The UK Backgammon Federation
Will Cockerell writes: As a neat sequel to Gerald’s magnum opus in the summer, we present another heart-warming BG life-story from Rosemary Whitehouse, who also writes with great pathos. The stand-out feature of this piece is highlighting the importance of the club scene and how heart-warming it is to see so many clubs springing up like wildflowers in the Southwest. [Read more…]
For some 35 years, with breaks in regular programming, Anna Price has been one of the all-singing, all-dancing, all-barking gaffers of the women’s game. It has been a lonely road at times as backgammon didn’t quite make the best of a lasting job for a 70-odd year period between 1920-1990 with promoting the game to women. [Read more…]
Will Cockerell writes: In 1995, the Melbourne public viewed Andre Agassi, never before viewed on their shores, with all the curious wonder as you would a “duck-billed platypus plunked in your bathtub”. The same perhaps might be said of the inimitable presence of the Whitehouses on the UK backgammon scene in the past few years. Instantly upon viewing, you feel better about your day, with their reassuring, friendly presence, kaleidoscope of colour, unscripted and unplanned therapy sessions [for me at least], and plenty of laughs. In one somewhat fraught match with Rosemary she steeled those piercing glims on me and said, as only a mother could to a child, “we’re in the lucky lucky loser loser and playing for about 5 pounds, just enjoy it…” It was the pep talk I need, and I instantly relaxed.
Our “pilot” episode of BG Life Stories was deemed sufficiently fluid and absorbing by UKBG Towers that the column has a future! [Many thanks to the guinea pigs, Ray, Rachel and Ian]. And who better to keep the kettle boiling than our titled PJB & YKC… Their contributions to backgammon are terrific and warm the coldest of hearts. And it’s only part accident that I’ve paired them together as they have been teammates in competition stretching back well over a decade. I recall my shock at Peter’s deadpan delivery when in a team of three with Yan at the Nordic Open in 2011, he said, “Yeah, we’re the Three Blind Dice.” It’s the sort of thing when you wonder, ‘did he just say that?’ but the affectionate, gallows humour is priceless.
This proposed new series for the UKBGF claims three ‘victims’ per edition, of an intended wide variety of scope, ability, age and gender, to describe their journey through the game and to address the thematic question of how and why backgammon is such a “mental health marvel”.
For our first trio we have a rose between two thorns, in Rachel Rhodes [RR], Ian Gwynne [IG] and “The Rake” – Raymond Kershaw [RK]. My thanks to them for their fascinating insights.
Recent Comments