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Backgammon in the Summer - Tournament Results

Summer time is always the best time for backgammon tournaments, especially major, wide open, seaside events such as the world championship in Monte Carlo and the first, long awaited stop at the World Series of Backgammon third season in Cannes, as well as local, smaller scaled terms there were BIBA Liverpool Open and the SAC Trophy and the international Bristol Backgammon is expected at the end of the month. In the meantime, here is a mid August summary of the recent events in backgammon:

World Backgammon Rise & Fall

The Monte Carlo World Backgammon Championship stood out this year, its 34th year, as the pale shadow of its poker equivalent, the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The proximity to the hipster World Series of Backgammon event did not do it any good. Soon, a Facebook group calling to relocate the 34 years old international backgammon event to Las Vegas, where it will draw bigger sharks and more tempting money prizes, became very popular.

WSOB Cannes, on the other hand, was a much fresher spectacular. The backgammon tour and TV series has strengthened its position as a multimedia superpower with its new online backgammon platform, launched during the event and already supported by the biggest backgammon stars including the newly crowned world backgammon champion, Masayuki Mochizuki of Japan.

New Champions, Old Rivals

The new World Backgammon Championship title is, then a 30 years old Japanese player Masayuki Mochizuki, who represents the young, analytical generation of backgammon players. Last year's champion, Lars Trabolt of Denmark, finished second, yet the two semifinalists, English Roland Herrera and Philippe Lecomte of France were both unsuspected candidates for the world title, reminding us that backgammon is, to some extent, a game of chance, after all.

WSOB Cannes was won by Najib Salamzy of Germany, a familiar face in the international backgammon circuit, who had defeated Matvey "Falafel" Natanzon in the final match. The Team World Cup, another novelty presented at the event, was topped by the 3-player Armenian backgammon team, which bested a field of 16 teams from all over the world.

Back (gammon) in the UK

The Liverpool Open begun right after the WSOB Cannes has ended, but the two events draw totally different backgammon crowds. Organized by the Liverpool Backgammon Club ever since 1996, Liverpool Open prize pool is hardly the pocket money of Cannes and Monte Carlo high stakers. Still, Liverpool's frequent backgammon clubbers will not be dazzled by these astronomic figures and filled the Liverpool Bridge Club and neighboring garden. The 1st place was won by 2006 champion, Rachel Rhodes.