New website, volunteers needed!

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.

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Calendar

A list of live backgammon events in Belgium (tournaments, club evenings) is collected in the calendar.

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Gent Open XVIII, March 22

A Backgammon Battle!

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.

The final results can be found here.

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!

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Belgium Individual Championship 2025

BGFed.be invites you to the yearly BIC, 2025 edition. See the trilingual flyer attached for more information!

TL;DR: 9 rounds Swiss (without any elimination) with 5 rounds on Saturday 31.5 and 4 rounds on Sunday 1.6.

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4 Cubes – The sequel

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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Belgian Backgammon Beach Day 2025

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Leuven Monthly March

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Results from Brussels Monthly, March

Vincent Hubert won this month’s Brussels Monthly by derailing the hype train of Csaba in the last round 🙂 Congrats Vincent! And thanks to the organizers.

Csaba

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Rolling the Dice on a New Role

Dear backgammon players,

It was during the summer holidays of 1999 in Greece that I first discovered the great game of backgammon. Watching and talking with local players, I became fascinated by the game’s unique blend of skill and chance, the rattle of the dice, the strategic movement of the checkers, the powerful handling of the cube—combined with the thrill, the fun, and the people. Everything about it was a perfect match.

Around 2005, I joined the backgammon club in Leuven, and soon, my involvement went beyond playing. I began organising events, first locally, maintaining the club’s website since 2006. The old website, still available at https://www.backgammon-leuven.be/arxiv/, contains articles dating back to January 2006, including an early report on a visit to the club in Gent (link). Over the years, Leuven became home to a vibrant backgammon scene with biweekly or monthly club meetings, the Leuven Open tournament series (since 2009), annual club championships (since 2011), promotion events at Leuven’s summer fair De Langste Dag, interclub duels, and more.

Beyond Leuven, I have always been driven by the urge to bring players together for live play. Since 2012, I maintained for many years the website of the successful Brussels Friendly tournament series (link). Around the same time, BGFed.be was created, with its earliest post celebrating the Brussels Friendly’s 10th-anniversary edition (link). Other initiatives I was involved in include the 4 Cubes (encouraging encounters between clubs since 2009), the annual Backgammon Barbecue (BBBQ), and the national rating list, which originated as a Leuven-based list maintained by and for local players since 2005 and which gradually expanded to a nationwide system (see early history and statistics), under my management since the end of 2014.

Since late 2024, I have been coordinating the efforts of a highly motivated team to strengthen the foundations of the federation, ensuring its future growth. While some progress has been made, much remains to be done. For personal and professional reasons, I have decided to step back from this role, making room for others to carry forward the mission with renewed energy. However, this is not a farewell—I look forward to continuing to play the game I love, alongside players from across Belgium and beyond.

I would like to thank everyone with whom I have had the privilege to collaborate over the past two decades, particularly in the Leuven club, my home base, and in BGFed.be, the umbrella organisation uniting backgammon players, clubs, and tournaments in and around Belgium. I extend special thanks to the current pilot team for stepping in and catching the dice that my departure might otherwise have left on the floor.

Though the Belgian backgammon community is not the largest, it is strong, diverse, and home to both experienced players and emerging young talent. New initiatives and tournament formats continue to take shape, keeping the game alive and evolving. To those who will carry the federation forward, I wish you the best of luck. May your efforts—however modest or imperfect, as mine surely have been—have a positive impact on the Belgian backgammon community, as I will surely appreciate them myself.

Playful greetings,
Johan Segers

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Guy wins the February Brussels Monthly

Guy van Middelem won all 5 matches in this month’s Brussels Monthly. Congratulations! Below you can see a picture of Chantal Lensen and the winner himself, as well as the final standings.

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4 Cubes Thriller in Brussels

As 4 Cubes 2023 title holder, the team of Brussels had the advantage of hosting the final of BGFed.be interclub competition, the much-coveted 4 Cubes. On Friday the 17th of January, Tennis Club ‘Le Roseau’ was the scene of an epic battle against Ghent, winner of the semi-final. 3 rounds of 4 players against 4 in 7-point matches (12 encounters, first to 7 to win) were completed in the evening.

The first round ended 2-2 with wins from Steven Hoeylaerts (Ghent) against Guy Van Middelem, from Bert Van Kerckhove (Ghent) against Paul van Dijke, Itzhak Solsky (Brussels) against Firat Tekil and Kristoffer De Weert (Brussels) against Geert Van der Stricht.

The second round was again 2-2 (making it 4-4) with Steven beating Itzhak, Guy wins vs Geert, Bert wins vs Kristoffer, Paul wins vs Firat. The third round started around 11.00 PM and quickly Ghent was leading 4-6 (Geert beating Paul, Firat winning vs Guy) looming at the trophy.  But in a desperate effort to avoid bitterness, Brussels managed to come back at 6-6 (Kristoffer wins vs Steven and Itzhak wins narrowly vs Bert).

After midnight, it was all up for the last decisive encounter, a multiple consultation match to 5 points. It went double-pass (0-1 for Ghent), double-pass (0-2), double-pass (1-2), double-take – redouble-take and at the end, Kristoffer (Brussels) secured the 4 points, the match, and the encounter. Brussels’ dreams and joy, keeping the 4 Cubes, contrasted with Ghent’s nightmare and despair but a bottle of champagne brought both teams together around 01.30 in the middle of the night. See you this year for another final, who will take the gauntlet ?
– Guy Van Middelem

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