BG IN LONDON PLAYERS AT THE NORDIC OPEN 2008
 

Considered to be one of the best, if not the best, player in the world François Tardieu is, I'm told, conspicuous by his  absence at The Nordic Open 2008.

Has he chosen not to attend because the Championship Division is being played on shorter time constraints than the 2007 WSOB Tour to fit in with TV scheduling? This comes after he lost in the WSOB UK Masters (the first event of the 2008 Tour) to Falafel because he timed out. It has also been questioned if this was done as a form of protest though given the costs of attending tournaments this would seem an expensive way to do so.
 

Can one man stand against the rising tide of clock play rules coming into top level backgammon? François Tardieu's influence is considerable and the due respect many have for him counts for a lot but it seems to us that the demands of television might out-weigh his increasingly isolated voice. Like it or not, those top level players that wish to be in the public eye are going to have to get used to TV Producers needs - it's happened in other sports and backgammon is not so big that it can not follow the fashion. 

If François would like to make a statement on his views he is most welcome to do so and we would be more than happy to publish anything he has to say on the matter. Clck ici François si vous voulez.
 

Seems like a sensible way of doing things to us.