Paul and Paulus win 1st Belgian Championship Double Consulting.

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Michel Lamote

Almost all of Belgium’s top-10 players were present at the 1st Belgian Championship Double Consulting. Six teams played five 7-point matches in a round robin. At the end of the day, Paul Van Dijke (Brugge BC) and Paulus Van Rooijen (Brugge BC) came out on top with 4/5 :

Belgian champions Paul (l) and Paulus (r) with the trophies (donated by BGFed.be).

Three teams shared 2nd place with three victories and two losses : Walter Meuwis  & Ronny Conaert (Hasselt BC), Luc Palmans & Johan Segers (Leuven BC) and Sonja Custers (Leuven BC) & Michel Lamote (Brugge BC). Johan Huyck & Geert Van der Stricht (Gent BC) (2/5) and Marc Van Damme & Robin Bilderbeek (Gent BC) (0/5) were the ones not favoured by Lady Fortune.

Ronny (l) &Walter (r)

Michel & Sonja

Johan S. & Luc (l) versus Geert & Johan H. (r)

Marc  (l) & Robin (r)

The tournament was conceived and organised by Johan Huyck, who did a splendid job setting it all up in a matter of weeks. It took place at the Sandeman Club in Gent, which, for the occasion, was reserved for players and supporters only. Tineke, who tends the bar at the Sandeman, made sure all players received immaculate service.

Only hours after the tournament ended, one of the players (who prefers to remain anonymous) sent out this thank you mail : “Hartelijk dank en proficiat aan Johan Huyck voor een puike organisatie van een geslaagd tornooi. Alles zat goed : formaat, timing, locatie, catering. Echt top, bravo!”

I am sure the other 11 players wholeheartedly agree :

The 6 teams : (from left to right) Geert & Johan, Paulus & Paul, Robin & Marc, Johan & Luc, Ronny & Walter, Sonja & Michel.

Looking forward to the 2nd Belgian Championship Double Consulting 2018!

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Johan and Michel win Double Consulting in Rimini (It).

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Michel Lamote

The 3rd Summer Cup in Rimini attracted about 45 players, who enjoyed an amazing package deal at the fancy Ambassador Hotel (located on the beach promenade): for 80€/day, we got a comfortable room with balcony, airco and electric shutters (which darken the room completely).  Also included is breakfast and … a 4-course dinner, including red and white wine.  As far as I can remember, this is the best deal I ever got in 15 years on the international backgammon circuit.

I was eliminated from the main event by German Championship runner-up Tilman Söhnchen, notwithstanding an acceptable performance (3,59 PR). Johan Huyck, on the other hand, managed one of the great comebacks of the tournament by winning his 1st round match from a 1-10 (11) deficit. Johan even got to the Final Eight, but eventually his luck ran out. He saw a 9-4 (11) lead evaporate against the later winner.

Johan and I did manage to win the Double Consulting event, however, which provides some satisfying consolation. We beat two Italian teams, a German team (Tilman Söhnchen, who played with his alter ego), and a French team in the final.

Johan (r) and me (l) celebrating our win at the hotel bar with our trophies and a Hemingway cocktail (foto : Tilman Söhnchen)

This first taste of the Italian tour has yielded only positive impressions. I would like to thank Alfonso Sara and Cesare Nanti for a well-run and beautifully staged tournament.

On Sunday 2 July, you can come and see how Double Consulting works when 6 teams will compete for the title of Belgian Champion Double Consulting at the Sandeman Club in Gent. Start of play : 10:00 am.

M

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Draw for Belgian Championship Double Consultation.

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Michel Lamote

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

 

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4 Cubes : This is Belgium

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Johan

On Friday, June 16, the Brussels team went to Leuven for the annual 4 Cubes encounter. The Bxl team consisted of a Francophone and a Neerlandophone Bruxellois, a Hungarian and a Dutchman (they left the Greek at home). The home team was a Francophone Iranian, a Frenchman and two Flemish (one of whom is a prof @LLN). Great atmosphere, interesting games. Better, the result was 6-6 – a thriller.

— the Dutchman

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BMS : Marc, Geert, Michel confirm top-3 status with commanding PR’s.

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Michel Lamote

After an absence of many years, Marc Van Damme has catapulted himself to the number 1 spot in Belgian backgammon. In his slipstream follow Geert Van der Stricht and Michel Lamote, trying to benefit from the leader’s pull.

Marc and Paul Van Dijke played, recorded and transcribed six 13-point matches (6*13) over the past weeks. Here is how they did :

PR Marc (wins 6-0)

An affirmative performance (!) by Marc. It is tempting to ascribe his results to some form of innate talent, whereas, of course, such level of play can only be the fruit of hard work and sustained study.

PR Paul (loses 0-6) 

Paul at the Sandeman Club…

Paul too will surely be satisfied with his result.   Although he was blasted with a numbing 6-0, he can find solace in the unmistakable progress he has made.

Geert and I played six 17-point matches in the course of the past 2 months :

PR Geert (loses 1-5)

Geert looks happy with a surprisingly good roll…

PR Michel (wins 5-1)

PR’s below 5 are both acceptable and encourageing for Geert and I, bringing us closer to the 5 PR boundary on the BMS Grading Table.

I played another Master Series of six 17-point matches against Johan Huyck :

PR Michel (draws 3-3)

PR Johan (draws 3-3)

Probably not a coincidence that my PR seems to hover around the 4,90 mark. I think I will grant myself a small psychological boost by optimistically assuming that my level of play is currently somewhere in that neighbourhood. Johan, on the other hand, surely hoped for something better than 6,80. Mitigating circumstances abound of course : it is hard to play your best after 8 stressful hours on the workfloor, to mention just one.

Robin Bilderbeek and Nick De Ruyck tried their hand at eight 9-point matches :

PR Robin (draws 4-4)

Robin pondering a backgammon position at the recent Gent Open…

In eight highly entertaining matches Robin proved that the progress he made in the past 6 months is real. With this result he has overtaken seasoned players like Luc Palmans (13) and Guy Van Middelem (12) on the BMS Grading Table and only narrowly fails to grab the number 10 spot. Only 0.02 PR separate him from Ronny Conaert (10) : 7,47 v 7,45…

PR Nick (draws 4-4)

Nick for his part knows that the road ahead is long and windy. Although his table presence is admirably composed and professional, Nick will have to be patient and determined to make the step from Intermediate to Advanced.

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Bert slams opposition at 2017 Rotterdam Open.

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Michel Lamote

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!

 

 

 

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

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Michel Lamote

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.

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BMS : Marc Van Damme dips below 5 on BMS Grading Table.

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Michel Lamote

In the more rarefied regions of Belgian backgammon, persistent efforts are being made to notch up the level of play. Marc Van Damme and Geert Van der Stricht, the current numbers 1 and 2 in the BMS realm, scored ringing PR’s in their respective Master Series.

Marc played eight 11-point matches against top-5 player Johan Huyck :

PR Marc (wins 5-3)

This strong performance was sufficient for Marc to break the symbolic 5-PR barrier and comfortably land on 4,94 on the Grading Table. With an EP of 173 behind his name, Marc has now achieved official Master Class 2 status.

Geert, in full preparation for the 2017 World Championship to be held in Monte Carlo (1-6 August), confidently equalled Marc’s performance in a tough 6 x 17 Master Series (also against Johan Huyck) :

PR Geert (wins 5-1)

Geert is now only a breath away from below-5 status. His current PR on the BMS Grading Table is 5,06.

The opponent of both players was Johan Huyck, trailing the two pack leaders by about 1 PR (currently 6,02 on the BMS GT).  Against Marc (8 x 11) Johan let things slip a little,

PR Johan (loses 3-5)

but he did better against Geert (6 x 17) :

PR Johan (loses 1-5)

Johan is showing great tenacity in his efforts to raise his game and his sustained diligence should soon bear fruit.

M

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BMS : Guy and Alain show signs of progress in Master Series (8 x 9).

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Michel Lamote

If you play a pre-designated number of medium-length matches, say eight matches to 9 points, you can be pretty sure that your overall PR will give a reliable idea of your true playing strength. That is, if you make an honest attempt to play your best game.

This is what Alain Chif and Guy Van Middelem did over the past month. Both are seasoned bridge players with a subsidiary intrest in backgammon. They play frequently, go through their matches to learn from their mistakes, struggle through  the occasional backgammon book, etc. In short, they are competitve players with a keen intrest to improve their level of play.

Guy Van Middelem

Alain Chif

Here is how they did :

PR Guy  (wins 5-3)

PR Alain (loses 3-5)

These performances will certainly earn both players appreciative nods in the BMS community. Both Guy and Alain scored PR’s below-7 in five of the 8 matches, which is great. Guy even played 2 matches below-4 (!).

Unfortunately, these heartening PR’s are polluted by some disturbing slip ups. In this demanding and mentally challenging format, consistency is key. You  cannot allow a couple of PR’s of 10-plus to mar your overall result.  Sure, backgammon matches can have widely varying levels of difficulty, but PR discrepancies of 6 or more (i.e. the difference between PR 4 and PR 10) do not occur in the Master category, where performances are significantly more solid.

In this Master Series, Guy and Alain have displayed unmistakable signs of expertise. If both players put their mind to it, they could lift their game to Expert level ( PR < 7,50) in a matter of months. Progress, however, is not like manna. It does not miraculously appear out of nowhere. Continued study and dedicated practice are vital ingredients of a backgammon player’s regimen, without which no steps forward can possibly be made.

M

 

 

 

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Reykjavik hosts 2017 European Backgammon Team Championship.

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Michel Lamote
  • 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

 

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