BGFed.be

After winning his duel in Level 5 against Maurits Pino (4-0) and surprisingly beating Bert Van Kerckhove in Level 4 (4-2), Robin faced seasoned Red Beaver Johan Segers in Level 3. Based on the pre-covid BMS Grading Table, Johan was the favourite with a PR of 5,65 behind his name. Robin’s PR of 7,25 indicated a small, but meaningful skill difference. Note that both these PRs were based on the players’ last 600 EP (= Experience Points), i.e. the equivalent of eighty-five 7-point matches. In short, a reliable indication of their playing strength … two years ago.

Johan was conscious of Robin’s recent eye-catching performances and did not take this duel lightly. He won the first match with a respectable PR (5,04), but saw Robin take a point with a better PR (4,57). That meant 1-1 after the first match.

As the tension rose, the second match went Robin’s way. He won 7-2. Moreover, his PR was again better than Johan’s: 3,51 (!) versus 5,22. So although Johan was playing better than his advertised PR (an accomplishment in itself), he had to undergo Robin’s consistently accurate play. Suddenly the score was 3-1 for Robin. Add to this, Robin’s overall PR was a full point better than Johan’s, so the only way for Johan to pull this duel out of the fire was to win the third match and score a significantly better PR.

Everything now hinged on the third 7-pointer. Robin’s efforts in the first two matches had clearly taken their toll. He fumbled some cube and checker play decisions. Could Johan take advantage of this? It looked like he would, but at 3-away 2-away, as Robin insta-cubed from the bar after having been Too Good for several rolls, Johan dropped this bluff-cube (0,056 No Double) which turned out to be a big, big Take (0,504). This gave his PR a brutal knock and from 3-away 1-away Crawford, it’s hard to make up a PR deficit as cube decisions almost become no-brainers. But… Johan did not know this of course.

So, Johan kept up the fight and invested all the mental energy he had in every decision. He clawed his way back in the match from 3-away 1-away Cr. and even won this gruelling 7-pointer after eleven games: 6-7. A better PR would have secured a 3-3 draw and then, who knows, maybe the overall PR would clinch the duel. In the end, however, the PR’s turned out to be close, with Robin – for the third consecutive time – having slightly the better of it: 6,33 v 6,58.

This 4-2 victory catapults Robin from a modest Level 5 starting position to Level 2 where he will meet one of Belgium’s four backgammon heavyweights. His noteworthy improvement is also reflected in the RBL Leaderboard, where he is far ahead of the pack with twelve points and an overall PR of 5,56 (after eight 7-pointers). Surely the man of the hour in Belgian backgammon!

Commiserations to Johan, who battled hard, but ended up playing slightly below his pre-covid standard. He will surely be looking to elevate his game in his Level 3 barrage duel against Paulus van Rooijen.

(Check Results in the menu on the side, including the leaderboard).

— Michel Lamote

The players who showed up at the Sandeman (Ghent) last Tuesday witnessed an exciting UBC-duel. Although Bert played at World Class level in the first two matches (PR 3,71 and PR 3,36!), his excellent performance was not enough to secure an advantage as Robin managed to score a point in match 2 with an outlier PR of… 1,91. This amazing feat resulted in a 2-2 score after two of the three matches. As Bert was leading on average PR, the only scenario he had to avoid in match 3 was a loss with a worse PR. Sure enough, this unlikely turn of events happened as Bert, down 0-1, took a gammonnish cube which was a 0,300 Pass and ended up losing four points. This misjudgement proved to be a seismic moment in the duel. Robin was now leading 5-0 in the score and had a significantly better PR. In the third game, however, Robin also took a 0,300 Pass, which brought the PR’s closer again. Fortunately for Robin he managed to win this crucial game from an underdog position and was able to finish the match while his PR was still better than Bert’s.

This 4-2 victory means that Robin is now certain of promotion to Level 4 next year. In the meantime, he progresses to Level 3 where he will meet Johan Segers. Robin also cashes a PR bounty of 30€ as his average PR over the three 7-pointers was 5,96, just 0,04 below the 6 PR bounty threshold. Bert, on the contrary, now faces Belgian Champion Guy Van Middelem in a barrage duel of five 7-pointers which will decide who stays in Level 4 and who will start the 2023-2024 RBL season in Level 5.

Congrats to both players for a memorable UBC-duel!

PS: Check out the Red Beaver League links in the menu on the side for detailed results, the playing schedule, and the rules of the competition.

— Michel Lamote

On Sunday 25 September in Vlissingen, NL, Paul van Dijke beat Paulus van Rooijen 4-2 in their Level 3 duel. Paul was lucky to win all three 7-pointers and so one PR-win was enough to secure victory.

Paul now moves up to Level 2 where he will meet Johan Huyck, whereas Paulus will play a barrage duel against Bert Van Kerckhove, Robin Bilderbeek or Johan Segers to ensure his spot in Level 3.

You can check the updated Results, Leaderboard and Playing Roster in the menu on the side.