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Poor old Mike Main picked the short
straw and had to traipse off to the slums of Monte Carlo for some
insignificant Backgammon tournament; while I got to travel to
sunny Fulham surrounded by the beautiful people that frequent the
Durell Arms and host the Backgammon in Fulham evening.
Now that the World Cup was over, we could all get on with the rest
of our lives, unless, of course, we are putting forward a valiant
defence for Howard Webb, the English referee, who did his best to
keep all players on the pitch and ensure the World Cup Final would
be a spectacle worthy of its name. This despite the cynicism of
the Dutch and the frustration of the Spanish…but I digress.
28 players chose Fulham over Monte Carlo or other less-salubrious
dens of inequity, South of the Thames. 8 players elected to play
for £45 (with a further £25 optional pool for 4 players); another
8 players took part in a £10 Swiss; there were four mini-jackpots
(£30, £30, £25 & £10) and a very exciting Round Robin that
required a play-off between three players.
Ali Shimiri, a Backgammon in London regular, swept all
before him in the main Jackpot picking up both pools on his way to
winning. His appetite for the game is unmatched as he was hoping
the London Open was going to be this month. Alas, it has been
pushed back to September and you can find details on the
Backgammon in London website. In the meantime, the Liverpool Open
(July) and the Bristol Open (August) can provide some more playing
opportunities along with some sightseeing in two key UK cities.
Mini-Jackpot 1 was won by a much chuffed Andrew Abelson who
“hadn’t won anything since the Bell Inn, Surbiton”. Mmmm, Andrew,
that was a very long time ago, glad you’ve finally re-discovered
winning tournaments.
Mini-Jackpot 2 was won by Joe Sarkis who swept in and swept
out in the time that it takes to win a mini-jackpot. Job done.
Mini-Jackpot 3 was won by John Barnes who was keen to
mitigate his losses from his first round loss in the Main Jackpot.
Mini Jackpot 4 was steam-rolled by the unstoppable Kenroy Brown
who had already cleaned up in the Swiss Tournament to give him a
tidy double victory. An evening’s backgammon proving preciously
profitable.
The most exciting backgammon of the evening was found in the Round
Robin where three players found themselves on three wins out of
five. Ray Mills, Eric Maillebiau and newbie Houman
Meshkati (who put himself in contention despite losing his
first two matches). The three were to battle it out in a one-point
play-off round robin. It was getting late but, thankfully, Eric
avoided the need for further playoffs by beating them both for
another success following last week’s victory.
So how are Mike and the other BG in London players faring in
Monte-Carlo? Make sure to catch up on Mike’s Blog on the Monte
Carlo website:
http://www.backgammoninlondon.com/montecarlo/000.html
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