UKBGF

The UK Backgammon Federation

Home » Guest Contributors » Page 3

An Orderly World Championships of Backgammon, Part 2

By

Part 2: Feeling like a Beginner Again, and Becoming British Backgammonly

(A sequel to ‘Part 1: My Yearly Pilgrimage to the Mecca of our game’. Join us next week for Part 3: Make SpeedGammon Great Again (MSGGA) and Always a Bridesmaid and Never a Bride at SpeedGammon)

a. Being Thrown off my game and feeling like a Beginner Again
b. Why not Redouble with two on the Roof against a five point board?
c. Becoming a British Backgammonly

And before we get to the text, here is a Medieval backgammon Board at the Kunsthistorischesmuseum in Vienna to get us in the spirit of our ancient and venerable pastime:

[Read more…]

Avoiding the Disorder of Rival World Championships of Backgammon

By

An intermezzo in my multipart article: An Orderly World Championships of Backgammon

Last week, the UKBGF blog published my article ‘Part 1: My Yearly Pilgrimage to the Mecca of our game’. There I laid out the logic for upholding our traditions as a community by keeping the World Championships of Backgammon in Monaco and coalescing around a consistent format with an ever-increasing prize pool, so as to gain sponsors, media coverage, new players, and prestige. I also warned of the dangers of changing the diet of the goose that lays the golden eggs.

[Read more…]

An Orderly World Championships of Backgammon

By

Part 1: My Yearly Pilgrimage to the Mecca of our game – Enjoying the reinvigorated continuities, Dreading the unpleasant surprises, and Preparing for an Orderly Future

(Join us in four weeks for Part 2: Feeling like a Beginner Again, Becoming Backgammonly British, and in five weeks for Part 3: Make Speedgammon Great Again and Always a Bridesmaid and Never a Bride at Speedgammon)

For those interested in the vibes, history of the tournament, and my experience of Monaco:
a. Tradition, Continuity, Certitudes, and the Mecca of our game, and
b. The best year ever and upping the gala’s glamour game
For those interested in my personal experience and my quest to eliminate Late Registrations and anti-Byes:
c. Unpleasant Surprises, Late Registrations, and Poor Communication
For those interested in the my proposed tournament format which would build on our traditions and codify the direction for the future of our game:
d. My quest for a level of entry fees that would make us as respectable as poker or chess; the need for no anti-byes, and a truly fair tournament structure, and
e. What can we learn from a comparison of the BGWC to Wimbledon?

[Read more…]

Backgammon Life Stories: Gerald Whitehouse & Devon BGC

By

Carefree, wherever they may be

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.

[Read more…]

A Monte Carlo dream ends at Gatwick!

By

There’s already been a lot of great coverage from the Monte Carlo Open, the UBC Final between Zdenek Zizka and Thomas Myhr, and the start of the main event in Monte Carlo. Particular congratulations to Paul and Miranda Moulton for reaching the semi-finals of the Doubles in a massive field of 118 pairs, and our best wishes go out to all UK players in Monaco right now. However, not everyone is so lucky…

[Read more…]

Follow Us

Meta

Recent Posts

Recent Comments