JULY 2020: The Live 2020 UK Open has been replaced by an online tournament. For details click here. The information on this page relating to the cancelled live event no longer applies, except for the following instructions for obtaining refunds from Woodland Grange.
2nd June 2020:
Now that the 2020 UK Open has been cancelled, if you have booked and prepaid for your room you will need to email venues@make.org (for the attention of Megan) to request a refund, and supply the following details:
- Your full name
- Your booking reference, plus arrival and departure dates
- The amount of the refund
Payment will be made to the card with which you originally paid. Please allow 15 working days for receipt.
The 7th UK Open will again be held at Woodland Grange Hotel and Conference Centre, Old Milverton Lane, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 6RN.
Date: Friday 4th to Sunday 6th September 2020
Woodland Grange

The first UK Open in 2014 was held at the Ricoh Arena near Coventry, where it remained for three years; then in 2017 and 2018 Coombe Abbey hosted the event. Last year we again moved, to Woodland Grange Hotel and Conference Centre, still in the Coventry area but situated 2 miles north of Leamington Spa Railway Station. This award-winning venue offers the best of all worlds – a rich heritage dating back to Victorian times with contemporary facilities ranging from complimentary superfast internet access to a state-of-the-art fitness room, sauna and Jacuzzi. Feedback from players who completed our survey was generally very positive about this venue, to which we are therefore returning in 2020. Click the link below to find out more about Woodland Grange, see the facilities offered, and even take a virtual tour:
https://www.makeuk.org/Venues/Woodland-Grange-Leamington-Spa
Woodland Grange specialises in business events and conferences which mainly take place during Monday to Friday. Weekends are relatively quiet, so we enjoy virtually exclusive use of the facilities. Our bedroom allocation is limited so please BOOK EARLY – see ‘Booking your Accommodation’ further down the page. Some of the advantages of Woodland Grange are listed below:
- A full-board daily rate from £87 per player (see booking details below)
- Penalty-free cancellation up to 48 hours prior to check-in
- Modern function rooms, with projectors and screens, all at ground floor level
- Large main playing room with additional adjacent rooms at our disposal
- Extra rooms for quiet play, match streaming, commentary, seminars, etc
- All registered players will enjoy unlimited free tea, coffee and snacks in the coffee lounges
- Bars will remain open late subject to demand
- Very high quality free wi-fi will be available to all players
- Fitness room, sauna and jacuzzi are free for all hotel guests
- Easy access by car, about a mile from the A46 (running from M40 to M6/M69)
- Plenty of free car parking space
- Check-in time is 3pm; checkout 10am (11am on Sundays)
- Leamington Spa station is just over an hour by train from London Marylebone
- Woodland Grange is less than ten minutes by cab from the station
- Birmingham Airport to Woodland Grange is about 30 minutes by car
- East Midlands Airport to Woodland Grange is about 60 minutes by car






Booking your Accommodation
WOODLAND GRANGE
This year we again have a limited allocation of bedrooms at Woodland Grange for this event. Last year, not only was our allocation filled months beforehand, but the hotel itself was completely full several weeks before the UK Open. You are therefore encouraged to BOOK EARLY to secure your room, bearing in mind that penalty-free cancellation is possible up to 48 hours before check-in. Full payment for your accommodation will be taken over the phone at the time of booking, but this will be fully refunded in the event of timely cancellation. The full-board (i.e. dinner, bed, breakfast and lunch) room rates at Woodland Grange, inclusive of VAT, for the nights of 4th and 5th September (Friday and Saturday), are as follows:
- Two nights for two people sharing in a Double or Twin room, including buffet dinners, breakfasts, and light lunches: total cost £348
- Two nights single occupancy, including buffet dinners, breakfasts, and light lunches: total cost £252
- One night for two people sharing in a Double or Twin room, including buffet dinners, breakfasts, and light lunches: total cost £174
- One night single occupancy, including buffet dinner, breakfast, and light lunch: £126
- In addition to the Friday and Saturday nights, some players may wish to stay an extra night before or after the tournament or both. We have a small bed & breakfast allocation for these extra nights.
To book your room call Woodland Grange direct during office hours, Monday to Friday, on 01926 336 621 and quote ‘Backgammon Open’.
For all players, whether or not you are staying at Woodland Grange, all hot drinks and snacks throughout the weekend will be included in your tournament registration fee (as last year). Vouchers may also be purchased for lunch or dinner if you are not on the full-board package at Woodland Grange.
IF YOU ARE STAYING ELSEWHERE
There is no obligation to stay at Woodland Grange, but you are encouraged to do so. The more business we give them, the better position we will be in to negotiate with them in future years if we want to return. Clearly, players who live within commuting distance from the venue will not need accommodation.
If you have any questions concerning hotel accommodation please email Darren Woodcock: dwoodcock@tallyhoevents.co.uk
Whether you plan to stay at Woodland Grange, or elsewhere, or even if you live within commuting distance from the venue, to secure your place in the draw you must also pre-register for the tournament by emailing contact@ukbgf.com stating whether you are a Masters or an Intermediate player. See the registration page for more details. We will let you know in due course whether advance payment of your registration fee is required but, either way, we cannot guarantee your place in the tournament unless you pre-register, irrespective of your accommodation arrangements.
Recent Comments