BGFed

Category: Tournaments

  • Draw for Belgian Championship Double Consultation.

    Six teams entered the upcoming Belgian Championship Double Consultation, to be held at the Sandeman Club in Gent on Sunday 2 July.  The draw was made at the Ambassador Hotel in Rimini, Italy, by organiser Johan Huyck and overseen by myself. The draw went smoothly and produced the following pairings :

    Round 1 (10:00 am)
    Paul Van Dijke & Paulus Van Rooijen v Geert Van der Stricht & Johan Huyck
    Michel Lamote & Sonja Custers v Marc Van Damme & Robin Bilderbeek
    Walter Meuwis & Ronny Conaert v Luc Palmans & Johan Segers

    Round 2 (12:30 pm)
    Geert Van der Stricht & Johan Huyck v Luc Palmans & Johan Segers
    Marc Van Damme & Robin Bilderbeek v Walter Meuwis & Ronny Conaert
    Paul Van Dijke & Paulus Van Rooijen v Michel Lamote & Sonja Custers

    Round 3 (14:45 pm)
    Michel Lamote & Sonja Custers v Geert Van der Stricht & Johan Huyck
    Walter Meuwis & Ronny Conaert v Paul Van Dijke & Paulus Van Rooijen
    Luc Palmans & Johan Segers v Marc Van Damme & Robin Bilderbeek

    Round 4 (17:00 pm)
    Geert Van der Stricht & Johan Huyck v Marc Van Damme & Robin Bilderbeek
    Paul Van Dijke & Paulus Van Rooijen v Luc Palmans & Johan Segers
    Michel Lamote & Sonja Custers v Walter Meuwis & Ronny Conaert

    Round 5 (19:15 pm)
    Walter Meuwis & Ronny Conaert v Geert Van der Stricht & Johan Huyck
    Luc Palmans & Johan Segers v Michel Lamote & Sonja Custers
    Marc Van Damme & Robin Bilderbeek v Paul Van Dijke & Paulus Van Rooijen

     

  • Bert slams opposition at 2017 Rotterdam Open.

    After winning all 7 matches at the recent Gent Open, Bert Van Kerckhove continued his winning streak by triumphing in 4 consecutive 13-point matches at the Rotterdam Open last Sunday.

    Bert receives the trophy from Ed Baars (organizer).

    The field of 16 players was slightly stronger than at a regular Super Sunday (held every last Sunday of the month). Two German players of some reknown (Kimon Papachristopoulos and Dirk Leinberger) had made the trip and the field was further peppered with Dutch top players (a.o. Rogier Van Gemert and Paul Van Koningshoven) as well as our own Geert Van der Stricht.

    While Geert was unable to stamp his mark on proceedings, Bert seems to relish the air at the little yacht harbour adjacent to the Okay Club, where the tournament is held. He defeated the talkative German Dirk Leinberger in the semi-final and blasted away Paul Van Koningshoven in the final (13-4) thereby ensuring another fine Belgian win on Dutch soil.

    Congratulations, Bert!

     

     

     

  • Sunday 2 July 2017 : 1st Open Belgian Championship Double Consultation.

    In Double Consultation,  backgammon is played between two teams of 2 players. The teams are allowed to consult before executing a checker play or making a cube decision. This usually results in more thorough play, especially since more time is allotted on the clock (3 minutes per point and 18 seconds per move).

    BGFed.be is proud to announce the 1st Open Belgian Championship Double Consultation.

    This tournament is open to players of all levels. Since no money is involved, even players of Beginner/Intermediate level can have a rewarding experience, since listening in on the deliberations of the opponents can be both instructive and – at times – highly amusing.

    Denmark (l)  playing Double Consultation against Germany (r)

    Here is the practical information :

    Date : Sunday 2 July 2017

    Venue : Sandeman Club (Gent)

    Format : 5 rounds of 7-point matches. Full tournament or truncated Round Robin depending on the number of teams.

    The trophy (donated by BGFed.be) will go to the team that wins the tournament (optional sidepool available).

    Ambitious teams also have the option to compete for a PR based sidepool whereby the winner will be the team with the best overall PR. Only teams that are able to annotate/film their matches and will transcribe their matches within 7 days after the tournament, can compete in this secondary sidepool.

    Schedule :

    9.15 – 9.45 : arrival (registration, coffee, orange juice, ontbijtkoeken, …)

    10.00 : Round 1

    12.00 : sandwiches, croque monsieur and soup available all day

    12.30 : Round 2

    14.45 : Round 3

    17.00 : Round 4

    19.15 : Round 5

    21.30 : Prize giving (no prize money)

    Clock : 21′ + 18″ per move

    Entry fee : 30€ per player (registration, food, …).

    This tournament is open to all players, also non-BGFed.be members.  Note that only an even number of teams will be allowed to enter. The order of pre-registration will be respected.

    Pre-registration is required. Send an e-mail to : johan.huyck@wiskin.be (before Sunday 18 June).

    Draw : Tuesday 20 June at the Sandeman Club (Gent).

    Hope to see you on Sunday 2 July in Gent!

    The Sandeman, home of Gent Backgammon Club.

  • Reykjavik hosts 2017 European Backgammon Team Championship.

    • BgFed.be intends to send ambitious team.

    In  Budapest (2015) and Helsingor (2016) Belgium competed with grit and determination. In both campaigns the qualification for the Final Four was missed by the smallest margin.

    Belgium’s Best in Helsingor (left to right : Maurits, Walter, Johan Huyck, Johan Segers, Geert and Alain. Bottom : Michel.

    This year the EUBTC will take place in the capital city of Iceland, Reykjavik (5-6 October 2017).  This team event is prestigious because it reflects the current standard of a country’s backgammon community. Achievements in previous European Team Championships  have earned Belgium a good reputation (prestige). This is what is at stake in Reykjavik.  Therefore, BGFed.be hopes to be represented once again by a motivated and competitive team (4-7 players) :  Belgium’s Best.

    • Selection criteria.

    Selection of players will be based predominantly on empirical data, i.e. conglomerate PR’s as reflected in both the BMS GT (Grading Table) and the BPR RT (Ranking Table).

    Since (a) skill in backgammon dominates as match length increases and (b) the BMS GT reflects PR’s obtained in longer matches, a higher weight will be given to BMS gradings than to BPR gradings.

    In the case that Candidate Players have no official BMS or BPR grading, selection may be considered based on data available in the BMS(BE) archive.

    Should the difference between two players be too close to call (0,15 PR), factors like international experience with longer matches will be taken into account.

    • Selection procedure.

    Candidacies must be submitted by e-mail (kynos8000@gmail.com) at the latest on 30  June  2017.

    Candidate players should :

    a) be BGFed.be member

    b) have the Belgian nationality or be bona fide resident in Belgium

    c) demonstrably play at Advanced level or better

    d) have an official BMS or BPR grading  or be BIC player.

    A first list of Candidate Players will be published on the BGFed.be website on 15 July 2017.

    On 22-23 July 2017  a BMS tournament will be played to ensure Candidate Players an ultimate opportunity to improve their BMS grading. This tournament will be played in Brugge and will consist of six 13-point matches.

    The final selection for Reykjavik 2017 will be made once the performances (PR’s) in this event have been incorporated in the BMS GT.

    M

     

  • Bert wins 12th Gent Open.

    Seven victories in a row guaranteed success for Bert Van Kerckhove at this year’s Gent Open. This is quite a feat since Bert organised the event and had to take care of all kinds of practicalities in between and during matches :

    Bert (l) stoically shuffling checkers. Wife and son in full admiration. Maurits Pino (r) undergoing the onslaught.

    As always, the event was held at the Sandeman Club in Gent. Amid the medieval brickwork, 25 players signed up to play seven 7-point matches with only 12 minutes on the clock :

    The playing area at the Sandeman Club.

     

    Kristoffer De Weert in deep thought

    When the dust settled, Bert was the last man standing with 7/7.  Closest on his heels was Johan Huyck (6/7).  Marc Van Damme, Paulus Van Rooijen and Ronny Conaert scored 5/7 :

    Johan Huyck (l) congratulating Bert (r)

    This edition of the Gent Open was a success. Sandwiches kept coming all day through and quite a lot of players stayed on till long after the prize giving ceremony discussing the future of Belgian backgammon, the bad luck they suffered, the merits of Leffe blond, and plenty of other banalities.

    In short, it was a fine backgammon tournament.

     

     

  • Nordic Open 2017

    Tournament website (including a link to the livestream)
    Detailed results

    BGFed.be spelers at the Nordic Open:

    • Champion division: Michel Lamote, Maurits Pino. In the main bracket, Michel lost his first match against Tilman Söhnchen. In the fighters’ bracket, he defeated Michihito “Michy” Kageyama (JP) but then lost to Lars Hammersgren. Maurits had an even shorter run: he was defeated by Matt Reklaitis (US) in the main bracket and by Peter Lego Fursund (DK) in the fighters’ bracket.
    • Advanced division: Walter Meuwis. Walter won three matches in a row in the main bracket and lost the fourth one. He continued with three victories in the fighters’ bracket, but ended up losing against the Danish Champion Lars Nielsen in the last round before the Final Eight.
    • Advanced Division: Marius Hentea. Marius played in Belgium for several years and now lives and works in Göteborg.  He lost in the first round of the main bracket, but strung together 5 (6?) victories to reach the Final Four. There he was defeated by the later winner.

  • Robin Bilderbeek wins 1st Belgium Championship 3-point matches.

    At Longchamp, 26 players showed up to contest the 1st Belgium Backgammon Championship 3-point matches. The initiative was taken by BGFed.be President Guy Van Middelem, who also sacrificed his own chance for glory by acting as TD (Tournament Director).

    The event was won by Robin Bilderbeek (Gent BC), who celebrated his return from a 2-month backgammon sabbatical by winning 13 out of 14 matches :

    Robin “Rain” Bilderbeek with trophy.

    This stunning result did not come as a suprise to the members of Gent BC, who have seen Robin make significant progress in the past year. Robin has played several BMS Series ( = pre-designated series of longer matches) and is in the habit of filming, transcribing and analysing his matches as a means to improve. Now hovering on the brink between Advanced and Expert level, Robin is poised to lift his game to an even higher level in 2017.

    Closest on Robin’s heels was Maurits Pino (Brussels BC), who won 12 out of 14 matches. Maurits exerted pressure on Robin till the last rounds, but Robin ended his triumphant campaign with resounding victories over team buddy Bert Van Kerckhove (Gent BC) and former (and future?) backgammon master Marc Vandamme. Congratulations Robin!

    The classy trophy was donated by BGFed.be and professionally presented by Master of Ceremonies Guy.

    Next event on the calendar is the 12th Gent Open Backgammon (Saturday 8 April 2017), where 7 rounds of 7-point matches will be played. For info, contact : bert.vankerckhove@skynet.be.

    See you there!

    M

  • 1st Belgium Backgammon Championship 3-point matches

    Dear backgammon friends & BGFed.be members,

    Save the date – on Sunday the 26th of February at 10.00 hours :

    1st Belgium Backgammon Championship 3-point matches

    Format depending on the number of participants : presumably Swiss tournament with everybody playing 14 rounds of 3-point matches. Open to all BGFed.be members. All info on included flyers [ EN | FR | NL ].

    Registration is mandatory before Friday the 24th of February ! BYOB (try to bring a board and a clock). Location : Longchamp Tennis Club, chaussée de Waterloo 836, 1180 Brussels.

    Registration &/or information : Guy Van Middelem : 0476/41.86.88

    Hope to see you then,
    Guy

  • Belgian 3-point Match Championship 2017 on Sunday, February 26, at Longchamp’s

    On Sunday, February 26, BGFed.be will organize the first Belgian 3-point Match Championship.

    Venue: Longchamp Tennis Club, chaussée de Waterloo 836, 1180 Brussels.
    Starting time: 10:00.
    Format: to be decided. Most probably Swiss.
    Tournament director: Guy Van Middelem (T 0032 476 41 86 88, E guy.van.middelem@telenet.be)

  • BMS Xmas Trophy 2016 : historic performance by Christian Sörensen.

    Grandmaster-to-be Christian Sörensen
    Grandmaster-to-be Christian Sörensen

    If you record and transcribe a batch of five 9-point matches for a total EP of 45, very seldom will the resulting Performance Rating (PR) deviate substantially from the players’ known playing strength. It was known beforehand that Christian Sörensen (24 – see profile below) played better than Belgium’s Best, but … hey… that remained to be seen, right?

    Well, here it is : a PR of 2,99 is absolutely stunning. This is a Super Grandmaster performance (PR < 3) that will resound on all continents. True, the opposition was average, so it is well possible that cube decisions were not as difficult as they would have been again stronger opponents. Christian may also have been circumstantially lucky in that he was mostly crushed in his matches, so was not faced with complex, creative opportunities. Nevertheless, this result proves without any doubt that this player has the potential to reach the absolute top in backgammon. Congratulations, Christian! And thank you for coming to Brussels and showing us the stuff Grandmasters are made of :

    xmas-prs

     

    In the shade of that oak, some lesser vegetation tried to get a ray of sunlight. I was able to play at Master Class 1 level, which is encourageing, and Geert has to be delighted with a fine 4,78.  Both Johans will probably be slightly disappointed not to have dipped below 6. Further down, Paul and Guy could not rise above themselves and Zsolt, Johan V. and Nick know that the road ahead to Advanced level will be hard.

    A word of thanks to BMS(BE) (i.e. Geert Van der Stricht, Johan Huyck and Walter Meuwis) for organizing and orchestrating this event, and to BGFed.be for their encouragement and support.

    Happy 2017!

    Profile Christan Sörensen :

    24 years old

    Finalist Nordic Open 2011 (at 17…)

    Winner Dutch Championship 2012

    Winner Double Consultation Nordic Open 2014 (with GM Bob Wachtel)

    Semi-finalist XG Masters Nordic Open 2016.

     

  • BMS : Michel wins BMS Belgium Xmas Trophy 2016.

    At Longchamp on Tuesday 27 December, 10 players played 5 rounds of 9-point matches in a truncated round robin. All matches were recorded and PRs will be validated for BMS and BMAB.

    Johan Segers, Zsolt Tasnadi and myself each won 4 out of 5 and shared first prize. I was able to win the three-way mini tie-break for the trophy, which was donated by BGFed.be.

    Zsolt (l), Michel (with trophy) and Johan (r)
    Zsolt (l), Michel (with trophy) and Johan (r)

     

    Full report follows when all matches have been transcribed.

    M

  • BMS (UK) : Michel dips below 5.

    I like going to these BMS (UK) tournaments in Nottingham. A plane can take you there in an hour or so and the Best Western is only a short cab drive from the airport.  Moreover, the format is right up my alley : three 11-pointers on Saturday (between 11:30am and 6:00pm) and three on Sunday (between 10:30am and 5:00pm). All matches are filmed by Rick Janowski and his team. Participants can either transcribe 3 matches themselves or pay 30£ transcription fee and let others do the work. Entry into the tournament is also democratic : 30£.

    In these BMS events, my approach is more academic than competitive. I aim to make the most optimal decisions, regardless of the strength of my opponents. I care less about the victory than about the performance. After all, it is the PRs that are significant (they are skill-based and incorporated in the BMAB World Ranking), not the number of match wins (corrupted by luck and, thus, trivial).

    Here is how I did :

    BMS (UK) December 2016 : PR Michel.
    BMS (UK) December 2016 : PR Michel (wins 4/6)

    This result will not win me the PR prize, but it is not depressing either. It brings me to 4,93 on the BMS GT (click in the black banner above for current standings).  Question I ask myself now is :  how much time and effort is needed to improve from 4,93 to 4,00 PR? Is it even possible? Can a year of dedicated practice and sustained study bridge that 0,93 point gap? I doubt it, but I’ll give it a go in 2017.

    How about you?

    M

  • European Team Championship : Belgium’s Best remain undefeated at Helsingor.

    Belgium's Best in Helsingor (left to right : Maurits, Walter, Johan Huyck, Johan Segers, Geert and Alain. Bottom : Michel.
    Left to right : Maurits, Walter, Johan Huyck, Johan Segers, Geert and Alain. Bottom : Michel.

    With one victory (3-1 against France) and draws against Norway, the UK, Greece, Iceland and Turkey, Belgium performed well in Denmark. Narrowly missing the Final Four was of course a huge disappointment, but luck just was not on our side in the crucial phase of the championship.

    I would like to thank all the players for their good-humoured competitiveness. Belgium was undoubtedly one of the most determined and motivated teams in the field. All players played to the best of their abilities and there was not a whiff of discord in the team. Maurits and Alain (1st and 2nd substitute) were unfailing in their support and their presence gave the team the required robustness and peace of mind.

    Next year’s European Team Championship Backgammon will take place in Reykjavik (Iceland). BGFed.be intends to send a team.

    M

     

  • European Championship, Helsingor (DK), 20-23 Oct 2016

    The Belgian team: Michel Lamote, Geert Van der Stricht, Walter Meuwis, Johan Huyck, Johan Segers, Alain Chif, Maurits Pino.

    http://eurobackgammon2016.weebly.com/

    https://www.facebook.com/EuroBackgammon2016/

    Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmHwa16H8IutExiH8P30FWQ

    Results: https://www.drawboss.com/Event/Show/7303aabb-cd33-46ff-9824-7d9c9ac61524

    Round 1: Belgium – Norway 2-2

    Michel Lamote (PR: 4.4) vs Dagfinn Snarheim (PR: 4.6) 1-0
    Johan Huyck vs Rune Færevåg 0-1
    Johan Segers vs Hall Skåra 1-0
    Walter Meuwis vs Tore Fredriksson 0-1

    Round 2: Belgium – UK 2-2

    Michel Lamote vs Gaz Owen 1-0
    Johan Huyck vs Sebastian Wilkinson 0-1
    Johan Segers vs Lawrence Powell 0-1
    Walter Meuwis vs Eric McAlpine 1-0

    Round 3: Belgium – France 3-1

    Michel Lamote vs Olivier Decultot 0-1
    Johan Huyck vs Raphaël Rosalba 1-0
    Johan Segers vs Stéphane Chenevière 1-0
    Walter Meuwis vs Gildas Racape 1-0

    Round 4: Belgium – Greece 2-2

    Geert Van der Stricht vs Nikos Dikaros 0-1
    Michel Lamote vs Athanasios Katsios 1-0
    Johan Segers vs Haris Christidis 0-1
    Walter Meuwis vs Michalis Manolios 1-0

    Round 5: Belgium – Iceland 2-2

    Geert Van der Stricht vs Hallur Jon Saevarsson 0-1
    Michel Lamote vs Stefan Gudmundsson 0-1
    Johan Huyck vs Ingi Tandri Traustason 1-0
    Walter Meuwis vs Fjalarr Páll Mánason 1-0

    Round 6: Belgium – Turkey 2-2

    Geert Van der Stricht vs Mahir Kasuto 0-1
    Michel Lamote vs Murat Hazır 1-1
    Johan Segers vs Gokhan Kazandag 1-0
    Walter Meuwis vs Zafer Önder 1-0

    Team ranking after the Swiss stage

    1. Hungary 18
    2. Croatia 16
    3. Denmark 15
    4. United Kingdom 14
    5. Greece, Belgium, Sweden, Turkey 13
    6. France, Austria 11
    7. Gibraltar 7
    8. Cyprus 6

    We missed the final 4 by a hair. It all ended with an exciting double match point by Michel in extreme time pressure. Just a little bit more luck and we would have made it. Next time perhaps!

  • Souvenirs from Budapest

    As the countdown to the European Team Championship starts, I picked some of the photos taken during last year’s edition in Budapest to share with you.

    P1110539
    The European Championship was preceded by the Budapest Open. The masters division was played in the Panorama room. The shutters had to be closed because of the scorching sun; outside temperatures reached 35°C.
    P1110540
    Guy Van Middelem (right) preferred to play in the more spacious lobby; Michel Lamote and Alain Chif are watching. Guy had a good start, winning the first two matches but lost to a Norwegian player in the third round.
    P1110536
    Luc Palmans (left) playing Tore Frederiksen (Norway) in the first round. After losing this match, Luc had to continue in the fighter bracket.
    P1110553
    After an easy win in the first round, Walter Meuwis (left) was leading 10:7 (in an 11-point match) against top Danish player Thomas Kristensen. Michel Lamote keeps his fingers crossed but finally Walter had to surrender.
    P1110542
    Players of the intermediate division in the Venus room, including Maurits Pino and Alain Chif. The lady on the left, Laurence Sinitzky-Billard went on to win the tournament without loosing a match.
    Spectators admiring the skills of the blind British player, Yan Kit Chan (on the right).
    Spectators admiring the skills of the blind British player, Yan Kit Chan (right). Occasionally he palpates the checkers but in general he keeps the position of all the 30 checkers in mind.
    P1110594
    After several changes of the rules and some discussion with the tournament director, Maurits Pino (left) and Zsolt Tasnádi won a shared third price in the intermediate division – in fact shared with three other players.
    P1110579
    Walter Meuwis (right) received the 2014 Belgian Individual Championship (BIC) trophy from BGFed.be president Guy Van Middelem in Budapest. He won the title in December 2014, defeating Maurits Pino in the final.
    P1110591
    The start of the team championship was delayed because we had to wait for the EUBGF president Steen Grønbech (opposite) to finish his match in the masters division…
    P1110602
    … but finally it started, although without Belgium who was bye. Zdeněk Žižka, the 17-year-old Czech talent is on the right playing Bjørnar Bugge (Norway).
    P1110616
    In the second round, Belgium played Austria. Geert Van der Stricht (left) faces Mario Lazzer; German top player Tobias Hellwag stands on the right. Geert won 15:11, making the score Belgium 3 – Austria 1.
    P1110620
    Walter Meuwis, Luc Palmans, Maurits Pino and Geert van der Stricht (from left to right) starts the night shift facing Greece in the third round. Luc was the last to finish at around half past 3, the final score was 2-2.
    P1110670
    Next day, in the 4th round, Belgium played host nation Hungary. In the foreground, Belgian champion Walter Meuwis (left) faces the Hungarian champion Attila Kenéz. Walter won 15:7.
    P1110677
    Michel Lamote (left) playing the Crawford game against János Baranyai (Hungary). Nothing went right for Michel in this match. His opponent finished the tournament with an impressive 7/7 result.
    P1110691
    After two draws (against Hungary and Croatia), Belgium faced tournament leader and top favourite Denmark. Luc Palmans (left) contemplates an 8-cube against Mik Larsen. Doble/take, well played by both players. Luc won this game but sadly he lost the match 15:13.
    szoveg
    Michel Lamote (right) faces Thomas Kristensen (Denmark), deploying two chairs to get a better view of the board. In the background, captain Guy van Middelem is joking with his Danish colleague. At this time we were confident, with all four Belgian players leading.
    p1110708
    Geert van der Stricht plays Steen Grønbech (right). Geert was very close to winning but Steen rolled a 44 to enter his 2 checkers in a 5-point board, turning the game and the match around. This match was live streamed on the website of the Danish federation.
    p1110707
    Kristensen redoubled at this position. If Michel takes and redoubles to 8, he can play for the (15-point) match. Tough decision, he preferred to start a new game.
    p1110713
    Belgium lost 1:3 to Denmark (Walter Meuwis won his match) but, before the last round, still had a realistic chance to make the final four.
    p1110709
    In the last round, we played Italy who already secured their place in the semifinal. Because of the other results, in particular Germany’s surprise 4:0 win against Denmark, the team would have needed to win all four matches in order to qualify for the final four. Alain Chif (right) won his match but the final result was Belgium 2 – Italy 2.
    p1110728
    Denmark and Germany met again in the semifinal. After a 2-2 draw, the encounter was decided by a 7-point team consultation match. Germany made it to the final.
    p1110729
    The final, played by Croatia (left) and Germany. Croatia prevailed by winning the deciding 7-point consultation match.
    p1110735
    An interesting position from the final. Looks simple but in fact white has several options to play the 2:1. Some good players among the spectators could not agree what the best move is.

    The European Championship starts on 20 October in Helsingør, Denmark. Good luck to the Belgian team! Read the introduction of the team members here.

  • 4th Brussels Backgammon Day, Sun 30 Oct 2016

    Breakfast at 09.30 hours, 10 rounds of 5-points matches with a light lunch around 14.30 hours, end of play & prize-giving ceremony around 22.00 hours. Venue: Brasseries du Lonchamp, Uccle.

    Detailed program and registration

  • EBTC Denmark 2016 : final selection.

    The European Backgammon Team Championship will take place in Helsingor (Denmark) in October this year. As announced, selection for the team is solely based on playing strength as indicated by the assembled data in the 2 BMS tables : the BMS Grading Table (predominantly longer matches) and the BPR Ranking Table (mostly shorter matches).

    After 8 months of play (hundreds of matches) the BMS BE data have yielded the following ranking :

    BMS BPR combined

    Therefore, the selection for Helsingor is as follows : 1. Michel Lamote 2. Geert Van der Stricht 3. Walter Meuwis 4. Johan Segers 5. Johan Huyck 6. Guy Van Middelem 7. Alain Chif. Substitute  : Maurits Pino.

    BGFed.be is happy to send this robust team to Denmark. Of course, with no player who plays solidly below 5, we cannot count ourselves among the favourites. However, the team’s skill level and international experience is high enough to warrant some hope for at least an outside chance of success.

    As Team Captain I hope that in the coming months  all selected players will conscientiously prepare for this event. Any improvement in whatever aspect of the game can make a difference when crunch time comes.

    M

     

  • BMS Brugge : Zdenek and Michel divide PR prize.

    Wonder kid Zdenek Zizka
    Wonder kid Zdenek Zizka

    As was to be expected, Zdenek Zizka, the timid 17-year-old grandmaster from the Czech Republic, took first prize in the PR contest at Belgium’s 1st BMS event (6 x 13) :

    BMS Brugge PR Zdenek
    BMS Brugge PR Zdenek

    I was able to dip below 5 and thus post the 2nd best PR :

    BMS Brugge PR Michel
    BMS Brugge PR Michel

    The other performance results :

    3. Honza Cerny (CZ) : 5,36

    4. Johan Huyck (B) : 5,72

    5. Geert Van der Stricht (B) : 5,89

    6. Pavel Zaoral (CZ) : 6,20

    7. Walter Meuwis (B) : 6,33

    8. Paulus Van Rooijen (NL) : 6,82

    9. Maurits Pino (NL) : 8,00

    10. Guy Van Middelem (B) : 9,02

    The  question now is : how much improvement can our best players make in the coming 12 months? Belgian backgammon would make a big leap forward if 3 to 4 players could post PRs below 5 next year.

    BMS BE hopes that at least a number of players will find the time and motivation to strive towards that goal. It will take study and dedicated practice. We wish everyone good luck in that noble endeavour.

    M (for : BMS BE)

  • BMS : Johan Huyck remains undefeated at 1st BMS tournament.

    With an amazing streak of 6 consecutive wins, Johan Huyck (Gent BC) became the convincing winner of the 1st BMS Belgium tournament.  After having beaten Paulus Van Rooijen (NL), Guy Van Middelem, Honza Cerny (CZ) and Walter Meuwis in the first 4 rounds, Johan won a crucial duel against the young Czech grandmaster Zdenek Zizka to take 5/5. In the 6th and final round, Johan was able to keep Maurits Pino (NL) from a shared first prize by scoring his 6th victory.

    Johan (l) with BMS trophy.
    Johan (r) with BMS trophy and BMS organizer Michel (l)

    Four players shared 2nd place with 4 wins : Geert Van der Stricht (Gent BC), Maurits Pino (Brussels BC), Paulus Van Rooijen (Brugge BC) and Pavel Zaoral (CZ).

    Top favourite Zdenek Zizka (CZ) was knocked out of contention in the 4th round by Guy Van Middelem (Brugge BC)  and had to content himself with a meagre 2/6. Same for Michel Lamote (Brugge BC – 2/6). Both players can hope for some consolation in the form of respectable PRs. All 10 players are currently transcribing the 30 matches (13 points) and eagerly (anxiously?) awaiting the performance evaluations.

    BMS Belgium would like to congratulate all participants on their gentlemanly conduct and good-humoured competitiveness and especially the Czech delegation for travelling 1000 km to come from Prague to Brugge and being great sports.  Robin Bilderbeek handcrafted the trophy.

    M

     

  • Czech grandmaster Zdenek Zizka (17) plays at BMAB event in Brugge.

    Zdenek with BMAM award letter
    Zdenek Zizka with BMAB award letter

    A couple of months ago (March ’16) the BMAB event in Vienna, Austria, was won by Zdenek Zizka  from the Czech Republic with an overall PR of 3,52.  He has since then been awarded the official BMAB (Backgammon Masters Awarding Body) grading of Grandmaster (Class III) with a PR of 3,84. In an effort to improve on his rating, he will play in Brugge on 23-24 July 2016. He will be accompanied by his mentor Honza Czerny and by Pavel Zaoral, two Czech players of Master level.

    The American backgammon pro Phil Simborg did an interview with this talented youngster for the on-line magazine GammonVillage. We are allowed to publish some excerpts :

    (Chiva Tafazzoli, President of the World Backgammon Association, on “the Czech group”) : The members of the Czech group are all extremely nice people. They have been regulars at the monthly tournaments in München. On Saturdays, they drive 4 hours from Prague to be on time (never late) and after the tournament, around 10pm, they drive back to Prague, another 4 hours. That’s dedication!

    Zdenek (about himself) : I started to play backgammon when I was 5.  My dad was working in a restaurant where they had a backgammon machine and he showed me and my mom how to play. During our vacations in July and August we would play tens and tens of games on a small wooden board. That was our favourite family game and the experience was invaluable in helping me understand checker play strategy without the cube. As you know, even with the cube, knowing how to play at DMP is quite important.

    Zdenek (on studying backgammon) : The only book I ever read was Boot Camp by Walter Trice, but I think it really did not help me so much. I teach myself by importing my matches into XG and studying my mistakes. I have had eXtreme Gammon since 2013 and it is a great learning tool. I think most of the top players in the world would not be near as good without this wonderful machine.

    Zdenek (on backgammon heroes) : I have a lot of respect for players who can play at the highest levels and still control their emotions when losing. I do not like loud people and people who complain all the time. It is unpleasant and ruins the game and the atmosphere. If you can’t handle bad luck, then backgammon is not the game you should be playing.

    Zdenek (on  his aspirations) : I am concentrating on mathematics in school. I am not exactly sure what I want to do, but it will have something to do with money, statistics and probability. Backgammon is not my life, but my life is like backgammon – full of luck, decisions, studying probability and statistics. If there is a way I can make a career teaching and playing backgammon some day, that would be great.

    So, this young prodigy will play against some of Belgium’s Best on 23-24 July. You can still register for the event (before Sunday 17 July, midnight) if you play at Advanced level or better.

    Michel, Zdenek and Honza Czerny in Prague (August 2015)
    Michel, Zdenek and Honza Czerny in Prague (August 2015)

    M

     

  • EBTC 2016 : 8 candidate players

    The 8 candidate players for the European Backgammon Team Championship in Helsingor later this year (20-23 October) are (alphabetically by first name) : Alain Chif, Geert Van der Stricht, Guy Van Middelem, Johan Huyck, Johan Segers, Maurits Pino, Michel Lamote and Walter Meuwis.

    In the week following the BMS (BE) tournament (Brugge, 23-24 July), the final selection will be made according to the criteria described in the article Kopenhagen (sic.) 2016 : BGFed.be plans to send strong team (see : Tags/European Team Championship)  and  published on this website no later than Sunday 31 July, 12 noon.

    Thank you to all candidate players for their willingness to represent Belgium at this prestigious event.

    M

     

  • Belgian colours fly over Rotterdam.

    At the monthly Supersunday in Rotterdam, Michel found a generous streak. By winning 4 matches in a row (3 x 11, 1 x 13) he became the winner.

    Bert, after suffering elimination in the Main, was able to string 4 victories together (3 x 7, 1 x 9) to win the Consolation.

    Bert and Michel at the recent Gent Open.
    Bert and Michel at the recent Gent Open.

    In the car, on the way back, quiet contentment became jubilant joy as Belgium triumphed over Hungary.

    M

  • European Backgammon Team Championship : candidacies (reminder).

    KnipselEBTC

    I would like to remind all aspiring candidate players that the deadline for candidacies is 30 June 2016. Click on European Team Championship (under Tags (right) to find the Selection Procedure and Selection Criteria in the article Kopenhagen 2016 : BGFed.be plans to send strong team.  

    M

  • Van Kerckhove/Van Gemert (NL) win 1st Consulting Doubles in Brugge.

    In Brugge, 10 of the best players in the Low Countries gathered to compete in a consulting doubles contest.  Each team played 4 matches (9 points) with generous time allotment : 15 seconds/move and 27 minutes in the time bank. Players had sufficient time  to discuss checker plays and consider cube actions.

    Bert Van Kerckhove (left) and Rogier van Gemert (right), winners of the Brugge 2016 Double Consultation, both on result and on PR.
    Bert Van Kerckhove (left) and Rogier van Gemert (right), winners of the Brugge 2016 Double Consultation, both on result and on PR.

    At the end of the day, two teams had won 3 and lost 1 : Bert Van Kerckhove/Rogier Van Gemert (NL) were declared the tournament winners because they had beaten Johan Segers/Luc Palmans in their mutual duel. Congratulations to winner and runner-up.

    Full result :

    1. Bert Van Kerckhove/Rogier Van Gemert (winners) : 3/4

    2. Johan Segers/Luc Palmans (runner-up) : 3/4

    3. Paulus Van Rooijen/Paul Van Dijke : 2/4

    4. Geert Van der Stricht/Johan Huyck : 2/4

    5. Walter Meuwis/Michel Lamote : 0/4

    In this tournament all matches were recorded live. A prize was also set apart for the team who put down the strongest performance. Half an hour after the last dice shake, XG delivered the verdict and, lo and behold, the winners appeared to also have played best : Bert and Rogier scored a world-class 3,48 PR. It was a close affair though, since the 2nd best performance was only 0,26 off : Walter Meuwis/Michel Lamote were only marginally outplayed with 3,74 PR. Ironically, they did not manage to win a single match (0/4). Geert Van der Stricht/Johan Huyck managed to end within one of the winners with a 4,41 PR.

    Full result :

    1. Bert Van Kerckhove/Rogier Van Gemert : 3,48 (!)

    2. Walter Meuwis/Michel Lamote : 3,74

    3. Geert Van der Stricht/Johan Huyck : 4,41

    4. Paulus Van Rooijen (NL)/Paul Van Dijke (NL) : 6,01

    5. Johan Segers/Luc Palmans : 6,16.

    The tournament was an initiative of Paulus Van Rooijen set up in cooperation with Brugge BC. A special word of thanks to Robin Bilderbeek for handcrafting the trophies and transcribing 4 matches and to Walter Meuwis for processing the data and transferring the match files to all players. Thanks also to Mireille and Pol of the Hollandse Vismijn for providing the accommodation and the professional service.

    Hopefully we can look forward to a second edition somewhere in the not too distant future.

    M

     

     

  • Nordic Open 2016 – Michel Lamote vs Bjorn Lorentzen (NO) – Shortest 17-point match ever

    Match file (*.xg)

  • Nordic Open 2016 : results and livestream

    All results from the Nordic Open 2016:
    http://www.drawboss.com/Event/Show/87ca27ba-71b8-42f9-82f7-d5b07f1deb6c

    Michel Lamote participates in the “Championship” division:
    http://www.drawboss.com/Cup/Show/c7dcd518-f191-4016-9a71-5ccde46ec37d

    Walter Meuwis and former BGFed.be member Marius Hentea participate in the “Advanced” division:
    http://www.drawboss.com/Cup/Show/a265c1ce-c43b-4eee-b12b-d3c010c75469

    Rain “Robin” Bilderbeek participates in the “Intermediate” division:
    http://www.drawboss.com/Cup/Show/7d5748ea-be23-4d33-8ddf-799582295a02

    Livestream on Steen Gronbeck’s YouTube channel:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uul1_RRaCtY

    Thank you to Paul van Dijke for the links!

  • 2nd Brugge Backgammon Day fully booked.

    Boterkoeken at BBD
    Boterkoeken at BBD1

    Brugge BC is happy to announce that the 26-player field for BBD2 is now complete.  The following players registered : Henri Pollet, Geert Van der Stricht, Johan Segers, Bert Van Kerckhove, Johan Huyck, Johan Swyngedouw, Sassan Kachanian, Luc Palmans, Isabelle Goeman, Pascal Vanneste, Peter Allemeersch, Zsolt Tasnadi, Marc Steyvers, Paul van Dijke, Paulus van Rooijen, Akbar Soltani, Fakhri Soltani, Johan Brisaert, Sofie Brisaert, Kristoffer De Weert, Alain Chif, Leonidas Sotiriadis, Dan Pascu, Eddy Cabooter, Ronny Lecomte en Maurits Pino.

    In case you are not on this list, but would still be interested in taking part, you can send me an e-mail (pascal.vanneste.brugge@gmail.com).  I will contact you should there be a drop-out.

    Thanks to all players for registering so promptly.  More detailed information will appear on this website on Friday 12 February 2016 at noon.

    Line, Peter and Michel

    Brugge Backgammon Club

  • Guy van Middelem wins the Leuven Club Championship

    The Leuven Backgammon Club organized its championship for the fifth time. The championship consisted of 12 monthly tournaments, each with 4 rounds of 5-point matches, played in the Swiss system. Overall, 39 players participated in at least one of the tournaments. The ranking has been very tight throughout the year but in the end Guy van Middelem collected the most championship points, ahead of last year’s champion Zsolt Tasnadi and tournament director Johan Segers. Congratulations!

    P1110850
    Guy van Middelem (left) playing Akbar Soltani in the December tournament of the Leuven Club Championship

    At the website of the Leuven club you can find detailed reports of all rounds, with each report containing an interesting position.

  • Benelux Masters Antwerp postponed – New date and venue to be announced

    Paulus van Rooijen, tournament director of the Benelux Masters, asked me to announce that the Benelux Masters, which the past years has taken place the second weekend of January in Antwerp, will be rescheduled to a new date and a new venue — to be announced.

    – JS

  • Croatia is European champion, Belgium finishes 6th

    In the 7th round: Belgium-Italy 2-2

    Belgium was on shared 4th-5th place after 6 rounds but, because of the other results, the team would have needed to win all four matches in order to qualify for the final 4.

    Semi-finals:

    Croatia beats Italy

    Denmark-Germany 2-2, Germany wins the deciding 7-point team consultation match

    For the 3rd place: Denmark-Italy 3-1

    Final: Germany-Croatia 2-2, Croatia wins the deciding 7-point team consultation match

    Belgium finished on shared 6th-7th place. Details results are available here.