The UK Backgammon Federation
My travelling companion was Chris Rogers and I was feeling rather smug/emboldened that I was going to this event with The UK Captain, no less; and so, the hustle began at Gatwick Airport.
Backgammon seems more in vogue these days globally—from a proliferation of top-flight international events, to pub tournaments, to social games nights in members’ clubs. It is refreshing to see that Britain, although slightly late to the party in some ways, has finally arrived with gusto.
The UK is hosting the first ever World Backgammon Federation Championships in Earls Court in late August. And just a few short weeks ago, Anglo-American Jason Pack came in second at the World Championships of Backgammon—equalling the performance of another Anglo-American, Joe Dwek at the 1981 World Championships. (John Simon, a British national, also came second in 1992, but it appears he had elected to be considered a Hong Kong player, despite some misreporting on this point in various lists of Finals matches.)
If ever there was proof that you don’t need a five-star hotel or a convention centre to stage a memorable backgammon tournament, the Whatcote Open provides it every year.
Thirty-two players made their way to the picturesque Warwickshire village of Whatcote for another weekend of competitive backgammon, great company, plenty of laughter and, inevitably, a few stories of “how I should have won that match!”
There are many things that can define a great backgammon player. Some are fierce competitors, with drive, an iron-clad will to win, and a ‘never say die’ attitude. Some have incredible character in clutch moments where everything is on the line, finding the tough play, cube, or take that others don’t have the mental fortitude for. Others are experts at teasing out weaknesses in an opponent, reading their tendencies, and exploiting them to the max. But in the era of XG, performance rating (PR) has become the bar against which greatness is measured. In a game where the dice are always capricious, maximising the equity our rolls afford us represents the best we mere humans can do.
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