It is with great sadness that we report that one of the most colourful and much loved characters on the UK backgammon scene, Mick Vacarey, has passed away leaving a loving wife and daughter to whom we offer our most sincere condolences.
Mick was a very jolly person and backgammon player and most often seen with dice in one hand and a drink in the other.
He will be sadly missed and although he has gone, he will not be forgotten.
Mick Vacarey – RIP
We invite people with their own memories of Mick to post them below.
I knew Mick when he was a student at Liverpool in the 1970s, and later when I worked at UMIST and he was at UKAEA. He didn’t play backgammon then, but lots of poker, and lots of smoking. I’ve only had the internet for a few years but have found a few other old friends:- Fin Fahey and Nigel Haslock; Those with unusual names are easiest to find. I haven’t seen Mick since he visited me in Prestatyn in about 1985.
My sympathy and best wishes to Sue and Paula.
Last time I played Mick was in Brighton. We had been put on a clock as we were holding up the bracket. Mick was telling me anecdotes throughout the game. I kept telling him he was going to time out but the story-telling kept getting the better of him and he would completely forget that the clock was running. Eventually in the middle of a tale involving ferrys and whisky the timer beeped and Mick had lost. He was a little surprised but quickly took it in his stride and resumed the story! A lovely man who will be much missed.
One of the great pleasures of playing Mick was the enormous fund of entertaining stories he had to tell, often at his own expense. He told me once about how, returning to his home in the Isle of Wight late after a BIBA tournament, he missed the last ferry. Undeterred, he made his way to the only place he knew would be open through the night, the nearest casino, where he consoled himself with (more) beer and whisky. In the early morning, he left for the first ferry to the Isle of Wight, promptly fell asleep, and when he woke up, found himself back in Southampton….
I played Mick a lot at the Fox Reformed in the late 90s. Never mean or small, his cube action often bordered on the hallucinatory, but I don’t recall him ever complaining about his losses, which at times were catastrophic. However, my favourite memory is of his taking an atrocious 16 cube, a worse than three roll end game, winning it and when challenged to play it as a prop, he accepted for three games and won two of those as well! I bet he’s still chuckling.
I first met Mick when I started playing backgammon in around 1999. He was as flamboyant a dresser as a player and had a pleasantly infectious way about him.
He was kind and generous and when he was around the drink always flowed as did pleasant but animated conversation although this could cause him to sometimes become distracted from the task at hand.
He loved backgammon and played all over the country as well as abroad and I recall a particular incident typical of Mick when he turned up to a tournament just outside Lisbon in Portugal. I had registered for my flight and then went for a stroll along the seafront and to my surprise found Mick sitting at a restaurant enjoying a quiet drink. We greeted each other and I joined him for one or two. After a while he asked when registration closed for his flight. I was a little surprised that he hadn’t already found this out and registered but I called the TD and enquired on Mick’s behalf. The TD sounded a little exasperated and explained that he had already told Mick when registration was due to close and it was about four hours earlier! I relayed the unfortunate news to Mick. He simply shrugged and said, “shall we have another drink?”.
Poor Mick missed entering the main event that time despite travelling so far but never lost his pleasant demeanour and still had a great time playing in jackpots and the doubles.
Mick you were a backgammon enthusiast in your spare time but foremost and always a wonderful gentleman. You will be very greatly missed.
Raj
I played against Mick at BIBA tournaments, and also online on many occasions at Party Poker, where he was also a seasoned player. They were never dull games with Mick’s adventurous style of play, and always good fun – he clearly valued the enjoyment he shared as much, if not more than, as the winning or losing. We have lost a true gentleman.
Mick also played poker. After a fashion. Fun guy. Miss him.