The UK Backgammon Federation
The intention of the UKBGF is that it be fully democratic and to be owned by and represented by its members. The current Board is coming to the end of its two-year tenure and it is time to begin the process of electing a new Board for the two years 2017-8. The new Board will decide the future direction of the organisation and while much has happened in the last two years, those elected will be able to develop new ideas as they see fit.
A brief update on the EUBGF, the forthcoming 2016 European Team Championships in Denmark and an invitation to submit proposals to host the 2017 European Team Championships
The board of the EUBGF (European Backgammon Federation), chaired by its president Denmark’s Steen Grønbech, has been working hard over the past year and at its last Annual General Assembly voted in its formal statutes (constitution) and official tournament rules, which fully mirror the UKBGF Rules.
You can play along with the London Open from the comfort of your own home with the Fantasy London Open Competition.
To play simply pick 5 players from the Open field and 5 players from the Professionals’ field. You can find the currently registered players here: http://londonopenbg.weebly.com/whos-coming.html
http://londonopenbg.weebly.com/whos-coming.html
Email your team of 10 names to sean@ukbgf.com before 6 p.m. London time on the 26th August.
Each time a player on your team wins a match in the Open or Professionals Main Tournament you get a point. The entrant with the most points at the end of the tournaments wins £100. The prize money will be split in the event of a tie. Anyone can enter from around the world and entry is free.
What are you waiting for? Remember to email your team of 10 names to sean@ukbgf.com before 6 p.m. London time on the 26th August. We will regularly publish a league table showing how Fantasy London Open 2016 Participants are getting on.
You can follow all of the action live from Dalston Fields at www.twitch.tv/aref91777 . Matches will be streamed live at the following times (all times approximate, in British Summer Time):
If there are any players that you would particularly like to see streamed in the early rounds please post their names in the comments. A list of currently registered players is available here: http://londonopenbg.weebly.com/whos-coming.html . We will also be twittering regularly from the London Open. You can follow the feed direct here.
Brackets and Format
The exact format of the Professionals’ and the Open depends on the number of players that we end up getting in each competition. This will also determine how many places are paid and the precise balance between Main and Last Chance prizes. What will not change is that there will be 4 preliminary rounds in each competition. Full details of the competition structure and pay-out structure will be published before Round 2 begins at 1:30 p.m. on 27th.
Brackets will be published live and linked to from www.londonopenbg.com
Video Interviews and Post Match Reaction
Video interviews and post-match reaction will be posted throughout the weekend. Regularly visit www.londonopenbg.com for reports and videos as the tournament progresses!
If you’re in the London area, there’s a solid week and a bit of backgammon ahead!
You can’t have missed that the London Open is on 27th-29th August at Dalston Heights? Entries have been rolling in and we now have 44 Pros and an Open division well north of 64… with more still signing up this is destined to be the biggest UK tournament of the year. There is still room but we would never advise you to hang about, and you should ideally pre-register. There are two divisions to suit your budget- the Professionals is for those who want a big prize pot with a £250 compulsory pool and a payout likely to be in excess of £10,000, while the Open has no compulsory pool.
The format guarantees everyone nearly two days of play – noone goes home on the Saturday – and if that’s not enough there’s Speedgammon, doubles, and a Super Jackpot. The exclusive dinner with Mochy at Sardo has at most one place left – if you want to join in then contact us now! Both divisions count towards the UKBGF UK Tour, and with a big attendance there will be plenty of points up for grabs.
At the other end of the week is the Mind Sport Olympiad at JW3 in Finchley Road. There’s four days of backgammon spread over 21st-25th August, alongside a wide range of other board games, card games and mental challenges, as well as the Pentamind meta-event for all-rounders. Various game designers will be present to introduce you to recent creations. The event as a whole runs through to the Bank Holiday Monday – but there’s no backgammon while the London Open is on; we wouldn’t want you to miss anything! Included this year are trials of Nackgammon and the related game Plakoto. You can register for each day separately on the door – play starts promptly at 10.15 for all-day sessions and 7pm for evening blitzes. No cash prizes but, in true olympic style, medals for the top three in each event. All games count towards the UKBGF rankings.
It’s been a record-breaking year with 20 teams entered from across the country, including teams from East Anglia and the north-east for the first time, mingling with previous winners in the great setting of the Grosvenor Casino in Manchester. And after a long day’s play with 240 five-pointers completed, London Players’ League A – Peter Bennet, Aref Alipour, Raj Jansari, Lawrence Powell and Geoff Oliver – emerged victorious and bring the Tutchings Trophy home with them.
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