Serving the Backgammon Community
After a 3-year layoff, it’s time to get back in the game.
There’s no better tournament in which to re-start than the California State Championship, organized by Candace Mayeron:
Well-run tournament, convenient venue, great players, and fun.
I hope you’ll join me there December 8-11, 2022 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport hotel http://www.gammonassociateswest.com/.
“What a blunder,” he said after one of the finalists in the 2018 World Championships at Monte Carlo made his move.
According to XG, it was the right play. But Falafel might well have been right, such was his grasp of the game and its intricacies.
One by one, backgammon is losing its outsized personalities: Paul Magriel in 2018, now Falafel in 2020.
Many people including myself talk about Mike Natanzon’s humor, warmth, quirks, and backgammon prowess.
What I admired most was his ability to have all that and still lead his life according to his terms, not society’s or anyone else’s. Perhaps that is the greatest living inspiration he leaves.
Click the pic to read Sam Robert’s NY Times obit:
See it live!
twitch.tv/voiceofbackgammon
youtube.com/voiceofbackgammon
facebook.com/backgammonvoice
Lynn Ehrlich is at it again! It’s her 13th Annual New York Metropolitan Open – and did you know that Lynn runs the BEST-ATTENDED tournament in the USA?
It’s true – and who wouldn’t want to join the world’s #1 player Mochi and other top players from all over the world to get lessons, workshops, and commentary to improve our game?
Beginner, advanced, or expert, this tournament has something for everyone. I hope you’ll join me in experiencing this well-run, fun tournament January 9-12, 2020 at the Jersey City Hyatt Regency on the Hudson.
For more information and to register, visit http://nybackgammon.com/
The 44th World Backgammon Championship is shaping up as always to be a major event in world backgammon competition. Immediately following the 9th Monte Carlo Open, the games take place at the luxurious Fairmont Monte Carlo in Monaco starting July 30, 2019.
Akiko Yazawa will be there to defend her 2018 (Akiko is actually a two-time winner) title, joining a robust USA contingent including Victor Ashkenazi, Chris Trencher, Allen Tish, Jason Pack, and Alan Grunwald.
This year’s events feature Speedgammon, the Backgammon Proficiency Test, and of course the Awards Presentation Cocktail Party.
Finals begin Sunday, August 4 at 2:00 pm Monaco time (8 am in NY). Live streaming will take place for the finals and all week at youtube.com/voiceofbackgammon.
John O’Hagan and Kit Woolsey played an amazing match at the Las Vegas Backgammon Open last week (November 8, 2018).
Phil Simborg streamed it live – and we’ve got it here (most of it, anyway!):
If you have XG you may download the XG file here.
Backgammon players have achieved better and better Performance Ratings (PRs) of late. But it’s hard to imagine players doing as well as these two did in this match. John O’Hagan had the better PR by a bit, but won handily because he also had the luck going for him, with a luck factor of close to 8.
It’s good to be lucky. But it’s better to be good.