Saturday 28 February 2015
from 10.00h till 19:00h
De Hollandse Vismijn, Vismarkt 4 , Brugge
De 6 Brugse Zotten: a team challenge.
Dear all, backgammon friends,
Encouraged by the example set by clubs from Leuven and Gent and by personal initiatives such as the Brussels Friendly, the Brugge Backgammon Club organizes its first Brugge Backgammon Day. You can check the leaflet on www.bgfed.be for the most basic information.
Unlike many international tournaments, this 1st BBD is a low-threshold event. All players listed in the Bigelo-ranking can enter and everybody will play in the same division, regardless of strength or reputation. There is no money involved (although optional side-pools may be set up upon request) which puts the emphasis solely on playing the game in a social context. The tournament itself follows the Swiss formula, which means that everybody plays 5 matches, regardless of winning or losing.
Now, low threshold and social context do not mean that this is just a casual afternoon playing backgammon. Brugge BC is proud to announce that the tournament will be directed by Geert Van der Stricht (IM). Instead of taking part, Geert will devote his energy to making sure everything runs smoothly and correctly. Players are expected around 10:00 and play starts at 10:30 sharp. Remember: all clocks start running with 19 minutes at that time, so coming 15 minutes late will leave a player with only 4 minutes left to play a 7-point match.
This may sound unnecessarily severe to some but this is, in our opinion, the only way to ensure that 5 matches to 7 can be played between 10:30 and 19:00.
Also, in concord with Geert, we ask that you only enter the tournament if you can guarantee your presence. Entries close on Wednesday 24 February and the draw will be done on Friday 26 February at noon (so not at 18:00 as mentioned in the leaflet). After the draw is done, all players will be informed by e-mail or SMS of their opponent and table number.
What is there to win?
In material terms, not much. The winner will win the 1st Prize and the Peter Allemeersch trophy. The runner-up will also receive a trophy as well as a small money prize. This money comes out of the coffers of the Brugge BC.
To add an extra dimension to the tournament there are the 6 Brugse Zotten to win. This prize goes to the club who scores the most points in the tournament. One point is given to a club for every match won by one of its enlisted players.
This idea popped up as I had a look at the list of entries as of today. Here they are:
- Peter Allemeersch (Brugge BC)
- Eddy Cabooter (Brugge BC)
- Guy Van Middelem (Brugge BC)
- Johan Segers (Leuven BC)
- Henri Pollet (Leuven BC)
- Line Vandamme (Brugge BC)
- Leonidas Sotiriadis (Brussels BC)
- Michel Lamote (Brugge BC)
- Ronny Lecomte (Brugge BC)
- Maurits Pino (Brussels BC)
- Bert Van Kerckhove (Ghent BC)
- Luc Palmans (Hasselt BC)
- Johan Vervust (Ghent BC)
Note that there are 6 players of Brugge BC on the list (six Brugse Zotten…). For each of these players, Brugge BC will put a Brugse Zot Gift Pack up for grabs (Brugse Zot is the nickname of the locals – a cognomen going back to the 15th century). These beers will go to the club who amasses most victories in the tournament. It is of course the aim of the players of Brugge BC to keep the trophy in Brugge. We prefer to drink the beer ourselves.
Hopefully, this will encourage the 5 clubs in Belgium to delegate players to Brugge. With this trophy, the tournament becomes more than an individual endeavor. A player with zero wins after four rounds has of course no chances left to win the tournament, but if he/she can secure the 6 Brugse Zotten with a win, the match still has a lot at stake. In that way, players are not just competing for their own interests, but also for the benefit of their respective clubs.
For each club, the highest ranked player will be considered the captain of the team, unless the club chooses to nominate another player.
How to enter?
You can still enter by sending an e-mail to kynos8000@gmail.com (= Michel Lamote) and depositing 20€ on 700-0033295-68.
See you soon
ML
