other people's personal information.
- Do not break your opponent's concentration with a stream of messages or emoji.
A name or picture that does not fit these principles may be changed or removed without notice.
Spectators
Anyone may watch matches, but a spectator must not interfere with the game. Passing move suggestions to one of the players during a match, by any means, is cheating and counts as a violation both for the spectator and for the player who uses them.
Reporting a violation
If you see cheating or bad behaviour, email Duel support and include the user's name, the match ID or link, the approximate time and a short description of what happened. Attach a screenshot if you have one. Reports are handled confidentially and the reporter's identity is not revealed to the other side. Please do not send false or retaliatory reports; doing so is itself a violation.
What happens when the rules are broken
Our response is in proportion to how serious and how repeated the violation is, and may be one or more of the following:
- A warning.
- Changing or removing a name or profile picture.
- Voiding a match result and taking back points, ranking or prizes gained through the violation.
- Restricting some features or suspending the account temporarily.
- Banning the account, and every account linked to it, permanently.
Serious violations such as using a bot, collusion or financial abuse can lead to a permanent ban without prior warning. If your violation causes financial loss to Duel or to another user, you are responsible for making it good. If you think a mistake has been made, you can ask for a review through support.