Twenty ambitious players showed up in Aachen to compete in a BMAB tournament. In these kinds of tournaments, all matches are recorded and transcribed by the organization and the players’ performance ratings (PRs) are tabulated to designate a specific title, such as Grandmaster (GM), Master, Expert, etc.
Belgium’s most proficient player and top Red Beaver, Marc Van Damme, stunned the global backgammon community with a stellar overall performance rating (OPR) of 3,51 (nine 9-point matches). This won him the PR prize, leaving a couple of certified GM’s slightly bemused. Marc is now edging closer and closer to a GM title.
Geert Van der Stricht also started off very well with a handful of SGM (= Super GM) PR’s, but sadly he could not sustain this high level of play ending with an OPR of 4,32 (4th place). Still a very solid performance by our undisputed number two.
Johan Huyck also excelled. He strung together 7 victories winning this tournament for the second time in a row. A remarkable back-to-back triumph embellished by a confidence-boosting 4,96 OPR.
My personal performance pales in comparison. Although I shared second prize with Geert and two others (6/9) I could not be happy with a mediocre 5,56 OPR.
All-in all, this was a well-run tournament in a comfortable venue. Snacks and drinks were offered at player-friendly prices and the atmosphere was cordial and relaxed. The star of the show was Marc Van Damme, whose performance cannot have escaped the attention of the world’s established GM’s.
— Michel Lamote
Thanks a lot for this nice report and warm words about our second Edition.We will continue it and we are looking forward that we got the Belgien 🇧🇪 Power of strong play more under control.
Best wishes and thanks to all players from Belgien and especially Michele for his report