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Launch a new venue in mid January, one week after over 50 players
had just turned out in Camden, a few days after a Gentlemen’s Club
bi-monthly 32 player Tournament and just a day after 80 had been
in The Biba Bright 'n' Brezzy in Brighton (traditionally the
largest annual gathering of players) and I suppose I should have
been grateful if even just one player came out but I was hoping
for at least 30. As it happened this time my wish was not granted
– 6 short of that figure was the “few” we were.
We play upstairs in the King’s Stores so we have what our
ancestors would have termed our own private parlour. Sans music,
seulement backgammoners and our own bar with barmaid who bought
drinks to playing players. The word was that the food was very
good and the one or two I smelt nearly got confiscated (aka
stolen) by me.
At 7.00 pm with just 6 players interested in playing for £50 I
took a chance and started a 8 player Knockout Tournament hoping
that 2 other players would arrive or those knocked out in the 1st
round would bye back in. 10 players wanted to play for £10 so a
draw was done for them with 8 going into T2 and 2 getting T3 off
to a start. We also had 3 new players in our fold this evening 2
of whom were happy to play for £2 so Chrissi joined them to get T4
up and running.
Due to its proximity to The City of London most of the trade done
at The King’s Stores is daytime / early evening trade; come 8.00
pm on a Monday most city workers are home. Hence the norm is for
the King’s Stores kitchen to close at 8.00 pm. This was, on our
1st Bg in The City, the case this evening. We commence play at
7.00 pm and most of the players that like to eat like to do so
after their 1st of 2nd match. An 8.00 o’clock kitchen close is
just too early to expect this to happen. We’ve already spoken the
Landlord Farhed and next time the kitchen will be open until at
least 9.00 pm, possibly 9.30 pm if meals are still required.
A Rant: There’s something nice about being able to play backgammon
without having to worry about where your next drink is coming
from. Why oh why in this country do we make our clients have to
get up and go and fetch a drink? Flipping heck – you go to a house
who’s business it is to sell drinks, they provide you with a
comfortable and suitable seat to do whatever and just when you’re
nicely installed you have to get back up and go get yourself what
the Public House wanted you to come here for in the first place –
a drink. You want me to drink? Fine, I’m here to do so,,, but
bring me the damned thing – I’m busy playing backgammon! Well
that’s my “lazy man” attitude. It might not be the norm – it
surely can’t be seeing as I appear to be in the minority, but I
think my thinking is a valid case.
Anyway actions speak louder than words so we commenced Bg in The
City with table and upstairs bar service provided by our young and
energetic Martha who also took food orders at tables and served
meals too. Martha, not much more than a slip of a girl that she
is, is a darts player and I would imagine a pretty accurate one
too so was greatly interested to learn how a backgammon evening
works. She cottoned on quick to the format of the evening and
responded well to the pulse of the soiree.
The upstairs bar will be open again next time but, from the point
of view of The King’s Stores sales need to be up in order to
warrant having the bar staffed. This is quite reasonable and must
happen if there are to be future Bg in The City hosted at this
venue. The first thing we need to make that happen is more
players. 24 though the door would be for most Bg Clubs a very
respectable turnout but to have the run of a venue such as this is
frankly insufficient. If we can step it up to minimum 40 players
then we’re up and away. So we need to do some marketing around the
City. This, combined with the kitchen staying open until such a
time that it is reasonable for players to eat should increase
sales which will make it worthwhile for the Landlord having us in
upstairs, in our own location, with barmaid table service, good
food, bg boards mostly provided. Yup, this can work with a bit of
effort.
There are a few regular players in Camden that come early and eat
before 7.00 pm. There might be more if the food was the standard
that it is in The King’s Stores. This has led me to thinking that
in The City of London a number of players will have finished work
at 5.00 o’clock or so and then have 2 or so hours to kill before
their backgammon evening commences. Why not take a meal downstairs
in the venue that you’ll be in? Let’s see how many might be up for
a City Bgers early evening meal – All players are cordially
invited to join at least Chrissi and partake of a meal at 6.00 pm.
downstairs in The King’s Stores on MONDAY 28th January before play
upstairs at 7.00 pm. A very adequate and delicious meal (big plate
but you willingly eat to see the plate) generally cost about
£7.00. The Captain’s tables downstairs are equally inviting.
We took along 12 tournament backgammon boards though we left a few
tables without boards for those players that like to bring their
own boards along. Whilst we might be making a rod for our own back
in providing some boards we’re also aware that it’s a pain in the
arm lugging a board around town all day and I’ve a paranoia in not
having enough boards for players to play on. The good news is that
we can leave boards at The King’s Stores which saves us lugging
them there every time. It also means that should players wish to
play bg at The King’s Stores between events they may do so –
please ask the staff behind the bar for a board.
Sad news in the British Backgammon world this week. Gammonitis
have provided quality live backgammon for about 6 years now but
have now been forced to cease trading. The whys and wherefore as
to the circumstances should not detract from what they have
achieved; British Backgammon was pretty well run by one
organisation and one only before they came on the scene. A
monopoly isn’t, according to current thinking, a good way for
anything to run and such was the situation in British Bg for a
number of years. Gammonitis gave a perceived as overly-routine
Biba a kick up the bum and players benefited from this. Choice was
back on the menu. Overall numbers of players might not have
increased as might have been desirable but overall quality was
increased. The Gammonitis career commenced with Liz Barker teaming
up with Andrew Sargeant, was in later years all Andrew’s with its
zenith coming just two months ago in hosting the WSOB UK Masters
at The Empire Casino in Leicester Square which boasts the largest
tournament in the country for decades. But an overly ambitious
online presence did what it does for many a small business and the
empire crumbled. Yes there will be fallout, that’s bound to happen
in such circumstances, but rather than knives coming out over a
man who is down (very down – he just lost all he had) I think it
fair to make a point that they not only did the backgammon
community proud but they also helped raised a small fortune for
various charities that they ran events for. I’ve spoken to Andrew
this last week – as you can imagine he’s not in the best of shape
right now so it’s our support and thanx he needs at this time.
Raj didn’t take long to progress to the Final of T1 though I
gather he had been 6-1 down at one stage in his semi-final. In the
other semi-final the two players were happy to split and seeing as
Raj was happy to leave early they all did a split. Over the roll
of dice the finalist and the winner were actually decided. Raj
won. As a side note such dice rolling and splitting has happened a
few times recently. While it is of course the prerogative of the
players if in agreement I’m not sure that this is entirely within
the confines of what I’m trying to achieve with Bg in London.
There’s bound to be different ideas as to what the evenings should
be about and this is very possibly one of them. We can’t expect
players to come along for exactly the same reasons as we lay the
gigs on; everybody is trying to achieve something and they are
bound to be differences, so we must learn to live with others
aims.
Graham R has been coming to Bg in Londons for a few months now. He
won a £10 last week and another (T2) this week.
A few players ended their evening with a chouette. 2 tables worth
of them we had. 4 players and 3 players. All small stakes. With
only 24 players in the house this didn’t give a lot of scope for
Tournament (8 player ones) play and players coming vacant timings
didn’t really suit 4 player tournaments either. So chouette play
was the obvious format to use at that time. The report of this is
of course going to, with it happening on a Monday evening, sound
alarm bells across the water in Battersea. For those of you who do
not know there is a weekly Chouette Session at Dove Dale House,
443 Battersea Park Road London SW11 4LR on a Monday evening. It’s
hosted by John Clark – the tall Englishman that presented the WSOB
TV programs. It’s serious Chouette play stuff. Not for the faint
hearted. Not only are some of the very best British players to be
found there but they also play for, I hear tell, a decent amount
of wonga. I could name drop a list of player that I’m told play
there but it’s so long it would probably making for boring reading
so I won’t.
I’ve gathered, though the grape-vine, that parties are not
impressed with me setting up another Bg event on a Monday night –
it was portrayed to me that I might be stepping on hallowed
ground. Stealing players even? Na. Not so. I’m usually providing
Tournament Backgammon. Battersea is not about that – it’s about
Chouette Backgammon. They are very different. And in different
parts of the villages that make up London. In the same way that
you don’t pop over to LA for a party you don’t pop over to the
other side of London for an evening. Besides if Bg is going to get
big we must offer choice. This is choice however it’s different
enough to compliment one another rather than to rival one another.
With more numbers at Bg in The City we’ll be more Tournament
orientated rather than Chouette screeching.
Peter Bennet had lost in T1 so re-entered T3; a £10er. If he
thought that “dropping down a peg” was going to give him an easy
ride he was in for some work yet. Monica, an accomplished
Tournament player was his first opponent but Peter won, next he
met another fine Bg in London Tournament player though he’d let
his standards slip slightly in Brighton this year Simon M. However
Peter rolled on to meet Jo Davies in the final. From the photos
taken it looks like they both had good fun but it was Peter who
had the better fun by winning.
T4 was the all of £2 pool gig. New player Tristan played Chrissi
in a match in which they took their time and presumable enjoyed
themselves. Pedram was drawn against second time Bg in London
player Derek Wright. Perdram also went the same way as Tristan but
both said they would be back and I hope so too. Next week in
Camden I’d like to run a Round Robin for the newish players and
you’ll be most welcome. A knocked out but boysterous Roxanna
re-played Tony Wells who she had knocked out in T2 earlier. He
vowed revenge but Roxanna just said “bring it on!” Tony couldn’t.
Sean and Zoe made up the numbers in T4 with Sean coming out the
victor this time. Sean put Roxanna into second place in their
match. Meanwhile Derek had beaten Chrissi so our final was Derek v
Sean with Sean taking the honours and a few quid.
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