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With an average PR of 4,26 over six 13-point matches, Christian Sörensen  took first prize at the recent BMS tournament held in Bruges. He beat Grandmaster and World’s number three Michihito Kageyama by 0,1 PR point : 4,36.

Congratulations, Christian!

Christian (l) in deep thought against Michy (r)

Best performance by a Belgian player came from Marc Van Damme, who posted a strong  4,64 PR.  This result brings Marc back to the number one spot on the BMS GT.

Belgium’s number 1 Marc (l) playing Kazuko (r)

Five more players managed to stay below the 6 PR threshold : Geert Van der Stricht (5,39), Johan Huyck (5,53), Michel Lamote (5,63), Tatsuya Tanaka (5,67) and Walter Meuwis (5,96). Special mention should go to Johan Huyck, who out-cubed everyone with a powerful cube PR of 5,40 (!). In that domain he beat Michihito Kageyama by 0,03 mps (5,43). Well cubed, Johan!

With an astonishing streak of 6 consecutive wins Paulus Van Rooijen (Nl) won the 2nd BMS Belgium tournament. With 5 wins out of 6, Michihito ‘Michy’ Kageyama (Japan) took second place.

Paulus (l) pondering a decision. In the background we recognise Tatsuya Tanaka.

World’s number 3 : Michy.

12 players played six 13-point matches over two days in the ‘Hollandse Vismijn’ in Brugge. All matches were recorded and the players’ PR’s will be tabulated in the BMS Grading Table. The results will also count for the BMAB World Ranking.

The tournament was organised by BMS Belgium’s chairman Geert Van der Stricht (with a little help from his friends). Below are some pictures, which were taken by professional photographer Frank Viergever :

(from left to right) : Kazuko Numazawa, Marc Steyvers and Michy.

Tense moments from the Michy – Marc Van Damme encounter.

Marc Steyvers (l) playing Geert (r)

Walter Meuwis

Kazuko Numazawa, wondering what Marc Van Damme is up to…

Christian Sörensen (l) and Johan Huyck (r)

Geert Van der Stricht (l)  and  Kazuko Numazawa (r)

Hisako Nishizawa

These are the players who won at least 4 out of 6 matches :

1. Paulus Van Rooijen  6/6
2. Michy                          5/6
3. Walter Meuwis          4/6
4. Marc Van Damme    4/6

BMS Belgium would like to thank all players for their sportsmanship and gentlemanlike conduct.

The next BMS event will be the 2nd Xmas Trophy, which will be held during the Christmas holidays.

BMS Belgium is proud to announce that Michihito Kageyama, better known as Michy, has agreed to come and play at the upcoming 2nd BMS Belgium tournament, which will be held at the  ‘Hollandse Vismijn’ in Bruges on Saturday and Sunday 22-23 July. His entourage consists of three more Japanese players (among them Tatsuya Tanaka), who will also be taking part.

Michy (Grandmaster Class 1) playing at the Merit Open in Cyprus.

For those who do not know Michy : he is currently considered one of the absolute best players in the world. On the BMAB Ranking list (which is PR based) Michy is currently ranked nr. 3 with an astonishing aggregate PR of 3,18. Only Victor Ashkenazi (1 – USA) and Mochi (2 – Japan) precede him.

Never before has a backgammon player of such calibre set foot on Belgian soil. Michy is not only an outstanding player, he is also much respected for his strikingly serene table presence.  Michy’s zen approach to the game has, together with his warm and outgoing personality, made him one of the most esteemed and admired players in the world.

BGFed.be members are welcome to come and watch this Backgammon Giant (currently nr. 2 on the Giant-32 list) play in Bruges on 22-23 July. Play starts at 10am.