Oct 23 , Bierbeek, Belgium — If you hear a Gent player at the start of the third round in the 4 Cubes say, “If we go all out now and win all four matches, we’ll be allowed to play a play-off,” you can feel the sparks of ambition flying, but if it’s Johan H, then you also know he’s already calculated the odds of victory in exact percentages. At the home base of Sonja and Michel in Bierbeek, the Leuven team felt invincible, but what was that again about the bear’s skin?
On Tuesday 22nd October, eight backgammon players battled it out over twelve matches. Four players from Gent against four from Brussel Black Beard Backgammon (BBBB), each playing three rounds to 7 points. Location: Union Sandeman, home of the Gent Backgammon club. At stake: to gain the opportunity to challenge the current 4 Cubes holder, Brussels.
From Gent, Geert, Bert, Firat and Alf were summoned to face off Maurits, Daniel, Vincent and Hubert from BBBB.
The Brussel Black Beard Backgammon team went off for a good start, winning 3 out of 4 matches. Only captain Bert managed to eke out a double match point (DMP) win against Daniel.
Round two was for Gent, 3-1, with only Maurits managing a win over Alf. So it became 4-4 and everything remained to be played for in the third and final round.
Focused players from Gent and Brussels Black Beard Backgammon during the 4 Cubes duel on Tuesday October 22, 2024, at the K.A. Union Sandeman, Gent.
Geert and Bert finished their matches first, both winning. Then Maurits mistakenly forgot to hit Firat’s checker while entering from the bar but realized it only after he pressed his clock—it was a legal move without hitting. At DMP this proved fatal and Firat took the win and the 7th victory point for Gent! Daniel won his match but this was not enough to keep Gent from winning from BBBB with a narrow 7-5.
Now Gent is in the position to challenge Brussels to regain the 4 Cubes trophy after a year of absence from its usual location 😉
The Four Cubes encounter between Gent and Brugge was validated as a BMS-event after both TC’s ( = Team Captains), Geert Van der Stricht (Gent) and Guy Van Middelem (Brugge),agreed to record and transcribe all 9 matches. The players had all the matches transcribed within 48 hours and Johan Huyck re-analysed the matches and processed the data within a day.
Here is how the players did (in brackets is the number of victories, followed by the overall PR, the checkerplay PR and the cube PR) :
Michel Lamote (3) 3,84 3,58 5,21
Johan Huyck (1) 4,30 4,26 4,48
Geert Van der Stricht (1) 6,21 5,14 10,40
Guy Van Middelem (2) 7,15 6,59 12,02
Bert Van Kerckhove (1) 8,13 4,46 23,30
Paul Van Dijke (1) 8,39 5,31 21,54
These PR’s show that it is not easy to play well after a hard day’s work and that it is difficult to achieve a below-10 PR in cube handling. Johan H. and myself were the exceptions.
I also campaigned in Gibraltar. I got off to a bad start in the 11-pointers (1/4), but managed to string 3 wins together in the Consolation (9-point matches). I filmed all my matches and came up with this encourageing result :
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 SonjaCusters (Leuven BC) & Michel Lamote (Brugge BC). Johan Huyck & Geert Van derStricht (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!
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
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.
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).
For the first time in Four Cubes history, an encounter between two teams was fully filmed and transcribed. Since both team captains (Michel Lamote – Brugge BC, and Geert Vander Stricht – Gent BC) agreed beforehand to have all PRs validated by BPR, the encounter became an official Four Cubes cluster.
A little more than 24 hours after the action, all players had received XG-files of all matches in their mail-box. They could find out whether certain checker plays were right or wrong, see whether they handled the cube well or not, and keep the files for further study.
An extra benefit of recording matches can be that the loser might gain some consolation from a fine performance. While Brugge BC had every reason to be doleful after losing the Four Cubes, some relief could be found in the idea that they put up a good fight or at least played according to their skill level. Here is how the current Four Cubes holders performed (9 matches to 7 points) :
PR Brugge BC
As a corollary, however, the jubilant team might find its enthusiasm slightly dampened if their performance was not at par :
PR Gent BC
To illustrate this psychological effect further, here is how Paul Van Dijke (Brugge BC) performed in 3 matches to 7 (won 1, lost 2) :
Amazing PR by Paul Van Dijke
This is a jaw-dropping performance of grandmaster level. While Paul experienced some extreme frustration on the night, he can surely derive satisfaction from these data. If his matches had not been recorded, he might have fallen subject to dejection or bouts of self-doubt. As it is, it looks like there is not much he could have done better or differently.
Same for me : as captain of the home team, I cannot afford to squander much equity. Having lost my 3 matches – horresco referens – I managed to find relief in my better than average PR :
PR Michel Lamote
Here are the other PRs :
3. Geert Van der Stricht (Gent BC) :
PR Geert Van der Stricht
4. Guy Van Middelem (Brugge BC) : 7,42
5. Bert Van Kerckhove (Gent BC) : 7,53
6. Robin Bilderbeek (Gent BC) : 9,60.
BMS(BE) would like to thank all players for their willingness to participate in this challenging format and their agreement to have these data made available to the BGFed.be backgammon community.
Through this loss, Brugge BC has to relinquish the Four Cubes. Leuven 2 can win the coveted prize if they win at Brussels BC tonight, Friday 17 June. Admission free.
Bert Mr Four Cubes Van Kerckhove led the Gent team to victory with 3 wins. Captain Geert Little Karpov Van der Stricht won 2 encounters, and Robin Rain Bilderbeek won one.
A strong team or army is not judged on its many victories, but on its rare defeats. In rugby union, the New Zealand All Blacks played and won their first encounter in 1903. 113 years later they still cause havoc over their enemies. Are they unbeatable? No, in 1949 they had a bad season, appropriate named their “Black Year”. One of the reasons was that their Maori players were not welcome in South Africa, a nation ruled by Apartheid.
In his monumental The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records, John Griffiths gives the details: “Six Tests were played and all were lost, four to South Africa and two against Australia. Uniquely, the series ran parallel, the South African tour taking place at the same time as the home rubber with Australia, and the first Test against Australia was staged on the same day as the third Test in South Africa.”
One bad season in 113 years…
Splitting forces is seldom a good idea. And the signs were bleak when both teams of Leuven left the Brabant Highlands and travelled the long and dangerous road to Flanders’ Fields. Passing Waterloo was unavoidable, and the soldiers were fully aware that at this same spot one of the greatest generals that has ever lived, lost his final combat. But they didn’t leave unprepared: it was a wise decision to leave their mercenary from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège at home.
When the outskirts of Gent dawned at the horizon, both teams went their own way. One army headed for the nearby city; the second continued the hazardous journey to that other place of meticulous checker play and razor sharp cube decisions: the city of Brugge.
In both towns the fighters from Brabant were greeted in dark and small streets by hostile inhabitants. Suspicious eyes under long hats followed their footsteps, broad shoulders forced them to step in the mud, barking dogs made life difficult and danger loomed behind every window or corner. Unscathed they reached the local taverns, where they were confronted with some of the lowest PRs mankind has ever seen in these surroundings…
Although losing to Ghent 5-4, Brugge was able to take the Four Cubes home. Losing to Ghent meant that three clubs were tied at first place with 3 encounters won and one lost. To break the tie, the ancient Four Cubes codex had to be consulted. It revealed that in this case, the number of matches won in the 3 encounters between the equally ranked teams would break the tie. Brugge, who won 9-0 to Brussels and lost 4-5 to Ghent, ended up with 13 matches won, 4 more than Gent and 8 more than Brussels.
Ghent was seriously handicapped by the absence of Bert Van Kerckhove (the Scourge of the Lowlands). However, the team was led by a highly motivated Geert Van der Stricht, who set the example by winning his three matches (best score of the evening with 3/3). Johan Huyck and Robin Bilderbeek both won one match and sadly lost one each through clock violation. Johan, who was leading 6-4 against Guy and in the process of bearing in against a 4-point anchor, somehow forgot to keep track of his remaining seconds and lost on time. The same happened to Robin, who had brutally gambled on a 4-cube at 3-away 4-away against Michel Lamote, suddenly had real winning chances, but also allowed the time flag to drop on him. These two points proved to be extremely valuable to Brugge, who might otherwise have lost 7-2… What a thrill!
Brugge appeared in their strongest formation, with Guy Van Middelem and Paul Van Dijke completing the team led by captain Michel (2/3 on the night). Although probably the strongest club team in Belgium, Brugge looks quite vulnerable with only three players available for the team. Gent and Brussels appear to be the strongest challengers for the 2016 Four Cubes contest, with more players of Advanced level ready to complete the team.
Thanks to all teams and players for competing well in this prestigious competition.
After an eventful Friday evening, Gent went home trailing 4-2. They lost the first four matches, and although in “Crawford”-mode, they started a moderate comeback with two wins. The three remaining matches were played a few days later. Johan Vervust kept the match alive with a win over Kristoffer De Weert in Gent. The eight game was played after the Brugge Backgammon Day. Director Geert Van der Stricht beat Zsolt Tasnadi after a gruelling day, and made the score 4-4. In a nearby restaurant, Alain Chif received the message that he had to finish the job.
The last match was played in Asse on Tuesday, March 3rd. Alain beat Johan Huyck and put a sensational comeback to an end.
The captains can now start to make arrangements for the next round in April.
There is a small change in the calendar, which I already discussed with the captains. After the withdrawal of Leuven I, there were two teams (Gent and Hasselt) with only 1 home-match, and two teams (Brugge and Leuven) with 3 home-matches. Therefore, Leuven-Hasselt becomes Hasselt-Leuven (round 4) and Brugge-Gent becomes Gent-Brugge (round 5). I have already changed this in the tournament book.
The BIC 2013 final facing Geert Van der Stricht and Guy Van Middelem started on Tuesday, November 26, in Ghent with Geert winning two 11-point matches. The matches have been recorded and you can download the game records.
The final will be continued on Friday, December 20, in Café Sport, Martelarenplein 13, 3000 Leuven, at 8 PM. Geert needs to win only one more 11-point match to earn the title. Guy, on the other hand, will need to win 3 such matches in a row.
