1st Backgammon Tournament of the Americas in the 2000s The Costa Rican Backgammon Association, the formal organizer of the Central American backgammon series called the Tournament of the Americas, has announced its intentions to hold the 7th backgammon tournament in the series. The date and location are yet to be announced, however, the 7th Tournament of the Americas is planned to take place in one of the country's top beach resorts in August 2008.
The Tournament of the Americas is a long and successful tradition among the backgammon circuit of Central America. The 6 former tournaments in the series – 5 of them took place in Costa Rica and 1 in Mexico – had about 170 participants including players from Europe and the US. Registered as a sport rather than a gambling activity, backgammon tournaments in Costa Rica are held legally.
The 7th Tournament of the Americas will be directed by Henrik Bodholdt, a Costa Rica resident and former President of the Danish Backgammon Federation who also directs the 2008 WSOB Nordic Open. Previously, the Costa Rica tournaments have been directed by Bill Davis and Carol Joy Cole of the American Backgammon Tour.
Mario Lizano, the President of the Costa Rican Backgammon Association, is currently looking for a major contributor for the added prize money of the 7th Tournament of the Americas. Plus, he adds, they intend to run online qualifiers for the event in one of the online backgammon rooms. The CRBA are hoping that the tournament would attract backgammon players from Costa Rica and other Central America countries, from South American countries such as Peru, Argentina and Brazil (in which playing backgammon is a very popular pastime) as well as from players from Europe and the United States, who will enjoy reduced accommodation fees due to the low touristic season in August.
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