My name’s Julia, and I’m a club backgammon addict. There, I said it.
It all really started at university; I arrived as a fresh-faced novice who imagined that having won repeatedly against a very exploitable Atari console made me a good player. That illusion was soon dispelled by a few sessions at the university’s backgammon club, and after finishing the first term near the bottom of the ladder the desire to master this infuriating game kicked in hard. I might as well have tattooed “future committee member” on my forehead at the same time, the club being quick to spot the insanity enthusiasm which would in future keep things running.
University couldn’t last forever, despite my attempts to string it out. In time, the needs of a growing family and career got in the way of club play, and my usual fix has been online; from the early days of FIBS through a brief experiment with Party and then on to DailyGammon. It’s not the same, though. It’s not just the infamous droppers and suspiciously supernatural online players; the backgammon I love is a very social game. The best times I’ve had involved alcohol-fuelled bickering over dubious chouette cube decisions, the gentle teasing over jokers and blunders, the attempts at sympathy-garnering over a good hard-luck story. And who doesn’t feel that little extra buzz of slamming enemy men down on the bar with a flourish? Not a feeling you can get from a mouse click. It’s for that reason I’m convinced that our local clubs will be the bedrock of any development of the game, bringing people together regularly to enjoy the game at its best without the rather daunting financial outlay of the tournament circuit.
When the UKBGF Board asked me to become Director of Communications, my first thought was combining social media and an innately social game, to publicise the club scene and get as, and keep tabs on its development. So where are we now?
There’s clearly plenty of activity out there, although rather a big divide between London and the rest – and if you’re in, say, Norwich or Plymouth it looks like you’re a very long way from your nearest live game. Surely we can’t have entire regions backgammon-less? I’ll be spending the coming months charting our progress, tracking down the more elusive groups out there, and doing what I can to stimulate the club scene. Hopefully our readers can help…
- Do you know of any clubs out there that we don’t?
- Would you like help and advice on setting up or running your own?
- Can we help you reach out to new members with free publicity?
To those considering getting started – it really is as little as finding a few like-minded souls and a place to meet; just give it a try and see where it goes. Please get in touch with me at julia@juliahayward.com and let’s get the map covered! We’d love to hear from you, whatever your experiences – though hopefully it won’t be as sad as being told your board takes up too much room in an otherwise-empty pub…
Perhaps we should also forward details of cafe’s and other outlets where people play backgammon on an ad hoc basis even though there may not be a club there.
I am happy to provide some details of places.
That would certainly be most welcome – do send any you know of to julia@ukbgf.com
As part of my attempt to put together a comprehensive list of UK clubs and players, I have sent a speculative email to people who at one time have run or been involved in backgammon clubs in places such as Norfolk, Devon and East Sussex, so far without response. The email addresses were garnered through a trawl through backgammon websites, Facebook and Internet searches, and word of mouth. Many if not all are clearly out of date. If anyone knows of clubs that are not listed on the UKBGF clubs page, please let me know as well as Julia, supplying contact details if possible. Thanks!
Hi Simon,
I have some leads to follow up in the near future – obviously clubs do come and go and it’s quite a job to watch them all. However, nothing like my early days when we didn’t have websites or Twitter to announce our presence!
hi i am from hull area .the nearest backgammon club is in lincoln 50 miles away.do you know other players around?i have a bunch of 5 friends who are intreastead in this game,only 2 are using the cube.could you give us some ideas?th my best regards
Hi Costin,
I’m afraid I don’t know of any, but I’ll put out an appeal and see if we can find you some!
Best wishes,
Julia
Quick correction to fix Edinburgh Backgammon website address
Too many gaps out there. There have been recent attempts from groups in other parts of Scotland to get started who have struggled with small numbers of players. It would make it easier if there were more local clubs out there especially for beginners who are less likely to be prepared to travel. Julia if you email an address I can contact you at will pass on details or see if I can get people to contact you directly.
Hi Gareth,
You can always get me at julia@juliahayward.com !
Best wishes,
Julia