BGFed

Tag: Longchamp

  • Metin Ates defeats Johan Huyck in final of BIC 2017

    Twenty-five players registered for BIC (Belgium Individual Championship) 2017, eight of which qualified for Division 1 through 2016 results, while the others (17) joined Division 2,  divided in groups A & B. After playing a lot of 13- and 11-points matches at home and/or away throughout the year till September, the best four from D1 and D2 qualified for the BIC play-off. There, the slaughter begun : in the ¼ finals, two-times overall winner Walter Meuwis fell surprisingly to Metin Ates, who qualified narrowly in D2 group B ; ranked n°1 Michel Lamote lost from Johan Huyck, easy winner of D1 group A ; Guy Van Middelem, ultimate survivor from D2, beat Paulus van Rooijen, 2nd in D1 in Vlissingen (NL) and Johan Segers, BGFed.be vice-president, won against 1st ever champion Geert Van der Stricht. The slugfest continued in the semi-finals : Johan H. beat deservingly Guy and Metin had his share of luck at the right moment against Johan S.

    Finalist Johan Huyck (left) en winner Metin Ates (middle) of BIC 2017. Maurits Pino (right) represented BGFed.be.

    The big BIC final 2017 (best of 3 till 13-points) would be Metin Ates against Johan Huyck on Saturday the 16th of December, in Longchamp (Brussels) in front of an interested crowd. There was really no match : Metin emerged 2-0 with some checker play magic and could lift the BGFed.be trophy despite outstanding play by Johan in the second set.

    Congratulations to the 4th winner of the 5th BIC competition : Metin Ates.

    BIC records :
    2017 : Metin Ates ;
    2016 : Walter Meuwis ;
    2015 : Michel Lamote ;
    2014 : Walter Meuwis ;
    2013 : Geert Van der Stricht

    Looking forward to BIC 2018 !
    — GVM

  • Robin Bilderbeek wins 1st Belgium Championship 3-point matches.

    At Longchamp, 26 players showed up to contest the 1st Belgium Backgammon Championship 3-point matches. The initiative was taken by BGFed.be President Guy Van Middelem, who also sacrificed his own chance for glory by acting as TD (Tournament Director).

    The event was won by Robin Bilderbeek (Gent BC), who celebrated his return from a 2-month backgammon sabbatical by winning 13 out of 14 matches :

    Robin “Rain” Bilderbeek with trophy.

    This stunning result did not come as a suprise to the members of Gent BC, who have seen Robin make significant progress in the past year. Robin has played several BMS Series ( = pre-designated series of longer matches) and is in the habit of filming, transcribing and analysing his matches as a means to improve. Now hovering on the brink between Advanced and Expert level, Robin is poised to lift his game to an even higher level in 2017.

    Closest on Robin’s heels was Maurits Pino (Brussels BC), who won 12 out of 14 matches. Maurits exerted pressure on Robin till the last rounds, but Robin ended his triumphant campaign with resounding victories over team buddy Bert Van Kerckhove (Gent BC) and former (and future?) backgammon master Marc Vandamme. Congratulations Robin!

    The classy trophy was donated by BGFed.be and professionally presented by Master of Ceremonies Guy.

    Next event on the calendar is the 12th Gent Open Backgammon (Saturday 8 April 2017), where 7 rounds of 7-point matches will be played. For info, contact : bert.vankerckhove@skynet.be.

    See you there!

    M

  • 1st Belgium Backgammon Championship 3-point matches

    Dear backgammon friends & BGFed.be members,

    Save the date – on Sunday the 26th of February at 10.00 hours :

    1st Belgium Backgammon Championship 3-point matches

    Format depending on the number of participants : presumably Swiss tournament with everybody playing 14 rounds of 3-point matches. Open to all BGFed.be members. All info on included flyers [ EN | FR | NL ].

    Registration is mandatory before Friday the 24th of February ! BYOB (try to bring a board and a clock). Location : Longchamp Tennis Club, chaussée de Waterloo 836, 1180 Brussels.

    Registration &/or information : Guy Van Middelem : 0476/41.86.88

    Hope to see you then,
    Guy

  • Belgian 3-point Match Championship 2017 on Sunday, February 26, at Longchamp’s

    On Sunday, February 26, BGFed.be will organize the first Belgian 3-point Match Championship.

    Venue: Longchamp Tennis Club, chaussée de Waterloo 836, 1180 Brussels.
    Starting time: 10:00.
    Format: to be decided. Most probably Swiss.
    Tournament director: Guy Van Middelem (T 0032 476 41 86 88, E guy.van.middelem@telenet.be)

  • Video BIC 2016 final – with live commentary and analysis

    This is the second and last 13-point match of the BIC 2016 final between Sassan Kashanian and Walter Meuwis. The match was played on December 16, 2016, at Longchamp’s, Uccle (Brussels).

    Live commentary: Michel Lamote and Geert Van der Stricht
    Transcription and XG analysis: Luc Palmans
    Tournament director: Guy Van Middelem
    Video: Nader K. Rad and Johan Segers

    https://youtu.be/USsrKLUVvqs

  • BMS Xmas Trophy 2016 : historic performance by Christian Sörensen.

    Grandmaster-to-be Christian Sörensen
    Grandmaster-to-be Christian Sörensen

    If you record and transcribe a batch of five 9-point matches for a total EP of 45, very seldom will the resulting Performance Rating (PR) deviate substantially from the players’ known playing strength. It was known beforehand that Christian Sörensen (24 – see profile below) played better than Belgium’s Best, but … hey… that remained to be seen, right?

    Well, here it is : a PR of 2,99 is absolutely stunning. This is a Super Grandmaster performance (PR < 3) that will resound on all continents. True, the opposition was average, so it is well possible that cube decisions were not as difficult as they would have been again stronger opponents. Christian may also have been circumstantially lucky in that he was mostly crushed in his matches, so was not faced with complex, creative opportunities. Nevertheless, this result proves without any doubt that this player has the potential to reach the absolute top in backgammon. Congratulations, Christian! And thank you for coming to Brussels and showing us the stuff Grandmasters are made of :

    xmas-prs

     

    In the shade of that oak, some lesser vegetation tried to get a ray of sunlight. I was able to play at Master Class 1 level, which is encourageing, and Geert has to be delighted with a fine 4,78.  Both Johans will probably be slightly disappointed not to have dipped below 6. Further down, Paul and Guy could not rise above themselves and Zsolt, Johan V. and Nick know that the road ahead to Advanced level will be hard.

    A word of thanks to BMS(BE) (i.e. Geert Van der Stricht, Johan Huyck and Walter Meuwis) for organizing and orchestrating this event, and to BGFed.be for their encouragement and support.

    Happy 2017!

    Profile Christan Sörensen :

    24 years old

    Finalist Nordic Open 2011 (at 17…)

    Winner Dutch Championship 2012

    Winner Double Consultation Nordic Open 2014 (with GM Bob Wachtel)

    Semi-finalist XG Masters Nordic Open 2016.

     

  • BMS : Michel wins BMS Belgium Xmas Trophy 2016.

    At Longchamp on Tuesday 27 December, 10 players played 5 rounds of 9-point matches in a truncated round robin. All matches were recorded and PRs will be validated for BMS and BMAB.

    Johan Segers, Zsolt Tasnadi and myself each won 4 out of 5 and shared first prize. I was able to win the three-way mini tie-break for the trophy, which was donated by BGFed.be.

    Zsolt (l), Michel (with trophy) and Johan (r)
    Zsolt (l), Michel (with trophy) and Johan (r)

     

    Full report follows when all matches have been transcribed.

    M

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

    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

  • BIC 2015: Michel Lamote wins

    Twenty-three players registered for the Belgian Individual Championship in 2015: 8 in Division 1 and 15 in Division 2. Compared to previous editions, a new rule allowed D2 players to reach the BIC final in December and go for the BIC title.

    Division 1

    In D1, after 7 rounds from January till September and 56 13-pointers, Michel Lamote, Belgium n°1 player, started with 8 victories out of 8 matches, emerged with 10 victories & 4 defeats and grabbed a place in the final. Luc Palmans (9 victories & 5 defeats) finished 2nd and Alain Chif beat Zsolt Tasnadi in a play-off to clinch the 3rd spot.

    Meanwhile, the battle to avoid D2 was heavy. Maurits Pino (finalist in 2014) and Paul van Dijke played quite unlucky, their fate was rather quickly sealed. Walter Meuwis (winner in 2014) and Guy Van Middelem (finalist in 2013) reached average (7 victories & 7 defeats) but that was not enough for Guy who lost in a crucial and long play-off against Walter.

    Division 2

    In D2, divided in 2 groups, after the round-robin and 98 11-pointers, Geert Dooms had an outstanding run to place 1 in Group A, qualifying for D1 2016. In Group B, Sassan Kachanian tied with Leonidas Sotiriadis but their mutual encounter was 2-0 for Sassan, who qualified too.

    Geert beat Sassan in the D2 title match and Leonidas prevented a first woman ever in D1 by winning against Annick Hasdenteufel in a play-off for the 3rd qualifying spot.

    Quarter and semi-final

    In the quarter-final, Alain Chif beat Geert Dooms. In the semi-final Luc Palmans beat Alain. The final would be the expected one between the 2 best D1 players, Michel Lamote & Luc Palmans, in Longchamp on Friday the 18th of December.

    Final

    Michel Lamote
    Michel Lamote – winner of the Belgian Individual Championship 2015

    Played in the afternoon, the first set went to Michel. The venue, Les Brasseries du Longchamp, was nearly crowded for the live evening representation. And what a show it was! Thanks to the fantastic job of Nader K. Rad, with help from Johan Segers, and with the skills of commentator Walter Meuwis, the audience (young & old, novice & experienced) saw a high-level backgammon match to 13 points on a big screen, with live computer analysis. Michel Lamote prevailed after a breath-taking take of a 4-cube to win 2-0. The favourite deserved his 1st BIC title – congratulations!

    BIC 2015 final standings

    Winner Michel Lamote; runner-up Luc Palmans.

    Go up to D1: Geert Dooms, Sassan Kachanian & Leonidas Sotiriadis.

    Go down to D2: Maurits Pino, Paul van Dijke & Guy Van Middelem.

    Detailed results BIC 2015

    BIC 2016

    Are assured of a spot in D1 in BIC 2016 : Michel Lamote, Luc Palmans, Alain Chif, Zsolt Tasnadi, Walter Meuwis, Geert Dooms, Sassan Kachanian & Leonidas Sotiriadis.

    Wishing you all great games in BIC 2016 (which has started already)!

    Keep on rolling,
    — Guy Van Middelem

  • BIC 2015 final: Michel Lamote vs Luc Palmans on Friday, December 18, 19:00, at Longchamp’s

    Everybody welcome to watch this clash between two of Belgium’s finest backgammon players. Michel Lamote and Luc Palmans, who won against Alain Chif in the play-off, will play a series of best-of-three 13-point matches. One match will take place earlier that day, and one or two matches will take place in the evening, starting from 19:00. Venue: the Brasseries du Longchamp, chaussée de Waterloo 836, 1180 Brussels (Uccle), +32 (0)2 375 28 40.

    For the evening matches, Walter Meuwis will give live commentary, sharing not only his insights in the game but also in the psychology of the two contenders, whom he knows very well personally.

    Insofar technically possible, the moves and cube decisions will be analysed live by computer.

    Come and enjoy the show!

  • General Assembly of BGFed.be npo on Fri Dec 4, 18:00, at Longchamp

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

    You’re kindly invited to the General Assembly of BGFed.be, the Belgian Backgammon Federation npo, on Friday the 4th of December at 18.00 PM in the ‘Brasserie du Longchamp’, Waterloosesteenweg 836 in Uccle, Brussels.

    The General Assembly will be followed at 20.00 PM by the Brussels Friendly 56 tournament.

    Agenda:

    1. Welcome drink & word by the President (Guy Van Middelem) : explanation of the formal non-profit organisation, structure : board, member clubs & players, ID.
    2. Report of the Treasurer (Line Vandamme) : balance 2015, budget 2016, fees.
    3. Report of the 2015 4 Cubes committee (Luc Palmans) : project for 2016.
    4. Report of the 2015 BIC committee (Guy Van Middelem) : project for 2016.
    5. Report of the 2015 Selection Committee (Guy Van Middelem) : relation to the EUBGF, European Championships 2015 in Budapest, new 2016 Selection program (Michel Lamote).
    6. Report of the Rating committee (Johan Segers).
    7. Creation of a BMS(BE) committee (Michel Lamote).
    8. Board : Tournament director Luc Palmans remains as President of the 4 Cubes committee but quits as board member (many thanks for your cooperation, Luc). Therefore, BGFed.be is looking for a new board member. Candidates must write before the 1st of December to guy.van.middelem@pandora.be.
    9. Varia : website, plans for a Belgian tournament for the European Tour, others…

    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 me if you plan to come) ;
    • 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)