On Wednesday 23/05, the first showdown of the 4 Cubes backgammon season ignited the board as Antwerp 1 faced off against Gent 2. The venue was charged, the dice were hot, and the tension could be sliced at moments. Representing the teams were: from left to right
Antonio (G), Inge (A), Steven (G), Rachid (A), Kris (A), Yani (A), Mundo (G), Alf (G) — and keeping the fire under control, tournament organizer Guy Van Middelem.
🎲 Round 1: Fireworks from the First Roll Inge struck first blood, taking down Steven. Yani outmaneuvered Mundo in a tense game peppered with disputes over moves and dice values. Meanwhile, Antonio powered past Rachid, and Alf pulled off the comeback of the round — down 0-4 after a doubled gammon, he slipped through a vault keyhole to beat Kris and clinch the draw for Gent. Score: 2 – 2
💥 Round 2: Lightning Strikes and Spinach Power Inge was unstoppable, toppling Mundo. Kris snatched victory from Steven in a DMP thriller after a miraculous double hit from the bar — lightning, literally, from the cube gods! Alf, once again, was deep in the trenches at 0–6 against Rachid, but cracked open a can of spinach and fought back tooth and nail to claim another unlikely win. In the round’s headline match, Antonio narrowly edged Yani in a high-octane battle filled with emotion, controversy, and flaring tempers. Accidents in paradise and blood on the dancefloor…… Yani exited the building — and Antwerp, down a soldier, faced round 3 short-handed. Score: 4 – 4
🏁 Round
3: Gent Closes the Deal
With
only three Antwerp players left standing, the odds tilted. Mundo
worked his way past Rachid and comeback-king Alf crawled out of a
deep pit once more against Inge with a cube on 8 and sealed the deal,
delivering Gent
2
their first 4
Cubes victory
of the season!
If
this opening match was any indication, we’re in for an explosive
season.
On April 27th, you can enjoy a backgammon meeting in the Folk Museum while passersby get to know our beloved game.
Do you like to
share your passion? Or show the game for a while?
All played
matches count for the rating, and there will be a treat waiting for
you.
Combine your
hobby with a day trip to Bruges and bring your friends or family. Do
they like to do (also) something else? The Folk Museum is open for
free, to travel back to the childhood of the 1950s and 60s in the
brand-new exhibition ‘Children of the past’.
The youngest
visitors can have fun at the various play stations.
Let us know if you will play all afternoon or just for a while. We will reserve a chair for you.
Speel
op een unieke locatie op Erfgoeddag 27/04/2025: Backgammon Brugge
nodigt je uit
Op
27 april kan je in het volkskundemuseum vrij genieten van een
backgammonontmoeting in alle mogelijke vormen: een korte of een lange
match, double consultation,… terwijl toevallige passanten onze
geliefde bezigheid leren kennen.
Breng jij graag je passie over? Of kom je graag eventjes meespelen?
Alle
gespeelde matchen tellen voor de rating en er zal een traktatie voor
je klaar staan.
Combineer
je hobby met een daguitstap in Brugge en breng je vrienden of familie
mee. Doen zij graag (ook) iets anders? Het Volkskundemuseum is gratis
open. Daar reis je terug naar de kindertijd van de jaren ‘50 en ‘60
in de gloednieuwe opstelling ‘Kinderen van toen’.
De
jongste bezoekers kunnen zich uitleven aan de verschillende
spelstations.
Laat
weten of je heel de namiddag of slechts eventjes meespeelt, dan
houden we een stoel voor je vrij.
What a day! The Gent Open XVIII shattered records with 39 passionate players battling it out in a thrilling, all-day backgammon marathon. From the first roll of the dice at 11 AM until the final showdown, every match was a clash of wits, strategy, and a bit of luck.
With seven intense rounds ahead, competitors fueled up on coffee and cake before diving into the action. No matter their level—beginner, intermediate, or master—every player was thrown into the same Swiss tournament, ensuring unpredictable matchups and fierce competition.
Round-by-Round Action Round 1: Steven Segaert gets the bye, the camera, and a free point. Meanwhile, Michel claims victory in the Bierbeekse Derby against Sonja. Round 2: Kalin Stefanov takes down Michel Lamote, Sonja beats Ed Baars, and in the Brussels showdown, Vincent Hubert prevails over Chantal Lensen. Sverre enjoys a bye—and some photography duties. Round 3: Bert secures his third point, defeating his angstgegner Paul van Koningshoven, while Alf buries Marc Van Damme. Sonja snatches another win, and Ed gets the bye. Round 4: Five players remain undefeated at 3-0: Alf Martin, Bert Van Kerckhove, Nick De Ruyck, Kalin Stefanov, and Jürgen Schettler. Bert, Nick, and Jürgen emerge victorious, standing as the last three perfect-score players. Round 5: The pressure mounts! Nick edges out Jürgen, while Bert barely escapes with a win against Arthur Braacx. Alf, Sonja, Riza Yalçin, and Steven Segaert all secure crucial victories. Round 6: The battle at the top intensifies! Bert remains unstoppable, defeating Nick to stand alone at 6. Alf and Jürgen bounce back, keeping their hopes alive. Meanwhile, Linsey Van Campen remains unlucky, still searching for a win. The Grand Finale – Round 7! With three players dropping out, an odd number remains. Linsey takes the final bye.
• Bert (6) vs. Jürgen (5) – A high-stakes duel for the Masters title! • Nick (5) vs. Alf (5) – Who will take the Intermediates? • Sonja (5) vs. Kalin (4) – A last shot at glory!
In the end: 🏆 Bert defeats Jürgen to claim the Masters title! 🏆 Alf outplays Nick and shares the Intermediate title with Sonja! (Alf takes home the trophy on resistance points.) 🏆 Riza Yalçin emerges as the best beginner, overtaking Hubert Verstraeten in the final rankings! Jürgen and Horst Büchner share 2nd and 3rd place in the Masters, while Sverre, Steven Segaert, and Kris Claeys tie for third in the Intermediates.
A Tournament to Remember! After the prize ceremony, players stayed on to celebrate, unwind, and relive the day’s biggest moments.
Final Thanks A huge shoutout to: 🎲 Alf Martijn for the fantastic catering! 🎲 Nick De Ruyck for top-notch assistance! 🎲 Toon Van Herreweghen for the smooth ludite tournament software! 🎲 Liva & team for keeping everyone refreshed at the bar! 🎲 And most of all—YOU, the players! Thank you for making this event such a success! See you all at the next Gent Open!
BGFed is looking into create a new website in the future. Something a bit sexier and more attractive. In order to do this, we would like to get as many people as possible involved and get ideas and feedback of how it should look and be constructed. You do not need any knowledge on website development. Only ideas of how it should be set up/structured and laid out.
Should you wish to participate in this project, please send an email to bgfed.be@gmail.com (mention “website” in the subject line) and once we find 5 – 6 volunteers, we can get this ball rolling. The target is to get this online in the next 12 months.
The
4 Cubes challenge started in a very fun way on 4/4/2009.
Those
who were there, will recall memories when reading this piece of
Belgian Backgammon history.
(original text/not translated)
Reclaiming
that title and the accompanying set of cubes became a matter of honor
and the reason for several meetings between Ghent and Leuven. The
title went back and forth several times.
In the meantime, we are proud to say that Belgian Backgammon has grown (with a federation). This gradually made the title of Best Belgian Backgammon Club even more prestigious.
(original text/not translated)
The
formula has been adapted over the past 16 years so that new clubs
could compete and it remained pleasant to play for large, small, new
or old clubs.
The
holder of the 4 Cubes bears the title “Belgium’ Best Backgammon
Club”. At the moment this is Brussels.
In
order to honour history, we ask each Belgian Club to agree with one
of the two statements.
Backgammon
Club Brussels is indeed the BBBC: the Best Belgian Backgammon Club.
We silently accept that.
Or:
we are convinced of the opposite and are prepared to prove it: not
they, but we are the BBBC.
A
club that wants to challenge the BBBC must first prove itself in the
preliminary rounds against the other Belgian Clubs. The winner
becomes the Challenger and may challenge the BBBC.
Registrations
can only be done by club representative. Deadline 31/03. Registration
link and format will be mailed to club representatives.
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