BMS : 7 players wrap up BIC 2016 series.

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Michel Lamote

In 2016, for the first time, players could have their matches validated for BMAB. That meant they would have to record ALL their matches, transcribe them, and make the videos and XG transcriptions available to BMS(BE) and BMAB.

The three best performances came from the three players who, in the past 4 years, have divided the 4 BIC titles among them. They played at Master Class 2 level :

michel

MS2 14 x 13 : BIC 2016 PR Michel Lamote (EP 182)

geer

MS2 14 x 11 : BIC 2016 PR Geert Van der Stricht (EP 154)

wa

MS2 22 x 13  : BIC 2016 PR Walter Meuwis (EP 286)

Not too far behind is Johan Segers, who played at Master Class 3 level :

johan s

MS2 19 x 11 : BIC 2016 PR Johan Segers (EP 209)

Guy Van Middelem and Luc Palmans played at Advanced Class 2 level, whereas Maurits Pino only narrowly found an Advanced performance :

guy

MS2 14 x 11 : BIC 2016 PR Guy Van Middelem (EP 154)

luc

MS2 14 x 13 : BIC 2016 PR Luc Palmans (EP 182)

maurt

MS2 13 x 13 : BIC 2016 PR Maurits Pino (EP 169)

Congratulations to all players, who played to the best of their abilities and emerged with satisfactory results. Let us not forget that BIC is played over the course of a whole year in different settings. Sometimes players have to travel hours by train or car to go and play an away encounter at the home or club of their opponent. It is not easy to find consistency in that format.

Out of this batch of 80 matches, only 1 recording failure occurred. The 2nd match between Maurits Pino and Johan Huyck was incomplete and could not be validated. All other match recordings went flawlessly. Thank you to all players for their care in recording and transcribing the action.

In 2017, competitors in BIC can again apply for BMS and BMAB validation. Remember that you have to film ALL your matches and make the videos and XG files available to BMS and your opponent. For BMAB, processing fees have to be paid (50€). BMS(BE) validation is – as yet – free of charge, thanks to the dedicated voluntary work of BMS(BE) sympathizers.

M

(for : BMS Committee)

 

 

 

Posted in BIC, BMS(BE) | Leave a comment

The 2017 backgammon season has started – BIC and 4 Cubes

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Johan

Main page: BIC 2017. See also the link ‘BIC results 2017’ in the menu for pairings, results, and standings.

Main page: 4 Cubes 2017. See also the link ‘4 Cubes 2017 results’ for the tournament book, containing the calendar and the rules.

We wish you lots of fun playing live backgammon in 2017!

Posted in BIC, The 4 Cubes | Leave a comment

Match strategy and volatility

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Johan

The fresh BIC 2016 champion Walter Meuwis has taken the exceptional step of sharing his knowledge and experience with the larger backgammon community. His insights in how a larger awareness of the volatility of a position and the application of a proper match strategy can make you a more succesful tournament player have been cristallized into the following article. Food for thought…

Match Strategy and Volatility – by Walter Meuwis (December 19, 2016)

Disclaimer: the views expressed in the article are purely those of the author and may not be regarded as stating an opinion of the Belgium Backgammon Federation npo nor of its members.

Posted in Instructional | 1 Comment

Walter Meuwis is 2016 BIC Champion.

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Michel Lamote
Walter in the zone in Velden, Austria.

Walter Meuwis : BIC Champion 2016.

At Longchamp on Friday night, Walter became BIC champion for the second time in 4 years. He beat Sassan Kachanian in two 13-point matches.

Walter  had to play 22 (twenty-two) 13-point matches to take this title. BIC titles apparently do not come easy.

Congratulations to Walter on a well-deserved title and to Sassan on a remarkable achievement and fine performance.

BIC 2017 is just around the corner. First matches are to be played in January.

 

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BMS (UK) : Michel dips below 5.

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Michel Lamote

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

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Final BIC 2016, Fri, Dec 16, 7 PM, at Longchamp’s

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Johan

Dear backgammon friends,

On Friday the 16th of December at 19.00 hours, you’re kindly invited to watch the 2016 Belgium Individual Championship final !

In ‘Les Brasseries du Longchamp’, 836, chaussée de Waterloo, 1180 Brussels.

Best-of-3 13-pointers between Sassan Kachanian (Belgium 4 Cubes champion 2014) & Walter Meuwis (Belgium 4 Cubes champion 2014 & BIC champion 2014). Match 1 was played on Saturday 10 December and won by Walter (13-8).

Enjoy ‘live’ on a big screen ; see the brilliancies & blunders of our top players; appreciate the pleasant and technical commentary from the ranked n°1 & 2 players in Belgium, Michel Lamote & Geert Van Der Stricht; learn all about flexibility & connectivity – equity – holding & priming & containment & ace-point & back games; watch XG appreciate or condemn checker plays & cube handlings. We’ll tell you everything about backgammon and will welcome you with a free drink offered by the Brussels Backgammon Club.

See you then, keep on rolling,
Guy Van Middelem

Posted in Announcements, BIC | Tagged | Leave a comment

BMS : Johan H. and Michel find good form in Master Series (6 x 15).

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Michel Lamote

In their endeavour to become better players, Johan Huyck and Michel Lamote played, recorded and transcribed six 15-point matches in the course of 2 months. Matches were played on Tuesday afternoons in the Sandeman Club (Gent).

Notwithstanding the ever occurring, mind-boggling blunders, both players ended up with fine PR’s :

PR Michel (wins 4-2)

PR Michel (wins 4-2)

PR Johan (loses 2-4)

PR Johan (loses 2-4)

With this result, both players edge slightly closer to the 5-PR boundary. Click BMS(BE) in the black banner above to see the current standings on the BMS Grading Table.

On Tuesday 27 December, BMS(BE) organises its 2nd BMS Belgium tournament. Five 9-point matches will be played at Longchamp. All matches will be recorded and transcribed and performance ratings (PR’s) will be incorporated in the BMS Grading Table. This is another opportunity for Belgium’s most ambitious players to improve their skill level in a competitive setting.

Have already registered : Geert Van der Stricht, Johan Huyck, Johan Segers, Guy Van Middelem, Paul Van Dijke, Christian Sörensen, Johan Vervust and Michel Lamote. If you play at Advanced level or better, you are welcome to join. Contact : geert.vanderstricht@telenet.be. Start of play : 10am (clocks activated).

M

Posted in BMS(BE) | Leave a comment

General Assembly on Friday, December 2, 2016, 18:00, at Longchamp’s

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Johan

Dear backgammon friend, member of a BGFed.be backgammon club,

You’re kindly invited to the General Assembly of BGFed.be – Belgian Backgammon Federation – on Friday the 2nd of December 2016 at 18:00 in the ‘Les Brasseries du Longchamp’, Waterloosesteenweg 836 in Uccle, Brussels. The Assembly will be followed at 20:00 by the Brussels Friendly 68 tournament.

Agenda:

  1. Welcome drink & word by the President (Guy Van Middelem) : approval of the Minutes of the General Assembly of December 4, 2015.
  2. Financial report of the Treasurer (Line Vandamme) : balance 2016, budget 2017, fees.
  3. Report of the 2016 4 Cubes committee (Luc Palmans, Chairman) : report 2016 (format, teams, calendar) ; project for 2017 idem but presumably teams of 4 players.
  4. Report of the 2016 BIC committee (Guy Van Middelem, Chairman) : report 2016 (format, participants, calendar) ; project for 2017 (new committee Member, Kristoffer De Weert; new BIC-playoffs rules).
  5. Report of the BMSB committee (new composition of the committee : Geert Van Der Stricht replacing Michel Lamote as Chairman) ; report 2016 (BMS series, BPR clusters, BMAB tournament) ; projects for 2017.
  6. Report of the Rating committee (Johan Segers) : report 2016, project for 2017: no changes.
  7. Club reports (for Brugge: Line ; for Gent: Geert Van Der Stricht or… ; for Brussels: Alain Chif ; for Leuven: Johan Segers ; for Hasselt: Luc Palmans) : members, venue, activities, organisation of BGFed.be championships (blitz, 1-point, 5-point, …).
  8. Report of the 2016 Selection committee (Johan Segers in the absence of Michel Lamote, excused) : report European Championships 2016 in Helsingör, Denmark ; proposals about Reykjavik 2017.
  9. Relation to the EUBGF (Johan Segers & Maurits Pino) : report of the EUBGF GA, October 22, 2016.
  10. Varia (Guy Van Middelem) : as mentioned : organisation of BGFed.be championships (blitz, 1-point, 5-point, …). Please send any questions or different points of interest beforehand to guy.van.middelem@pandora.be.

Please note:

  • Every individual member of a BGFed.be is invited to the GA (please tell Guy Van Middelem if you plan to come).
  • In case of voting : voting rights are per member (1 vote per club) and per founding member (1 vote per member).

Kind regards & keep on rolling,
Guy van Middelem, President BGFed.be
guy.van.middelem@pandora.be

Posted in Federation | Tagged | 1 Comment

BMS : Johan Huyck and Paul Van Dijke fail to improve in Master Series.

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Michel Lamote

Over the past 6 weeks, Johan Huyck (Gent BC) and Paul Van Dijke (Brugge BC) played, recorded and transcribed six 15-point matches.  As the data show, both players performed slightly below par :

PR Johan Huyck

PR Johan Huyck (wins 4-2)

PR Paul

PR Paul Van Dijke (loses 2-4)

With an average PR of 5,87 Johan is one of 3 players who can boast a below-6 PR on the BMS Grading Table. Johan plans to have crossed the 5,50 threshold by New Year.

Paul’s ambitions are only slightly more modest. Since he is currently playing another Master Series against Geert Van der Stricht,  he should be able to dip below 6,50 any day now. He currently stands at 6,61 PR.

M

 

Posted in BMS(BE) | 1 Comment

New Venue for Brugge Backgammon Club

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Johan

Brugge Backgammon Club heeft een nieuw lokaal vanaf 1 december 2016:

Cultuurcafé de Biekorf
Naaldenstraat 4
8000 Brugge

Onze speelavond blijft donderdagavond vanaf 19.30 uur.
Allen welkom !

Groetjes,
Line

Posted in Clubs | Tagged | 2 Comments