Dear players, backgammon friends,
thank you all for signing up for BBD1. We are looking forward to a fun day full of exciting backgammon.
Here are some last practical guidelines :
1. Draw :
As announced, the draw will be done on Friday at noon. After the draw is done, you will be notified of your table number and opponent, either by mail or SMS.
We have a field of 26 players, with Robin Bilderbeek on the stand-by list.
I count on everybody’s discretion to inform me as soon as possible should unforeseen events prevent you from attending.
2. Getting there :
Car : remember that Saturday is market day in Brugge. Shoppers flock to the city centre pretty early and parking lots tend to fill up quickly. Most practical option is to park your car in public parking Pandreitje (put either Gevangenisstraat or Park 5 in your path finding device). Day fee is 8,70€/day. From there it is less than 5 minutes on foot to the Hollandse Vismijn.
Train : walking from the station to the H. Vismijn takes about 30 minutes. You can also take a bus to the market square and walk another 5 minutes to the Vismarkt.
3. Boards, clocks and other stuff :
If you have not been personally requested to bring your board, then we suggest you do not bring it to the venue. You will not have time to use it.
Boards, clocks, dice, etc. are provided by Brugge BC and some befriended players from other clubs.
The playing room is not spacious and there is no cloak-room available. So travel light and bring only the most necessary things to the H. Vismijn.
4. Schedule (modified!) :
9 – 10 : arrival : you will be greeted by either Line Vandamme or Isabelle Goeman. From them, you will get a coupon which you can exchange at the bar for your welcome coffee. Boterkoeken are upstairs in the playing area.
10 – 10:15 : if you have not moved upstairs by this time, it is time you did. Take a seat at your designated table and await proceedings.
At this time, only players and staff are allowed upstairs. Once the tournament is underway, visitors are welcome. Smoking and pets are not allowed. Visitors are expected to be quiet.
10:15 – 10:30 : Welcome word and Player Presentation (by Michel).
10:30 : start of tournament by wedstrijdleider (tournament director) Geert Van der Stricht. He will inform you on certain aspects of playing etiquette and then get Round 1 of the tournament underway by starting the clocks.
12 : Round 2
13:30 – 14 :15 : lunch break. Soup, sandwiches and cake will be brought upstairs.
14:30 : Round 3
16 : Round 4
17:30 : Round 5
19 : Prize giving.
Players are requested to replace the checkers in the starting position once they have finshed playing their match. They can then either watch some other matches or go downstairs for a drink or a breath of fresh air.
5. Side-pools :
At this time, 4 players have entered the 50€ side-pool. They are : Line Vandamme, Bert Van Kerckhove, Paul Van Dijke and Michel Lamote.
One player has entered the 20€ side-pool. That is Peter Allemeersch.
You can still sign up for either side-pool. Just inform Michel before Saturday, 10 am.
6. Buying drinks :
Upon arrival, you will receive a personalised zuipkaart. Whenever you order drinks during the day, you order will be noted on the card. No need to take out cash. At the end of the day, we count on everybody’s savoir vivre to pay the bill at the counter before stepping into the night.
7. Public table :
We play on 13 numbered tables. All these tables have a board, 30 checkers, 2 dice, 2 cups and 1 doubling cube. Pen and paper are available for scorekeeping. Scoreboards are not provided but feel free to bring your personal scoreboard.
Table 1 is the Feature Table. The board on that table belongs to Geert Van der Stricht. It was awarded to him upon winning the first edition of the BIC (Belgian Individual Championship) in December 2013. If you find yourself playing on that board, you should be first on the Leaderboard (except for Round 1 of course, which is random).
All matches played on the Feature Table will be recorded. Afterwards they will be transcribed in XG and posted on the BGFed website along with some comments and annotations by Michel Lamote.
Table 2 is the Public Table. This board is the only board set up in the café. It brings backgammon and the tournament in the public eye.
Since it is Table 2, the players at this table will probably be seasoned players who should be able to cope with the noise (music, talking, …). However, if you are drawn to play on the Public Table and you feel uncomfortable playing in those rowdy conditions, just let Geert know and you will be allowed to play upstairs in monastic silence.
Tables 3 to 8 are the Homeboard Tables. They are the personal boards of members of Brugge BC, viz. Peter Allemeersch (Table 3), Line Vandamme (Table 4), Paul Van Dijke (Table 5), Guy Van Middelem (Table 6), Nigel Vergaerde (Table 7) and Eddy Cabooter (Table 8).
The last 5 tables are the Guest Board Tables. The boards belong to Johan Segers (Table 9), Maurits Pino (Table 10), Patrick De Wilde (Table 11), Geert Dooms (Table 12) and Luc Palmans (Table 13).
We trust that all participants will treat these boards with respect (or at least try not to spill drinks in the board).
Conclusion :
Let me thank you all beforehand for helping to make this pioneering event a success.
We count on your punctuality and, above all, your sportsmanship.
Michel Lamote
for : the organizing committee (Line Vandamme and Peter Allemeersch)