News items from 2000 (first half)
26/06/00: League night being tried
In order to maximise Premier League playing opportunities, there is now a designated "league night" in the calendar.
The last Wednesday of the month at the BCSC should now see some league action, starting this Wednesday, the 28th.
With exactly half of all league matches completed, and the season more than half way to its official end date -- October 31st -- any opportunity to play league matches has to be a good thing, especially as the holiday season is almost upon us.
If the experiment is a success, it will form part of the model for next year, when league backgammon will be available to all who crave it.
For latest Premier League positions, click here, and for an outline of the plans for next year's leagues, click here.
18/06/00: Bristol triumph in inaugural challenge
The long-awaited challenge match between Bristol and Birmingham finally took place at the Fellowship in Filton Avenue today. And Bristol won the match 17-13!
Eleven Bristol players and ten from Birmingham (one Bristol player sat out each of the rounds of 9-point matches) contested a total of thirty matches, each match won giving a point to that team.
Birmingham quickly established a 3-0 lead, which was pegged back to 6-4 by buffet time (after the first series of matches).
The second phase was the major turning point, with Bristol clinching eight of the ten points available to move 12-8 ahead. Then at 15-10 the tension set in. 15-11, 15-12, 15-13, and only two -- very close -- matches remained to be completed.
Stuart Mann, who won 9-8, and Phil Charlton, with a 9-7 win, finally gave the finishing scoreline a deceptively comfortable look.
Stuart and Phil, along with Bristol's man-of-the-match Simon Baker, formed an impressive Bristol "middle order", which emerged from the match undefeated in their eight contests. For complete scores, see Inter-Cities Challenge.
Two impromptu knock-out tournaments then followed, with Jerry Limb and Stuart Mann taking the honours.
A good time was apparently had by all, and many are already looking forward to the return match, in Birmingham in October (final date and venue to be confirmed).
18/06/00: Kevin takes June title
Kevin White got the single point he needed to beat Blaine Buchanan today, to tidy up the one remaining loose end from the June OGP tournament.
The win moves Kevin into second place, at the head of a clutch of five players in pursuit of leader Graham Alder. For latest positions, click here.
16/06/00: All set for Birmingham challenge
Sunday is nearly here. The day when history -- of a sort -- will be made. Our Birmingham visitors will be trying to beat us on our own patch (in this case the Fellowship in Filton Avenue).
At stake is not only the respective honour of the two groups but a glittering new silver salver, engraved with the legend "Inter-Cities Backgammon Challenge".
There is plenty of room for winning team names (hopefully mostly "Bristol"!) to be engraved for years to come.
Approximately ten players a side will be taking part, with three rounds of matches -- each match won adding a point to that player's team total (Ryder Cup style), probably to 7 points each. There will be a lunch-time buffet, access to the bar, and the chance of various competitions to fill any lulls in the proceedings.
Spectators and general hangers on are more than welcome, but curb the heckling, please!
15/06/00: Pete Campbell wins Handicap Cup
The 1999 knock-out season at EDS's Rolls-Royce site is over! The final loose end was tied up when Pete Campbell scored a 22-19 victory over Malcolm Young in the final of the Handicap Cup, making it fourteen different winners of that particular competition in the fourteen years of its existence -- one up to the handicappers!
It was also Pete's first ever title victory, showing the value of perseverance. The closest he had previously got to a title was as runner-up to Raj Sharma in the 1993 "B" Tournament.
10/06/00: Kevin and Blaine ready for shoot-out
Thursday evening's Open Grand Prix tournament was almost completed! The Consolation flight wound up just before midnight, Mike Morse beating John Napier in the final, and the Main flight was left tantalisingly close to a finish, with Kevin Smith 6-4 ahead of Blaine Buchanan with the Crawford game to come.
The completion of the match is likely to take place some time during the coming week.
Twenty players contested the event, but with five of the top ten in the OGP points list absent, there was a major opportunity for those of the leaders who were present to take considerable advantage.
Four of those five, however, managed only one win between them (and that in the Consolation flight where fewer points are available). Only Stuart Mann, who moves into second place overall, made real inroads by collecting 40 points. Kevin would go second if he were to beat Blaine, while a Blaine win would move him into the top six.
Only six Premier League players entered, but four of those made up the Main flight semi-final line-up, Stuart and Phil Charlton completing that quartet.
For the latest OGP points table, click on Bristol OGP current standings.
09/06/00: John takes intermediate honours
John Napier prefaced his OGP appearance last night with victory over Craig Thompson in the held over May IGP Main flight final.
Craig made the journey from deepest Somerset especially for the final, but was sadly unable to stay for the IGP event.
John's win elevates him to second place in the IGP points table (see Intermediate G.P. current standings).
06/06/00: John and Craig offer tournament hors d'oeuvres
Anyone interested in watching a little action before Thursday's tournament might like to know that last month's intermediate tournament is scheduled to reach a belated conclusion when the final of the main flight is contested by John Napier and Craig Thompson.
Apart from the prize money, there are 35 IGP points at stake, with the winner guaranteed to move into second place behind Jerry Limb in the IGP points table.
05/06/00: Assault on slow play planned
Local tournament director Ian Tarr will this Thursday take the first step in what he hopes will be a successful war on slow play.
Apart from getting stroppy with those he catches in the act of gross transgressions of etiquette in Thursday's OGP tournament Ian will, for the first time, be gathering data to identify the worst offenders.
Every match will be timed and, armed with similar data from a few of this year's remaining tournaments, he will set about formulating a suitable penalty system.
No penalties are likely to be applied until next year's grand prix events begin, but in the meantime those players most frequently involved in excessively long matches will be named and shamed!
30/05/00: Seven acceptances for Birmingham match so far
Responses have been received from seven of the twelve players invited to make up the Bristol team for the challenge match against Birmingham on June 18th -- all seven in the affirmative.
Yet to inform the selectors of their intentions are: Charlie Hetherington, Graham Alder, Grant Shortland, Richard Moody and Paul Watts.
22/05/00: Three car-loads from Birmingham!
It now appears that there will be three car-loads of players, i.e. a dozen, coming down from Birmingham on June 18th for the Inter-City Challenge Trophy match.
This excellent news means there will be more openings in the Bristol team, allowing a little more flexibility in the selection criteria. So the team will now be selected on the basis of: two from the top of the Open Grand Prix list, one from the top of the Intermediate Grand Prix list, one with the best percentage record in the Premier League, then repeating the cycle again and again until the team is filled.
The full list of players who will initially be invited to make up the team now reads: Graham Alder, Grant Shortland, Jerry Limb, Simon Baker, Tony Lee, Paul Watts, Richard Moody, Ian Tarr, Stuart Mann, Charlie Hetherington, John Napier and Phil Charlton.
The precise format of the match is likely to be finalised within the next seven days, although the most likely scenario sees each player playing two 11-point matches against members of the opposing team.
20/05/00: Rachael, Ray, John and Pete promoted
The 1999-2000 DPS Backgammon League season ended on Friday with promotion to Division One being confirmed for new Second Division champion Rachael Moody, Ray Lowman, John Carter and Pete Cockram.
For Rachael First Division backgammon will be a new experience, while the other three in the frame have all been there before. For final Second Division positions click here.
18/05/00: Knock-outs launched at EDS
The draws for two of this year's EDS summer knock-out tournaments were made today.
The Handicap Cup and the Shield (with entries of 23 and 19 respectively) can start immediately. The draws -- and the current positions in all EDS competitions can be browsed by visiting Current DPS Backgammon standings.
16/05/00: Bristol versus Birmingham challenge on!
The idea of a challenge match between players from the Bristol area and their counterparts in Birmingham is coming to fruition!
On Sunday June 18th a team of Birmingham players, tentatively set at eight in number, will be coming down to the Fellowship in Filton Avenue, to join battle with a Bristol team.
The Bristol team will be drawn from the higher echelons of the two grand prix tables, taking two from the Open GP then one from the Intermediate until the team is filled.
Thus invitations will be going out initially to the following players: Graham Alder, Grant Shortland, Jerry Limb, Tony Lee, Paul Watts, Richard Moody, Simon Baker, and Stuart Mann.
Should any of those players be unable or unwilling to accept the honour of representing Bristol, then others will be drawn from the next slots in the two grand prix tables.
16/05/00: Charlie takes Division One Cup
The DPS Backgammon Division One Cup, open to EDS players in the top division of the DPS Backgammon League, has been won this year by Charlie Hetherington.
Charlie, who beat Mark Oldham 24-11 in the final, has now won the competition three times in its ten year history, thus equalling Phil Charlton's record.
15/05/00: Final likely to be deferred until June 8th
The match outstanding from Thursday's Intermediate tournament, the Main flight final between John Napier and Craig Thompson, is now likely to be deferred until just before the June 8th Open Grand Prix event.
Craig, perhaps understandably, feels that for someone to travel just for this one match is wasteful.
Tournament Director Ian Tarr, though, is anxious not to encourage a feeling that it is OK to let the resolution of tournaments drift as they are traditionally finished in a single night.
A grand prix rule change is on the cards for next season, involving forfeiture of prizes, penalty points, or both, in the event of a tournament not being finished within a specified period.
Sadly the eventual winner of this match will miss out on automatic selection for the Bristol--Birmingham challenge match, which is about to be announced. Invitations will be sent to the top six players in the Open Grand Prix and the top two in the Intermediate Grand Prix to make up the Bristol team.
13/05/00: John and Craig to contest Intermediate final
Fifteen players, including three tournament debutants, contested the second of this year's Bristol Intermediate Grand Prix events at the BCSC on Thursday night.
Making their first appearances were Bristol-based Michael Booker and two men of Somerset, Ryan Difford and Craig Thompson. All three tasted victory at some stage of the evening, but it was Craig who stole the show by winning through to the final of the Main flight.
Once again time was a factor, with the final -- between Craig and John Napier -- having to be deferred to a later date, probably some time in the next week.
While the Main flight remains to be decided, the Consolation was concluded, with Richard Moody defeating Liz Chappell in the final.
As far as the grand prix goes, Jerry Limb is still in pole position, although his lead will have narrowed to 15 points by the time Craig and John have decided things. Richard Moody is also handily placed.
One factor which may not play a major part in the Intermediate Grand Prix this year is the discarding of each player's lowest scoring tournament (best three scores out of four to count). This is because, of the 25 players who have done battle in the two events so far, only seven entered both! For full details of the latest IGP positions, click here.
13/05/00: Charlie still top after Thursday's Premier League action
It was Intermediate Night at the BCSC on Thursday, so that gave those players involved in the inaugural Bristol Premier League the perfect opportunity to get some fixtures in.
In fact, of the ten members of that band, only Simon Baker and Blaine Buchanan were unable to make it, but the other eight players managed to complete nine fixtures on the night, with Phil Caudwell, Charlie Hetherington, and Dave Pym all registering three results.
With 35 of the 90 matches now completed, Charlie Hetherington is still in the lead, closely followed by Phil Charlton and Stuart Mann. For the latest positions, click on Bristol Premier League current standings.
10/05/00: Ian gets BIBA apology
BIBA have issued a humble apology to our own Ian Tarr!
After announcing that Ian had shared the runner-up spot in the weekend's County Cups Trophy with Liverpool's Rob Dean, BIBA Director Michael Crane had been forced to admit that -- having uncovered a miscalculation -- he was wrong. Rob won the runner-up spot outright.
The good news for Ian is that he will get 50% off his next tournament hotel bill, plus a bottle of wine. This would seem to some to be a better deal than receiving a trophy which will only gather dust!
For the full story, click on BIBA's home page. Also to be found at this site is a full colour picture of Jerry Limb!
07/05/00: Ian and John excel at Coventry
BIBA's County Cups Trophy at the Coventry Hilton this weekend was attended by seven of our players among a total field of 64, and after a couple of lean tournaments (from a Bristol area perspective), there were at least a couple of things to be pleased about.
Although the ignominious Bristol record of zero tournament wins was maintained -- this much became apparent as soon as John Napier suffered defeat at the hands of John Barnes (no, not THE John Barnes) in his third match -- Saturday had at least provided the Bristol contingent with more wins than defeats.
Stuart Mann and Phil Charlton had registered a single win apiece come Saturday evening, but John, Jerry Limb, Phil Caudwell, Kevin White and Ian Tarr had each bagged a brace.
Sunday also brought more victories than defeats, despite a blank day for both Jerry and Kevin. John Napier and Phil Caudwell carried on the good work with two more wins each, while Stuart Mann clawed his way back to a satisfactory conclusion by completing a Sunday clean sweep.
Pride of place, however, went to Ian. An inauspicious start -- he lost his opening Saturday match against Dod Davies, who later turned out to be the winner of the tournament -- was followed by deficits of at least three points in each of his remaining five matches. But five times he came back to record hard earned wins.
The work was worthwhile, however, as Ian scooped the first prize in the £5 pool, and then -- much to his surprise -- was adjudged joint runner-up of the whole tournament with Rob Dean. This ruling was based on a comparison of the records of those players ending on five wins -- Ian's and Rob's opponents had each scored a total of 24 wins throughout the weekend.
Special mention must also be made of John Napier, who had only last month made his BIBA debut in the 10th Birthday tournament. While he didn't have much to celebrate then, he more than made amends by winning four times on his Swiss format debut. The pressure is now well and truly on him in Thursday's Intermediate tournament!
Summarised win totals: 5- Ian Tarr; 4- Phil Caudwell, Stuart Mann, John Napier; 2- Phil Charlton, Jerry Limb, Kevin White.
02/05/00: Anyone for Coventry?
This weekend's BIBA tournament at Coventry does not appear to have stimulated as much interest as one or two recent events.
There will be a handful of our finest there, though, and it's not too late to take the plunge. Ian Tarr can offer a lift to at least one more player if required. Email him at brisgammon@blueyonder.co.uk or ring him on Bristol 9765349 (evenings) or 9796724 (most weekdays).
24/04/00: Thirty-seven brave souls!
With a third of this year's tournament schedule now completed, no fewer than thirty-seven players have so far taken part in one or more of the four events.
21/04/00: First Division's timely finish
The First Division of the DPS Backgammon League, the premier competition for players at EDS's UK Central Solutions centre in Patchway, was concluded on the very last available day of the official season on Thursday.
Issues at the top of the table having been decided some weeks ago (see previous news items), it was the turn of those scrambling to avoid relegation to move under the spotlight.
And when the dust had settled the unfortunate four were Adam Clutterbuck, Robert Warren, Pete Campbell and John King.
Adam, whose initial season in the top flight began disastrously, got through his matches with commendable speed, especially considering his far-flung (more than 5 minutes away!) location. And when he recovered to finish his season with 11 victories from 24, he appeared to have booked his place in next year's competition. But other players were staging recoveries of their own, and Adam dipped into the relegation zone at the very death.
And John King's experience bears out the tough nature of the competition. Just twelve months ago he stormed to the league title itself, closing the season with a run of results only bettered once in the history of the competition. But his title defence started badly, and hopes of staging a successful Houdini act were scuppered when he lost his final three matches.
But it can be fairly confidently assumed that all four victims will be back in the top flight at some stage, always assuming the competition survives the rigours of increased player mobility in the future. For the final league table, see First Division final standings.
Apathy, meanwhile, has been rife in Division Two. So much so that the committee has had to take unprecedented steps to avoid a total collapse. The season has been extended by four weeks, at which time the plug will be pulled no matter what. The league table will be declared final at that stage, even though it appears unlikely that more than one player will have completed all available fixtures. For the current position, see Second Division current standings.
18/04/00: Grant's success leaves Grand Prix wide open
Lesters XXXVI was concluded at the BCSC last night, with Grant Shortland coming out on top for his finest backgammon hour to date.
Graham Alder, who stood to open up a massive Bristol Open Grand Prix lead if he were to repeat his March success, was the first of the four remaining contenders to be eliminated from the race, when Grant made short work of his semi-final victory. Meanwhile, Paul Watts was making Tony Lee, at this stage the bookies' favourite, work harder for his final place.
And after three games of the final, it was beginning to look as though the pundits had it right, Tony building up a 6-0 lead in the first-to-eleven match. Grant, however, showed his fighting qualities by chipping away at Tony's lead until he moved ahead for the first time at 8-7.
As the games grew more and more absorbing, the score eventually reached 10-all, but the final game petered out into a mere race! Grant had an advantage, and held onto it to register his first major tournament success, at the same time moving into second place in the BOGP (see Bristol Open G.P. current standings).
Ian Tarr -- much against his better judgment -- had been persuaded to annotate the entire final ("much harder work than playing", he was heard to comment). So when Tony has fed some of the positions into Jellyfish, there may be some interesting material for this website!
14/04/00: Old Guard blown away at Lesters XXXVI ...... nearly
The latest Lesters Trophy evening, the 36th in the series, featured the strongest evidence yet of a burgeoning pool of emerging talent in the Bristol area.
A competition which has, apart from the odd blip, been the preserve of the established players -- Dave Pym, Phil Charlton, Phil Caudwell, Charlie Hetherington, and Ian Tarr have twenty-one Lesters titles between them, while more recent luminaries Simon Baker, Stuart Mann, and Tony Lee have bagged another six -- was thrown wide open last night when seven of the eight players just mentioned managed a paltry total of just three victories between them!
The exception was Tony Lee who, with the semi-finals held over until Monday evening, stands alone in defending the Old Guard from a concerted attack, which sees March winner Graham Alder, Grant Shortland, and Paul Watts vying for the main prize.
The twenty-three strong field brought to thirty-four the total number of players who have played in Open tournaments this year, a source of some satisfaction for organiser Ian Tarr.
And with up to 70 Open Grand Prix points still to play for, Graham has the chance to put more than a little daylight between himself and the rest of the opposition -- he already has a 50-point lead! (see Current Open GP standings).
One disappointing aspect of the evening, however, was the inordinate length of time taken to complete some matches. Two and a quarter hours to complete a 7-point match is, frankly, totally unacceptable in the context of what is supposed to be a one-night tournament. This problem is currently exercising Ian Tarr's brain considerably (OK, it needs a little exercise!).
For results so far, see Lesters history.
09/04/00: Disappointment again for local BIBA participants
A surprise record turnout of twelve local players at BIBA's Tenth Birthday Party tournament at the Coventry Hilton at the weekend yielded little in the way of encouraging results.
The event, featuring various flights of knock-out, was contested by a total of 113 players from the length and breadth of the land, plus a few overseas players. But the main knock-out, with 11-point matches, was the principal reason for being there, and with the numbers whittled down to sixteen after Saturday's play, only Ian Tarr of the local contingent was still in contention.
And after his first match on Sunday, his interest in the main prize had also been extinguished, although his efforts did win him the consolation of a £40 runner-up prize fom the £5 pool.
Possibly the highlight of the weekend, though, from a westcountry perspective, was the performance of Jerry Limb and Paul Watts in the Saturday night doubles tournament. With a typically positive attitude, the pair insisted on playing the final, with a £600 prize pot, on an all-or-nothing basis. Sadly they ended up with nothing!
Another positive aspect of the weekend was provided by the BIBA debuts of two more of our number, John Napier and Ed Turner. Neither set the world alight, but they both enjoyed the experience, and will hopefully become regulars on our pilgrimages.
06/04/00: Another Bristol BIBA invasion!
It is anticipated that there will be around eight local players present when BIBA stage their 10th Birthday Party tournament at the Coventry Hilton this weekend.
A report will appear here some time around Sunday or Monday.
03/04/00: Charlie takes second place
Charlie Hetherington today clinched the runner-up spot in the DPS Backgammon League when he thrashed newly-crowned champion Ian Tarr 16-0.
Charlie thus pushes Phil Charlton into third place. See Current DPS Backgammon League Division One standings
28/03/00: Ian takes fourth title
Ian Tarr today equalled Phil Charlton's all-time record of four DPS Backgammon League championships, when he completed an 11-1 victory over Robert Warren.
The result leaves Charlie Hetherington with a second near miss in eleven days, having narrowly lost the postponed 1999 DPS Backgammon Shield final to Colin Smith. Charlie will be league runner-up if he beats Ian in their final match of the season, otherwise Phil Charlton will hold on to second spot.
Since Charlie already has a 6-0 lead in that match, the odds are heavily in his favour to collect another runner-up trophy. See Current DPS Backgammon League Division One standings
19/03/00: Tuesday sessions now on!
Blaine Buchanan's inaugural Tuesday night (from 8pm) session at the Port O' Call, just off Whiteladies Road, is on.
The hope is that this will become a regular feature of the local backgammon week. Give Blaine your support if you can!
18/03/00: Book now for BIBA!
Anyone planning to visit BIBA's 10th Birthday Party tournament at the Coventry Hilton on April 8th-9th would do well to book their rooms very soon to avoid disappointment.
There is every sign that the event will be very well attended, so a quick call to Stakis Central Reservations on 0990-201-201 (quoting "backgammon") is advised.
17/03/00: Graham strikes back to take grand prix lead
The final of the main flight of the second Open Grand Prix tournament, which was played out at the B.C.S.C. on Friday evening, saw a stirring fightback by Graham Alder, which ultimately brought him the title and the overall lead after two of this year's eight O.G.P. tournaments.
Having trailed 1-6 to Paul Watts in the first-to-seven match, an apparently undaunted Graham sneaked home 7-6.
This was Graham's first tournament title win, and the 35 extra grand prix points he won have taken him to the top of the list, which now reads: Graham Alder 125; Simon Baker 110; Stuart Mann 110; Charlie Hetherington 105; Paul Watts 90; Tony Lee 70. The whole O.G.P table can be found by clicking on Current Open Grand Prix standings.
Incidentally, there was a board unclaimed after March 2nd's proceedings. Tony (at the B.C.S.C) is looking after it until it is claimed.
17/03/00: Colin's first major DPS honour
The DPS Backgammon Shield, the premier knock-out tournament at the Rolls-Royce/EDS Patchway site has been won by Colin Smith.
The final of the 1999 tournament -- the 20th in its illustrious history -- was held over from October because of fixture congestion, but that won't bother Colin, who defeated two-time winner Charlie Hetherington today.
Although this is not the first title of Colin's thirteen year career, it is certainly the biggest -- he also won the 1993 Handicap Cup, and has been in three other finals including that of the 1996 Shield, as well as having won promotion to the First Division on two occasions.
The win cemented Colin's position at no. 4 in the RR/EDS long-term rankings.
16/03/00: Final set for Friday
The eagerly anticipated final of the second Open G.P. tournament is scheduled for Friday night (8pm) at the B.C.S.C.
Paul Watts meets Graham Alder for the honour of their first main flight victory. And what is more, the winner will also move into the overall lead in the grand prix points standings.
Spectators and general hangers-on will be most welcome.
07/03/00: Paul through to meet Graham
Two of the matches outstanding from last Thursday's Open G.P. tournament were resolved last night at The Leap in Downend.
Paul Watts accounted for both John Ryan (in the quarter-finals) and Stuart Mann (in the semis) to earn a final meeting with Graham Alder, which has yet to be arranged.
Whoever wins the final will take the overall lead in the grand prix, as the 35 points at stake would elevate either Graham or Paul beyond the current leaders, Simon Baker and Stuart Mann.
05/03/00: Graham stars in uncompleted tournament
The second of the year's Open Grand Prix tournaments was contested by 24 players at the B.C.S.C. on Thursday night.
The starting line-up included two players making their tournament debuts -- Irene Robinson and Tim Jefferies. Although Irene failed to win a match, she got extremely close to eliminating Stuart Mann from the main flight, while more of Tim's exploits later!
Star turn of the evening was Graham Alder, who not only reached the final after beating an eminent triumvirate in Simon Osborne, Phil Charlton and Charlie Hetherington, but also contributed more than usual to the evening's decibel count!
Who he will play in that final remains a mystery, as an unwanted first ever occurrence in the annals of Bristol tournaments left one quarter-final unstarted. It is not unusual on these occasions to hold the final over for another evening, and occasionally even one semi-final.
But having a quarter-final still outstanding is surely unacceptable, given that the slowest leg of the draw achieved just TWO 7-point finishes in FOUR hours! Tournament Director Ian Tarr will surely have to tackle this problem in some way before it gets out of hand. At the rate of progress (or lack of progress!) achieved, the tournament could have continued until 6am if we'd been that stupid!
The outstanding quarter- and semi-final are likely to take place this Monday at The Leap in Downend, where Stuart Mann will face the winner of the Paul Watts:John Ryan encounter. Whoever emerges from Monday's play will then have to arrange to meet Graham in the final.
The consolation flight, featuring 5-point matches, did finish, however. Victorious here was Tim Jefferies, who scored victories over Adam King, Michael Smith, Sarah Rosich and Phil Caudwell to complete his competitive debut in style.
When the main flight is completed, there is likely to be a new grand prix leader, with both Stuart and Graham threatening to topple January winner Simon Baker. See Bristol Open Grand Prix current standings.
04/03/00: Whitewash put Kevin top
Kevin White and Phil Charlton were amongst those players who took advantage of the relatively early elimination from the O.G.P. tournament by making a little progress in their Premier League campaigns.
The 11-0 victory Kevin gained was enough to put him top of the league on points difference.
Meanwhile Tony Lee got his league campaign off to a useful start with a narrow victory over Blaine Buchanan. See Bristol Premier League current standings.
18/02/00: Simon starts league campaign -- and goes top!
Simon Baker, one of only two players not to start his league campaign until last night, made up for lost time with a double over Stuart Mann, scoring wins of 11-2 and 11-10.
With nobody having won more than one match up to that point, Simon leap-frogged straight to the top of the league.
13/02/00: Board was Ed's
Readers will be relieved to know that the board left at the BCSC on Thursday has been identified. It belongs to Ed Turner.
Jerry Limb says Ed probably left it behind in the excitement of reaching the consolation final!
11/02/00: Jerry and Sarah take first IGP honours
The first of this year's Intermediate Grand Prix tournaments was contested by seventeen players on Thursday evening at the BCSC.
Two players, Ted Morgan and Michael Smith, were making welcome tournament debuts, and each managed a victory in the consolation flight.
Jerry Limb, fresh from his impressive BIBA debut at Coventry last weekend, continued his good form by winning the main flight, beating Richard Moody in the final to take an early grand prix lead with 100 points.
In the consolation final Ed Turner was edged out by Sarah Rosich who, like Jerry, was experiencing a tournament victory for the very first time. For current IGP positions, click on Intermediate G.P. current standings
11/02/00: Fierce competition in the Premier League
Barred from competing in the intermediates tournament, seven of the ten Premier league contestants took advantage of the opportunity to fit in some league action at the BCSC on Thursday. Now only Simon Baker and Tony Lee have still to start their campaigns.
It may well be an indication of the ferocity of the competition that the seven matches completed to date have yielded seven different winners! For the latest league table, click on Premier League current standings
11/02/00: Anyone for Scotland?
With their appetites whetted by recent BIBA competition, some of our newer members are showing an interest in making the long trek to the Stakis at East Kilbride for the Slattery Scottish Open on March 11th and 12th. Among those likely to attend are Jerry Limb, Paul Watts, Adam King, and Blaine Buchanan.
11/02/00: Found -- one board
Left at the BCSC on Thursday night was one backgammon board. This is now in the safe keeping of Ian Tarr. If you wish to claim it, email Ian by clicking on "Give me back my board!"
06/02/00: B.I.B.A. invasion force hits problems
The long-awaited mass invasion by Bristol area players at B.I.B.A's Jarvis Trophy event this weekend was long on quantity, but sadly lacking in quality in terms of results.
The initial round of matches saw only Phil Caudwell score a victory, while the region's ten other representatives effectively fell out of serious contention at the first hurdle.
Saturday's play saw little improvement as only ten wins were secured from our total of thirty-three matches. Only Phil and debutant Jerry Limb managed two Saturday successes, while Phil Charlton, John Lewis and Paul Watts all failed to open their accounts.
Whereas previous visits have often yielded a turnaround in fortunes on the second day, this time the improvement was only marginal, fourteen victories being recorded. A grand total of "won 24, lost 42" actually gives the picture an unwarranted gloss, given that the figures would look worse if the half-dozen "local derbies" are not taken into account!
It was not all doom and gloom, however. Phil Caudwell marked his return to B.I.B.A action after a year's absence by winning four of his six encounters. And Jerry Limb emulated Blaine Buchanan's November achievement of starting his B.I.B.A. career with three wins. And Phil Charlton, also returning to awayday action after a period of relative inactivity, had the satisfaction of a Sunday clean sweep after his bad start.
And the Caudwells -- Phil and Will -- reached the final of the Saturday night doubles tournament, where the prize money was shared rather than playing on beyond 1.30am.
Final win counts: 4- PHIL CAUDWELL; 3- Phil Charlton, Don Hatt, Charlie Hetherington, Jerry Limb; 2- Will Caudwell, Stuart Mann, Ian Tarr, Kevin White; 0- John Lewis, Paul Watts.
06/02/00: Bristol/Birmingham challenge in the offing
A new event, probably to be held on an annual basis, was mooted at this weekend's tournament.
Although the format has yet to be finalised, it appears likely that there will be a one-day (weekend) team event between teams of six or eight players representing Bristol and Birmingham, with each city playing host on an alternating basis. Negotiations between Ralph Eskinazi (Birmingham) and Ian Tarr (Bristol) are likely to take place over the next few weeks.
28/01/00: Bristol's biggest B.I.B.A. invasion likely
B.I.B.A's Jarvis Trophy Swiss format tournament next weekend will probably feature the largest ever contingent of players from the Bristol area.
The event, at Coventry's Hilton National hotel on February 5th and 6th, could be attended by as many as eleven of the region's finest, with the following names set to grace the start list: Blaine Buchanan, Phil Caudwell, William Caudwell, Phil Charlton, Charlie Hetherington, John Lewis, Jerry Limb, Stuart Mann, Ian Tarr, Paul Watts, and Kevin White.
Although rooms at the hotel appear to be fully booked, it is still not too late for other players to join the invasion. See B.I.B.A. home page for details.
20/01/00: Simon takes early Grand Prix lead
The final held over from last Thursday's Bristol Open Grand Prix was held last night at The Leap, in Badminton Road, Downend. Simon Baker beat Charlie Hetherington 7-4 to gain the 35 grand prix points on offer.
15/01/00: March tournament date switched
The date for the next Open Grand Prix tournament has been brought forward one week to Thursday March 2nd. Players are urged to alter their diaries, if they had already made that entry. See Calendar of events
15/01/00: Simon and Charlie vie for early grand prix lead
Grand prix backgammon arrived in Bristol on Thursday evening with a solid, if unspectacular, turnout of twenty contestants at the £5 entry event.
Episode one of the Bristol Open Grand Prix competition provided a cliff-hanger ending with Simon Baker and Charlie Hetherington still to contest the final of the main flight. Others to accumulate useful points were Stuart Mann, Ian Preston, and Elliot Smart.
The consolation event, for those losing their initial match, saw Tony Lee beating Graham Alder in the final.
Back in tournament action after a break of nearly three years were John Heritage and Di Vigrass, who were both eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the main event.
When the final is eventually held, the winner will move into a 35-point lead in the grand prix standings, see Bristol Open Grand Prix current standings.
15/01/00: Phil scores first Premier League win
Phil Charlton and Blaine Buchanan took advantage of their relatively early exits from the Bristol Open Grand Prix on Thursday evening to complete the first match in the new Bristol Premier League.
After trailing 5-9 at one stage, Phil eventually edged home 11-9. (see Bristol Premier League current standings)
07/01/00: History made at Patchway
Lunch-time today provided a historic moment for local backgammon aficionados when the first dice were rolled in a brand new competition.
The Bristol Premier League, a competition to be contested by ten of the region's best players, saw its first action after Phil Charlton and Charlie Hetherington finished off a DPS Backgammon First Division encounter at the Rolls-Royce factory in Patchway. With some time to spare before getting back to work, the two decided to begin a Premier League match, Charlie ending the brief session 3-2 ahead.
In just six days time the two are expecting to break more new ground at the inaugural Bristol Open Grand Prix tournament, where entries are likely to approach the ceiling of 32.
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