News items from 2005 (second half)
13/12/05: Alan confirms Premier Two place
Alan Parfitt, just returned from Lanzarote, has confirmed he will be participating in Premier Two in 2006.
All of the expected responses have been received, but while it remains unlikely, it is still possible for late enquiries from unexpected quarters to be considered sympathetically.
Nevertheless, thirty-two is a very healthy number, reflecting the year on year strengthening of the competition.
Ten members in 2000 have been superceded by 14 in 2001, 18 in 2002, 21 in 2003, 25 in 2004, and 28 in 2005.
11/12/05: Thirty-two in Premier League as deadline passes
A new record entry of thirty-two players -- assuming the place held for Alan Parfitt, the only one of last year's players not responding to date, is actually taken up -- will contest the 2006 Bristol Premier League.
All eleven players qualifying for Premier One have entered, while fourteen of the remaining sixteen who finished the 2005 season are also back in action next year.
The two exceptions -- both taking a year out of league backgammon -- are Elliot Smart and Jerry Limb.
Roland Herrera is back after a one year gap, and there are six newcomers, including the five who gained promotion via the Conference.
The other newcomer is Ann Pocknell -- recently moved to the West Country -- whose BIBA ranking score of 1686 qualifies her for "fast-tracking" into the Premier League.
The rules delineating the split between divisions give the preferred split as eleven in Premier One, and twenty-one in Premier Two.
With the top flight players each meeting twice, and their second flight counterparts meeting just once, this gives a fixture load of twenty matches in each division.
There will be four promotion and relegation slots, just as there were this season.
09/12/05: LESTERS 57 ROUND-UP ......
You'd have to go back fourteen years to find a Christmas Lesters Trophy event with fewer competitors, but the seventeen who turned up this time still managed to produce a memorable tournament.
09/12/05: Roland breaks his Bristol main flight duck ......
Winning the hastily arranged Tric Trac Tourno at the November league night may just have provided the necessary impetus for Roland Herrera's first main flight success in Bristol.
Roland recovered from 2-8 down to defeat Mark Dixon in the final of Lesters 57 at Kellaway Avenue after adjourning from the BCSC, and thus ended a six year knock-out title quest.
It's not, however, true to say that Roland had never tasted victory in Bristol, as he won a consolation flight back in January 2001, and was the 2002 Conference champion.
He overcame the stern challenges of Ed Turner and Paul Watts on his way to a semi-final which was to decide which of the Herrera's would be first to reach a Lesters final.
Mark had to beat Stuart Mann, Ian Tarr and Steffen Nowak to reach the final.
09/12/05: Steffen and Roland take the minor OGP prizes ......
It has often proved difficult for players to add substantially to their OGP points tallies in December when discards are at their most prevalent.
So second placed Stuart Mann would have had high hopes of holding on to the runner-up spot to add to his three OGP titles.
Exiting at his first hurdle, however, left him at the mercy of several pursuers.
Closest was Steffen Nowak, who nevertheless needed two wins to edge ahead of Stuart. He achieved these at the expense of Dave Pym -- in the evening's sole first round match -- and Cynthia Roberts, subsequently moving on to beat Miles Farren, a result which was to clinch second place for Steffen.
Steffen's semi-final conqueror, Mark Dixon was then in a position to wrest the runner-up spot from him by winning the final, but was unable to do so, at the same time losing third place to final winner Roland Herrera.
Martin Hemming, already comfortably installed as OGP champion, had no real need to be dismayed at his early exit, his final margin of victory having been reduced to a mere 210 points!
09/12/05: Miles so close to Premier breakthrough ......
With Tony Walters and Tim Line holding the crucial top two IGP slots, it was up to third placed Miles Farren to hit form and squeeze into a Premier Status earning position.
Tony failed to add to his score when Tim eliminated him, but that was where Tim's run ended, and Miles needed wins over Richard Cartwright and Steffen Nowak to clinch the runner-up spot.
He accounted for Richard, and at 5-all was within touching distance of the second, vital, triumph. But it was not to be.
Tony and Tim had already attained Premier Status through their efforts in the Conference.
09/12/05: £190 rollover to kick-start 2006 Grand Prix season ......
The £90 Winner Takes All pool rollover from November encouraged more than half of last night's field to speculate, bringing the pot up to a handy £190.
Only three of the ten gamblers made it to the last eight, though, and Mark Dixon was forced to go it alone into the last four as the rollover lovers' anti-hero.
Roland Herrera earned everyone's gratitude except Mark's by closing out that final victory, and ensuring that the January grand prix tournament gets a substantial boost.
09/12/05: Miles and Jason scoop auction honours ......
It was great to see regular Lesters auctioneer Dave Pym back in action at the BCSC last night, and his efforts brought in a creditable £115 investment for the seventeen runners.
Those banking the money were Miles Farren, whose faith in Roland Herrera was amply rewarded, and Jason Champion, who bought Mark Dixon.
09/12/05: Roland's tidy solution to Masters conundrum ......
With the news that Bristol Backgammon Director Ian Tarr had needed to plug a Bristol Masters qualification loophole, there was a minor sub-plot in evidence, with Masters non-qualifiers vying for the best OGP finishing position.
Richard Cartwright went into the tournament as favourite to claim the final 2006 Masters berth, with Roland Herrera and possibly Ian Tarr himself in with a chance of overhauling Richard.
Roland, however, had a tidier solution up his sleeve, clinching qualification through the front door rather than the back.
04/12/05: Bristol Backgammon goes weekly
2006 heralds a new era for Bristol Backgammon, with weekly sessions at the BCSC.
With the calendar of events getting ever fuller, with new variations of competition becoming increasingly popular, it was only a small step forward to move to one session per week.
And league nights will be falling into line with this, transferring from Wednesdays to Thursdays, after a straw poll of existing and prospective league players showed a greater preference for the switch to Thursdays.
A handful of Consulting Doubles tournaments -- after the success of the inaugural attempt last month -- will be one addition to the calendar, and there are six Handicap Knock-outs scheduled, as opposed to last year's four.
Other possibilities, as the calendar begins to take shape, are chouette evenings, seminars, and Tric Trac Tourno evenings.
04/12/05: Premier qualifiers take up the challenge
Invitations have gone out to those players eligible for the 2006 Bristol Premier League, and the acceptances are flooding in.
Eighteen players have already signed up for the new season, which starts on January 1st, and Director Ian Tarr's forecast is that as many as thirty players will take up the challenge, eclipsing last year's record total of 28.
Seven of the eleven players guaranteed Premier One places have so far accepted, and the response of the others is awaited.
Of those who competed this year, there are two non-starters so far for 2006. Both Elliot Smart and Jerry Limb are taking a year out from league backgammon due to other commitments.
Five players have become eligible for the top flight for the first time, and it is still possible that another may yet make it by finishing in the top two IGP positions after this Thursday's final tournament of the year.
For the up-to-date situation on Premier One entries for 2006, click here.
Invitations to compete in the 2006 Bristol Conference are due out shortly, but the urgency here is not so great because of the flexible format of that competition, which allows new entries throughout the season.
01/12/05: NOVEMBER LEAGUE NIGHT NEWS ......
It was designated as a league night, but in reality it was quite a mixture. There was the Martin Hemming Show, featuring a sequence of three important matches, there was a twist in the tail of the Conference season, and there were a couple of other things besides.
01/12/05: Paul's escape plan comes together ......
When Paul Watts arrived at the BCSC for the very last Premier League match of 2005, he knew his chances of survival in Premier One were slim, as he needed to restrict Martin Hemming to no more than three points.
For Martin the equation was simpler. He just needed to win to preserve his top flight status.
Paul edged ahead to 3-0, but when Martin levelled the scores at 3-all Paul was just one slip away from oblivion.
Dropped cubes took Paul point by point into a 7-3 lead, but when Martin cubed and Paul accepted the scene was set for a dramatic finale.
Paul, of course, had been compelled to take as dropping would have confirmed his relegation. Naturally enough, under the circumstances, he recubed, and Martin in turn, being 3-7 down, moved the cube on to eight.
Double match point had arrived, the game swung emphatically Paul's way, and his unlikely escape route had come to fruition, whilst condemning Martin, John Ould and Elliot Smart to the drop.
If Ian Tarr had considered himself unfortunate to win nine out of twenty and go down last year, he is now in good company as both John and Elliot have now suffered the same fate.
01/12/05: 600 up for Martin ......
And so, after taking his relegation fate manfully on the chin, Martin Hemming moved on to the second leg of his triple quest.
Richard Owsley was next into the hot seat, for the held over final of the November Bristol Grand Prix tournament.
It was Richard's first experience of such an event, but it is probably safe to say he will not remember it too fondly, after succumbing to a 0-11 whitewash. Still, the runner-up prize envelope will have softened the blow, and Richard will undoubtedly be back for more finals in the future.
Martin's victory raises his OGP points total to a colossal 600 from his best seven tournaments!
His lead over second placed Stuart Mann is a handsome 250, which means that an even bigger venue will be required to accommodate enough players to contest enough rounds to give Stuart the chance to reclaim the title he has won three times previously.
But since the number of players needed now exceeds 32,000, maybe he will have to settle for trying to hold on to second place.
01/12/05: Marie and Ian edge to doubles title ......
The third part of Martin Hemming's bittersweet evening was the final of the inaugural Bristol Consulting Doubles tournament.
Martin is a great respecter of tradition, and had resisted talk of splitting the prize money, preferring instead to battle for the chance of being on the first winning Bristol doubles team.
Things started quite well for Martin and his doubles partner Brian Porter, who was happy to make the 200-mile round trip from his Devon home.
Martin and Brian went 3-1 up, and then 4-2, leaving the opposition -- Marie Harz and Ian Tarr -- the task of winning the next two games for victory.
Marie and Ian managed the feat after negotiating some enthrallingly tight situations, however, and it is they who have the honour of taking that inaugural title.
01/12/05: Tim thankful to Jon ......
Tim Line, with a great chance of achieving Premier Status via a top two placing in the IGP, would still have had an uneasy feeling of insecurity before last night, given that a late run on the rails by Miles Farren or Chris Roberts might scupper his plans.
After last night, though, Tim has no need to worry about such minutiae, and he has Jon Kent to thank for this.
Things were looking bleak for Conference action early in the evening, as all those present had already played one another.
Then, enter Jon stage right, and Tim's thirst for points plus the possibility of a fifth promotion place becoming available signalled a double header for the pair.
Heike Faulhaber, meanwhile, having reported an earlier victory over Shane Roberts, spurned the chance of attempting to fill that fifth place, leaving the way open for Tim.
His objectives were two-fold: (a) win two matches to move into fourth place ahead of the absent Mike Smith, and (b) ensure that Jon became the fourteenth player this season to break through the threshhold of eight Conference matches, thus triggering an unprecedented fifth promotion slot.
The second -- and more important -- objective was achieved, but with honours shared in the two matches, Tim had to settle for finishing fifth.
The anticipated rubber-stamping of the championship success of Tony Walters and the promotion of John Paton, Andrew Cobb and Mike Smith occurred at midnight, but now Tim joins them in celebrating their elevation.
For Jon, things look promising for 2006. His first taste of competitive action has yielded a solid four wins from eight matches.
But when you consider that seven of those matches were against promoted players, Jon's decision to join the fold for the last three months looks a good one, and should give him the impetus to start next season with some confidence.
01/12/05: Tric Trac Tournos make their Bristol bow ......
Something had to be done to stop the final league night becoming an anti-climax for all bar the small handful of players who still had important issues to resolve.
So, apart from the inevitable chouettes, along came the Tric Trac Tourno!
The mini-tournament format devised by www.backpacker-backgammon.com director Michael Main (a k a MikeMadMonk) was met with a little bemusement, but eventually proved an extrememly enjoyable distraction for ten players to spend a couple of hours on.
At £5 per head, winner takes all, the single game round robin event, with a points scoring system to encourage gammons, was won by Roland Herrera.
We must do it again some time.
01/12/05: One Masters slot remains ......
Fifteen players are now guaranteed their places in the 2006 Bristol Masters.
Qualification comes from winning the twelve monthly grand prix tournaments, being the Bristol Masters holder, or being the highest other finisher in each of the three leagues.
What changes things is when a player becomes a multiple qualifier. In this case the player passes his surplus qualifications to the next highest finisher in his/her league.
Last night, among other things, Martin Hemming achieved Masters qualification for the fourth time this season. Since Stuart Mann has also qualified three times, they have passed on the five surplus opportunities to Premier One players.
Coupled with the initial high finisher qualification, that makes a total of six Premier One high finishers qualifying.
Add those to the five top flight players who have qualified through winning tournaments, and we have a situation where every Premier One player has now qualified for the Masters!
December, though, highlights a loophole in the system. If a top flight player wins Lesters 57, there will be no more prospective recipients of high finisher slots, so Bristol Backgammon Director Ian Tarr has made the decision that, should this happen, the sixteenth and final qualifier will be the highest ranked non-qualifier from the OGP table.
Since such players traditionally replace no shows, this is merely an extension of the same logic. The loophole will be removed in time for the next round of Masters qualification.
Current favourite to benefit from this ruling would be Richard Cartwright.
30/11/05: Martin the centre of attention
On the final day of the league season, one player seems eager to hog the limelight.
With just one Premier League match remaining to play, and probably no more than a small cluster of last ditch Conference matches likely to materialise, Martin Hemming has a whole host of important unfinished business to attend to.
First up, at 6pm, is that final Premier One encounter -- against Paul Watts -- a match which may well decide which three of four players (the two protagonists, plus John Ould and Elliot Smart) will be relegated.
This nail biting season being what it is, though, who would be surprised if the product of Martin and Paul's endeavours was to be the necessity of a play-off meeting between Elliot and John for the last safe top flight place?
Once that drama has unfolded, Martin will take on Richard Owsley in the held over final of the November Bristol Grand Prix tournament.
And then three other players will join Martin to contest the final of last week's inaugural doubles tournament.
Brian Porter partners Martin against Marie Harz and Ian Tarr.
In the Conference, the promotions of Tony Walters, John Paton and Andrew Cobb appear certain to be rubber-stamped, while Mike Smith will be present and hoping to avoid any last minute glitches to claim the fourth promotuion slot.
There could yet be a twist, though, if one more player breaks through the eight match threshold, as this would ensure the elevation of a fifth player. Tim Line will no doubt be ready and waiting to take advantage of such a scenario.
And there will definitely be an end of term feel about the evening, with all non-league players invited to come along and join whatever fun can be devised on the night.
29/11/05: Elliot in possible play-off
Martin Hemming this evening kept his season alive into tomorrow's last chance saloon by defeating Elliot Smart 11-10 at the Aztec Hotel, Aztec West.
In keeping with the whole of the Bristol Premier League season, everything is set to go to the wire, as the final match, Martin's encounter with fellow Premier One struggler Paul Watts may decide the last issues of an enthralling relegation battle. But then again, it may not!
The potential complication arises from Elliot's margin of defeat, which -- having allowed for the clawing back of Elliot's penalty point -- leaves Elliot dead level with John Ould!
They each have 27 points, they each have an average points difference of -0.75, and they shared the honours of their two encounters to complete the picture of inseparability.
So if they finish in seventh and eighth positions, a play-off will be required to decide who stays up and who goes down.
The play-off scenario will be avoided unless Paul can beat Martin by between 11-5 and 11-10 inclusive. A score in that range would mean that neither Paul nor Martin would overtake the tied pair, and both Paul and Martin would be relegated.
If Martin wins, he will overtake Elliot and John and both will be relegated along with Paul.
If Paul wins 11-4, he too will be dead level with Elliot and John on points and difference, but the three-way results tie-breaker will favour Elliot, who would then stay up, with John, Paul and Martin going down.
A wider margin of victory for Paul would see him safe, relegating the other three.
The only player whose fate has definitely been sealed by tonight's result is Simonetta Herrera, who is now definitely safe from the drop.
29/11/05: As one Phil misses out, another celebrates
In an unexpected turn of events, the final curtain has dropped on a fascinating Premier Two season at one of the unlikeliest venues yet for a Bristol Backgammon match.
RAF Innsworth in Gloucestershire this lunch-time was the surprise location for the final act of the season, as Phil Charlton and Ian Preston, both currently on a six month attachment at the base for their employers, EDS, played out the final match of the Premier Two season.
Phil needed an emphatic win to dislodge Phillip Hill from the fourth automatic promotion place.
But with a more than adequate 11-1 scoreline apparently in the offing at one stage, it was not to be, and Phil finished just ahead of Neil Young in fifth place, after eventually winning 11-5.
The other Phillip's elevation means that three of the four promoted players will be making their top flight debuts next year, champion Steve Ferrer and third placed Jason Champion being the other prospective debutants.
27/11/05: Doubles results now online
There's yet another new section on the website. Thursday's Consulting Doubles was successful enough to suggest that the event has a future, so it will have its own dedicated section.
One thing not mentioned in the original report below was the appearance of two more players making their very welcome Bristol Backgammon debuts -- Dave Wise and Ray Wright. Just the sort of response events like these are meant to elicit.
25/11/05: Success at the double
Branching out into new ventures is always interesting. It's difficult to predict exactly how things will unfold.
Last night's inaugural Consulting Doubles tournament at the BCSC, though, has to be regarded as an unqualified success.
Twenty-four players paired off easily enough into twelve teams, with the system of pairing an experienced player with one less so apparently working very well.
Many had worked out their pairings before arriving, a few paired off on arrival, and eventually lots were drawn to pair two relatively inexperienced players -- Marie Harz and Brian Porter -- with the two remaining "hardened" players -- Martin Hemming and Director Ian Tarr, who would have sat the event out if there had been an odd number present.
By a bizarre coincidence these last minute pairings were the ones to make it to the final, which will probably take place on league night next Wednesday.
A full results grid will appear on the site soon.
25/11/05: Michael misses out
Michael Corbett has just missed out on promotion to the top flight after losing his final Premier Two match to champion Steve Ferrer.
The match, started back in May with Steve holding a 6-3 lead, was completed before last night's doubles event at the BCSC, Steve winning 11-4, to put the gloss on a fantastic season with his fourteenth success in fifteen matches.
Michael had occupied the coveted fourth slot, but the defeat damaged his average points difference to the extent that he slipped below both Phillip Hill and Neil Young.
Only one match remains to be played in Premier Two, but that, too, is an important one, as Phil Charlton needs an 11-2 win or better against Ian Preston to go fourth.
20/11/05: Slatts runner-up in Las Vegas
The prestigious Las Vegas Open, just finished, has seen excellent progress made in various categories by British representatives.
Not least among these was our very own John Slattery, who was today defeated in the main final, his second recent high profile appearance in the runner-up ranks, after his exploits in the top flight of the Bristol Premier League.
18/11/05: Bristol successes at Backgammon Live in London
Last weekend's Backgammon Live in London event was, by all counts, a roaring success, offering as it does something different in the backgammon calendar.
Bristol was very ably represented, with Steve Ferrer winning the Saturday tournament, and Tim Line prominent in a whole host of events.
Visit the website for a full report.
17/11/05: What next after Mark's meteoric rise?
When Mark Dixon (pictured left) made his Bristol Backgammon debut at Lesters 44 late in 2002, nobody could have predicted that, just over three years later, he would win the most prestigious prize on offer in the domestic programme.
Always a keen student of the game, he made steady progress in winning promotion from the Conference, finishing third in his first full season. He also managed a maiden Bristol Grand Prix success in October that year.
Finishing third was again enough to promote him in his first season in Premier Two, but his aim, as he says himself, was just to consolidate in the top flight this year.
An early season double over John Slattery showed he was capable of doing more than just making up the numbers, but nobody -- including Mark -- expected him to stay the distance at the top.
He did, though, and now sits proudly six points clear of the runner-up in the final league table, having ended the era of Slattery/Mann dominance.
The challenge now for Mark will be to consolidate on this outstanding achievement. His career so far has been one of continual improvement, so who would bet against him continuing on the road to establishing himself further amongst Bristol's true elite?
17/11/05: Four matches, all with something riding on them
This year's Bristol Premier League action has scene some totally absorbing situations developing, and even now -- with just fourteen playing days remaining, some issues are still to be resolved.
In fact, the four outstanding matches -- two from each division -- all have something important riding on them.
The article immediately below this one outlines the possibilities regarding the Premier One relegation battles, but it should not be forgotten that the two Premier Two matches still to be played each have a bearing on who gets promoted.
Michael Corbett needs a recovery from 3-6 down in a match he started with Steve Ferrer back in May. If he can overturn that deficit, he will claim that final Premier One place.
If he just loses 10-11, he will remain ahead of Phillip Hill on countback, but both could be pipped by Phil Charlton, if he can defeat Ian Preston by 11-0 or 11-1.
In the unlikely, but possible, event of a three way tie on points difference, Michael would win on countback, whereas a two-way tie between the two Phils would see Phil Charlton promoted.
17/11/05: Mark celebrates, but Simonetta still in limbo
Mark Dixon, after receiving news of his Premier League title success earlier in the evening, went round to Roland and Simonetta's to celebrate.
He did so in style, persuading Simonetta to play their final league encounter, and having the nerve to score an 11-2 victory which makes him champion by a full six points.
What it failed to do, though, was to ease Simonetta's relegation worries.
A 3-11 defeat would have been enough to save Simonetta from worrying about the final two matches. But as things now stand, she could still face a relegation play-off with Paul Watts.
For that to happen, Martin Hemming would need to lose both outstanding matches, and his defeat by Paul would need to be a whitewash.
So to summarise the four possible scenarios surrounding different result combinations:
Martin wins both matches: John Ould, Elliot Smart, Paul and Steffen Nowak will be relegated;
Martin beats Paul, but loses to Elliot: John, Martin, Paul and Steffen will be relegated;
Martin beats Elliot, but loses to Paul: Elliot, Martin and Steffen will be relegated, along with John (if Paul's win is by at least 7 points) or Paul (if Paul's win is by less than 7 points);
Martin loses both matches: John, Martin and Steffen will be relegated, along with Paul (if Martin scores a point against him), but if Paul wins 11-0, he and Simonetta will have a relegation play-off.
16/11/05: Honours even in Wiltshire; Mark is champion
Martin Hemming and Dave Pym shared the spoils in their double header at the Heart in Hand, Blunsden, near Swindon, this evening.
Martin's 11-3 win in the first encounter confirmed Mark Dixon as Bristol Premier League champion in his first season in the top flight, as Dave had been the only player who could catch him.
Martin thus kept on track in his bid for survival, but then lost the return encounter 11-10.
With just three matches now remaining, the top positions have now been resolved. Mark is champion no matter what he does against Simonetta Herrera in his final match. Runner-up is John Slattery, with Dave third, and Stuart Mann fourth.
The relegation battle is still to be resolved, apart from Steffen Nowak, whose relegation has already been sealed.
Because of his superior average points difference, Martin will definitely escape the drop if he defeats rivals Elliot Smart and Paul Watts, but anything less than two wins will see him down.
Elliot would be assured of safety with a win, while a defeat by any margin other than 10-11 would see him relegated. A 10-11 defeat would leave him level with John Ould, and facing the possibility of a relegation play-off if neither Paul nor Martin managed to overtake the pair. That could only happen with a win for Paul by no more than 6 points.
Paul will be down if he loses or fails to win by at least 11-4. If Elliot wins, Paul will need to win by a wider margin and hope that Simonetta loses emphatically enough for the pair to nullify the current 20 points difference between them to force a play-off. Obviously a 21- or 22-points differential would work in Paul's favour. This improbable combination of circumstances, coupled with a win for Elliot, is the only way Simonetta can go down.
John, on the other hand, can only be saved from slipping into the bottom four by Martin defeating Elliot and Paul beating Martin by a margin of no more than 6 points.
14/11/05: Only Dave can stop Mark now
Mark Dixon this evening entertained Elliot Smart at his Clifton home, but the hospitality did not extend to a gift of three Premier One points, Mark prevailing 11-6.
The victory rules John Slattery out of the championship race, so Dave Pym is now the only player who can thwart Mark's rush for the title.
Not only do all three relevant outstanding results need to go Dave's way -- he will need a double success against Martin Hemming on Wednesday, whereas he also needs Mark to lose his final match against Simonetta Herrera -- but he also has to make up a 17-points deficit in points difference in the process to force a play-off. An 18-point gain would bring him outright title success, sixteen would leave Mark as champion.
With that situation partly clarified, and Elliot plunged further into the relegation mire, Elliot then moved on to the BCSC, to face Ed Turner. Elliot won with a 4-cube at 8-all, and then took on Paul Watts who had suffered a most unfortunate whitewash at the hands of Stuart Mann, who won despite a self-proclaimed doubling error.
Paul's luck was still out, and Elliot scored an 11-5 victory to give himself a great chance of escaping the bottom four.
One player now definitely safe is Ed. Until tonight it had been mathematically possible to be relegated with ten wins, but no longer.
Nine wins (27 points) is not so safe, though, as at least one player will be taking the drop despite possessing this "almost break even" record. It's even possible that as many as three players could reach this mark and still go down.
Elliot and Simonetta can simplify matters just by winning their final match -- Elliot against Martin, Simonetta against Mark. That would condemn John Ould, Paul and Martin to joining Steffen Nowak in Premier Two.
But defeats for Elliot and/or Simonetta would leave distinct survival possibilities available for the other three.
Just for the record, the five outstanding matches are: Mark versus Simonetta; Martin versus Dave (twice); Martin versus Elliot; and Martin versus Paul.
11/11/05: Jason claims Premier One place
Jason Champion will play top flight Bristol Premier League backgammon for the first time next year.
In a gruelling but absorbing three hour, seventeen game, contest at the Cornubia this afternoon, there was never much to choose between Jason and his opponent Phillip Hill, as they fought tooth and nail for a coveted promotion place.
The 11-9 success means Jason has become the third player, after Steve Ferrer and Ian Tarr, to be promoted from Premier Two, and just one more place remains to be claimed. Phillip could still be that player, but the margin of his defeat has finally ruled Neil Young out of the picture.
Michael Corbett will make everything else academic if he can overturn a 3-6 deficit against Steve Ferrer, which has stood since May 19th.
Should Michael fail, however, the fourth place will rest on points difference between Michael, Phillip, and possibly Phil Charlton.
Phillip Hill's difference is +18, Michael's currently stands at +19, but a 10-11 defeat would still be enough for him, as the next level of tie-break (the result of the match between the players in question) favours Michael. 9-11 or worse, though, rules Michael out.
Phil Charlton retains an outside hope of last ditch success. An 11-1 win would put him above Phillip and a beaten Michael. An 11-2 win would be OK if he were level with only Phillip Hill, but not if he were level with both Phillip and Michael.
11/11/05: NOVEMBER GRAND PRIX ROUND-UP ......
There were twenty-three participants at the eleventh of our monthly grand prix tournaments at the BCSC last night, including no fewer than four players making their Bristol debuts.
Bo Peterson was the most eminent of the newcomers, a highly ranked Swedish player currently spending a little time in this country.
But the arrival of three new locally based players in Adrian Farthing, Cecilia Sparke and Matt Whitford was particularly welcome, as are all new players to our competitions.
11/11/05: Martin and Richard make the final ......
Martin Hemming and Richard Owsley will contest the main flight final of the November Bristol Grand Prix tournament, after battling through a field of twenty-three players.
This will be a classic confrontation of the established versus the emerging.
For Martin grand prix finals are becoming routine, given that this will be his sixth in the last 13 tournaments, four of which he has won.
Richard, the 2004 Conference champion, has made steady progress since his Bristol debut late in 2003. This will be his first main flight final, though. His previous best progression had been a semi-final appearance back in January.
Martin came through the long part of the draw, eliminating a veritable "league of nations" en route to the final. His victims were Rouslan Bass (Ukraine), Tony Walters (Wales!), Bo Peterson (Sweden), and Steffen Nowak (Germany), while Englishmen Ed Turner and Adrian Farthing, plus Mexico's Juanita Ferrer succumbed to Richard.
A mention for Steffen here. Last night he reached the semi-final stage of a Bristol main flight for the fifth time this year, a record of remarkable consistency.
11/11/05: Wanted: a cast of thousands ......
With just one event remaining in the Bristol Grand Prix calendar, Martin Hemming can feel a degree of confidence in his chance of taking the OGP title for the first time.
His 215 points lead over second placed Stuart Mann is the main reason for this.
Then you can add the possibility of a further 35 points if he defeats Richard Owsley, and the fact that Stuart, who has the best chance of catching him, will have to discard 25 points before adding to his score in December.
The fact is that even if Martin were to lose the final, we would need an extremely high turnout at Lesters 57 to afford Stuart such an opportunity.
Fourteen rounds(!?) will be necessary, which means a cast of more than 8,192 players.
If anyone knows of a suitable venue for staging this event, can they please contact Ian Tarr immediately with the details?!
11/11/05: As you were in the IGP ......
While four new grand prix players swelled the ranks of the intermediates last night, they were accompanied only by the top four of the 41 players already in the IGP table.
So its largely "as you were" at the top, with Tony Walters still holding a 70 points lead over second placed Tim Line.
Miles Farren and Chris Roberts remain close enough to harbour justifiably optimistic thoughts of grabbing second place, which carries Premier Status as its primary reward.
Only three of the intermediates managed bonus points for despatching Premier Status players last night -- Adrian Farthing, who marked a promising debut by putting Ian Tarr out of the main flight, Tony, who eliminated Stuart Mann from the consolation, and Tim, who did likewise to Cynthia Roberts.
11/11/05: Rollover for Christmas Lesters ......
Nine players took the plunge into the Winner Takes All pool last night, but the early attrition rate was high, and only Bo Peterson and Richard Cartwright were still standing at the quarter-final stage.
Neither player made it any further, though, so the Christmas Lesters Trophy event (incorporating the John Chidgey Cup) will have the boost of a £90 rollover.
11/11/05: Simonetta almost safe ......
Ed Turner started his Premier One encounter with Simonetta Herrera last night still with an outside chance of taking the championship, as emphatic wins in his final two matches would have been enough to give him hope.
He led nearly all the way, but when Simonetta closed to within striking distance, Ed's title chance had gone, leaving that particular race between Mark Dixon, John Slattery and Dave Pym.
Simonetta's agenda was a little different, however. Survival in the top flight is her aim, and by pipping Ed at the post, 11-10, she can now consider herself to be almost safe, since both John Ould and Steffen Nowak will finish below her.
It is still possible, though perhaps unlikely, that Paul Watts, Elliot Smart and Martin Hemming could all overtake her, and if two of them were to do that, her remarkable recovery after losing her first eight matches would have been to no avail.
While the odds are strongly in her favour, it is possible to get relegated with 27 points, as Ian Tarr found out last season.
09/11/05: Richard misses out as Jason sets up promotion decider
Jason Champion played his penultimate match of the Premier Two season at the Cornubia this evening, and it was a match loaded with significance.
Jason's 11-9 win over Richard Cartwright served the dual purpose of dashing Richard's promotion hopes, while keeping Jason's very much alive.
There are now just three matches to play in this tightest of competitions, and yet five players still harbour hopes of making it into the third and fourth promotion slots -- including Neil Young, whose slender chance now rests on the efforts of others, as he has already completed his fixtures.
One of those two coveted slots will now be occupied by either Jason or Phillip Hill, who meet on Friday afternoon.
Whoever wins that encounter is guaranteed promotion, while Michael Corbett will also claim promotion if he can reverse the 3-6 deficit against Steve Ferrer in a match started many months ago.
While that spells out the clear cut scenario, a defeat for Michael would leave him amongst a clutch of players finishing on 27 points, where the player with the best average points difference would prevail in fourth place.
Using Neil as a benchmark for those players, Jason would definitely finish out of the top four were he to lose to Phillip, while the reverse result would leave Phillip above Neil, provided his defeat was by no more than six points.
Michael would stay above Neil, were he to lose by no more than five, while the other contender, Phil Charlton must defeat Ian Preston by at least six points to overtake Neil.
01/11/05: Slatts one step short of retaining Irish title
John Slattery, who won the Irish Open last year, fell just one step short of retaining his title in Dublin at the weekend.
He came through a field of 56 players to lose the final to Adrian Jones, who had also eliminated Stuart Mann in the quarter-finals.
And Peter Bennet won the consolation flight.
31/10/05: Simonetta wins in Enghien
Simonetta Herrera has won the Intermediate Division at the 3rd Enghien-les-Bains Open.
Enghien is a suburb of Paris, and the event was held at the Casino Barriere. The Intermediate Division is one of four (Masters, Advanced, Intermediate and Amateur), with the Intermediate entry set at 125 Euros.
More details from Simonetta soon, hopefully.
28/10/05: The championship race clarified?
After Wednesday evening's action Mark Dixon has it in his power to complete a stunning success in his first season in the top flight.
Victories in his final two matches -- against Simonetta Herrera and Elliot Smart -- would make it so.
A single victory would still leave him with a great chance, as only Dave Pym could overhaul him, and even then only on average points difference, if Dave can improve his points difference by thirteen points more than Mark does.
Even with two narrow defeats, Mark still has a small chance. Anything worse than a pair of 9-11's would see him slip below John Slattery. Provided he doesn't, as long as Dave doesn't either win both matches or win one emphatically and lose one narrowly, while Ed Turner fails to win his final two matches emphatically Mark can still win in this scenario.
Dave's best chance, obviously, is to win both his matches, while Mark is losing both of his.
But any of the four contenders could theoretically be champion with just twelve wins. John Slattery has finished with twelve and a +18 points difference. Whitewash wins for Ed would give him a +24 difference, so he has little margin for error.
Dave's difference is currently +10, so a big improvement would be needed for success with just twelve wins.
The other possibility, of course, is an unprecedented championship play-off, which occurs when the three levels of tie-break -- points, average points difference, and results (but not scores) of matches between the players in question -- fail to separate the candidates.
This would happen if Mark were to finish exactly level (on both points and average points difference) with Ed or Dave, also if Ed and Dave were dead level.
Moving into the realms of near impossibility, a three-way tie (on both points and average points difference) would result in a play-off between Mark and Dave, if they and John were the three in question, while Mark, Ed and Dave or John, Ed and Dave would be faced with a three-way play-off series.
And in a four way tie, Mark and Dave would have to play off.
Or perhaps we could just wait and see ......
27/10/05: OCTOBER LEAGUE NIGHT NEWS ......
With opponent options beginning to run out, there were fewer players than usual present at the October league night at the BCSC.
But some of the action was startling.
27/10/05: Slatts' title hopes all but buried ......
John Slattery would have hoped to savour a third championship triumph on the long drive home to Buckinghamshire, after completing his final three Premier One fixtures.
Instead of that, he would only have been reflecting on an astonishing sequence of three 9-11 defeats which have all but ended his title hopes for this season.
Bottom of the league John Ould was first to upset the applecart, then fellow challenger Dave Pym completed a stunning double to keep himself well and truly in the thick of the title chase, despite having previously failed in all six of their Premier One meetings since 2001.
The absent Mark Dixon went to the top on average points difference and is now favourite, but Dave, Slatts and Ed Turner still cling to hopes of stealing the title at the death.
27/10/05: Steffen down as John rallies ......
Steffen Nowak suffered relegation from Premier One last night, when his crucial double header with John Ould went all John's way.
Steffen has now finished his programme, and his total of 21 points was not enough to save him from the drop.
John, though, may well have done enough to escape, having won his final three matches, but he must now wait and hope that no more than two of Simonetta Herrera, Paul Watts, Elliot Smart and Martin Hemming can overtake him on the run in.
27/10/05: Six still chasing two places in the top flight ......
With just four out of 120 matches remaining to be completed in Premier Two, there is still an amazing clutch of six players hoping to fill the final two promotion slots.
Jerry Limb signed off his season with a brace of victories which dented the promotion aspirations of both Phillip Hill and Phil Charlton.
The former win ensured that Phillip can no longer catch Ian Tarr in second place, but it is still possible for any of the two Phils, Michael Corbett, Neil Young, Jason Champion and Richard Cartwright to fill the third and fourth berths.
The outcome of Jason's meetings with Phillip and Richard, Michael's unfinished match against new champion Steve Ferrer, and Phil C's last match against Ian Preston are all awaited with interest.
27/10/05: Tony and Tim the only winners ......
Although at least seven Conference players turned up in the hope of doing battle last night, only two matches were ultimately possible, both involving Shane Roberts.
He was beaten first by Tim Line and then by Tony Walters.
Tim is now just six points adrift of Mike Smith in fourth place, while Tony has increased his overall lead to a massive eighteen points.
27/10/05: Steve lands Handicap Trophy runner-up spot ......
Steve Ferrer and Ian Preston completed a little unfinished business at the BCSC last night, when Steve shaded the final of the previous week's Handicap Knock-out main flight.
The twelve points gained for the victory moved Steve up to the runner-up spot in the inaugural Handicap Trophy table at Phillip Hill's expense.
26/10/05: League issues to be resolved tonight?
Tonight's league session at the BCSC may well resolve some of the outstanding issues in our three leagues.
John Slattery is making the trip down from High Wycombe, and will be hoping to regain the Premier One crown he last claimed three seasons ago.
Dave Pym is scheduled to play Slatts twice, and still has a chance to overtake him, while Mark Dixon also needs a Slatts slip-up to regain the top spot he occupied for the majority of the season.
At the bottom, with seven players still trying to avoid the four relegation slots, things could also become a little clearer tonight.
In Premier Two there are still two promotion slots up for grabs, and some of the contenders will be in action tonight.
Meanwhile in the Conference, with its flexible format, things are less clear cut. It would be a great surprise if any of the top three failed to gain promotion now, but can Mike Smith hold on to fourth place? And will a fifth promotion slot be gained through levels of activity.
How many of these questions will be answered tonight? Expect a report right here tomorrow.
23/10/05: Bristol registers seventh successive Inter-Cities success
The history of Inter-Cities Challenge meetings between the players of Birmingham and Bristol now stretches to twelve encounters.
In the latest, at the Moseley All Services Club in Birmingham on Saturday, the Bristol team consolidated on recent wins by chalking up their seventh successive victory, by 12 matches to 9.
With nine Bristolians making the trip, and the home side being depleted to just six, one Bristol player -- John Lewis was drawn at random -- had the privilege of being the day's honorary Brummie, almost equalising the sides at eight and seven strong.
According to the pre-designated format, a Bristol player sat out each of the rounds -- Ian Tarr, Martin Hemming and Tim Line, who was making his ICC debut.
Three series of seven matches, each played to 9 points, would decide the destiny of the Inter-Cities Challenge salver, eleven victories being the target for success.
The opening series saw the first two results being prophetic in terms of star performances. Juanita Ferrer was first to "score" for Bristol, only to be pegged back by Steve Simkin. Both players had prevailed by 9-1 margins, and both were to progress to a clean sweep of three victories, the only players to manage that feat on the day.
Birmingham edged the opening series 4-3, and moved further ahead through Steve Simkin and John Lewis at the start of the second series.
It was here, though, that the critical phase of the match occurred, as a string of Bristol wins totally transformed the picture. All five of the remaining second series matches went Bristol's way, and the early exchanges in the third phase continued the trend.
It was Martin Hemming who scored the decisive eleventh point, and the three late home wins merely rescued respectability.
Among the day's highlights, as ever, was the magnificent (in both qualitative and quantitative terms!) buffet, and there were some chouettes to round off another excellent backgammon day.
Apart from Juanita's clean sweep, Bristol's other scorers were Miles Farren and Stuart Mann two each, and everybody else one each.
23/10/05: Stuart takes another title
Stuart Mann took advantage of some spare time at Saturday's Inter-Cities Challenge event to score an 11-8 victory over Steve Ferrer in the final of the October grand prix main flight.
The result will disappoint many, as it has erased the prospect of a mouth watering £150 Winner Takes All rollover for the November tournament.
Perhaps more importantly, it gives Stuart a little daylight in second place in the OGP table.
He is still 165 points adrift of leader Martin Hemming, however, and with just two tournaments remaining to effect a change, this represents a mountain higher than Everest to climb.
Since Stuart has to discard 50 points to increase his tally, he needs to rack up a total of at least 215 points (effectively two tournament wins!) to topple Martin, and even this assumes that Martin will not be adding to his current tally.
23/10/05: Stuart's win highlights Masters qualification anomaly
Stuart Mann's win yesterday represented his third successful qualification for the 2006 Bristol Masters, a feat also achieved by his Premier One rival Martin Hemming.
Masters qualification rules ordain that, in the case of multiple masters qualification, such vacancies go to high finishing players from the league of the multiple qualifier.
So far five different Premier One players have qualified for next year's Masters, so when you couple this with the four "multiples" and the single high finishing place already available, that means that a minimum of ten Premier One players will be Masters qualifiers by the end of the year.
Since there are only eleven players in Premier One, it is conceivable that two more "multiple" successes in the November and December grand prix events will leave the rules looking a little inadequate!
21/10/05: OCTOBER HANDICAP KNOCK-OUT NEWS ......
Twenty-two players represented clearly the lowest turnout for any of the year's Handicap Knock-out events, but there were three players present to make their Bristol Backgammon debuts -- Marie Harz, Susie Richards and Huey Walker -- and each had the satisfaction of winning at least one match.
Huey and Susie had searched the web in the unlikely hope of finding backgammon action on their way through from Exeter. And their presence was a powerful testament to the power of this medium.
21/10/05: Steve and Ian to contest Handicap final ......
Steve Ferrer now has two finals still to play, after fighting his way past Roland Herrera, Ian Tarr and Ed Turner -- having started each match with a single point deficit -- to the main flight final last night.
He already has the final of last week's grand prix (against Stuart Mann) lined up to play, possibly at Birmingham on Saturday -- time permitting.
In the Handicap final he faces Ian Preston -- conqueror of Anne Ryder, Richard Owsley and Tony Walters.
Steve will again face a single point starting deficit in the final.
Debut players Marie Harz and Susie Richards scored victories over Blaine Buchanan and Mark Skelton respectively, and Marie also came very close to defeating Ian Tarr.
21/10/05: Miles and Tim in consolation final ......
Miles Farren made good use of one- and two-point starts against Alan Parfitt and Blaine Buchanan to progress to the consolation final.
There he will meet Tim Oldfield -- also the possessor of a 3-handicap -- after Tim overcame Roland Herrera and Huey Walker. Huey had previously scored his maiden victory against Mark Skelton.
21/10/05: Inaugural Handicap Trophy award goes to Ian ......
The inaugural Handicap Trophy award, which stems from the generous sponsorship of Ed Turner, has been won by Ian Tarr.
Ian had led the table going into the event, and it helped greatly when he scored the night's first victory over his closest rival Phillip Hill.
With Neil Young only able to increase his total score by 5 points, neither Blaine Buchanan nor Richard Cartwright making any net gain, and no sign of Steffen Nowak, Mark Dixon or (unsurprisingly) Karina Specht, Ed Turner was the only threat to Ian's title hopes.
And when Ed had defeat snatched from the jaws of an apparently inevitable victory over Steve Ferrer, Ian was confirmed as the title winner.
Steve, meanwhile, can steal the runner-up position from Phillip by beating Ian Preston in the outstanding final.
21/10/05: Grand prix table ups and downs ......
While the Handicap events do contribute to the overall OGP and IGP standings, their effect is -- it has to be said -- limited, and especially so towards the end of the year, when discards come ever more into play.
But Ed Turner's arguably insignificant 10 points net gain, which pushed him up two places to fourth in the OGP list, was a small highlight.
Steve Ferrer's two final appearances could, with the right outcomes, push him up as far as seventh overall.
In the IGP, the top three players consolidated their positions, although Tim Line reduced Tony Walters' overall lead by 12 points to 65.
Miles Farren would be 20 points behind Tim, were he to win the consolation final.
21/10/05: Fifty-six get the taste for handicap events ......
The four Handicap Knock-out events have proved to be a popular addition to the Bristol Backgammon calendar.
So much so that there will be six such events next year, every one of which will be co-ordinated with local school holidays, so as to maximise the opportunities for our younger players to take part.
The turnout of 22 was the lowest of the four, but the average (nearly 28) speaks volumes. A total of 56 players has contested one or more of the events this year.
21/10/05: Alan out of promotion reckoning ......
Alan Parfitt saw his last chance of promotion to the top flight evaporate last night, when he suffered a 5-11 Premier Two reverse against Blaine Buchanan.
The result kept Blaine's slim hopes alive. He needs a handsome win in his final match -- against Richard Cartwright -- plus some other results going his way.
14/10/05: OCTOBER GRAND PRIX NIGHT ROUND-UP ......
Twenty players contested the October Bristol Grand Prix event at the BCSC last night.
14/10/05: Steve and Stuart make the final ......
Steve Ferrer and Stuart Mann will meet to decide the outcome of the main flight of the October Bristol Grand Prix event.
Richard Cartwright, Ian Preston and Steffen Nowak were Steve's victims, while Stuart fought his way past Cynthia Roberts, Miles Farren and Juanita Ferrer.
14/10/05: Tim wins consolation flight ......
Tim Line defeated Ian Tarr in the final of the consolation flight of last night's tournament, having beaten Richard Cartwright, Chris Roberts and Roland Herrera en route.
Jason Champion and Ed Turner were Ian's victims.
14/10/05: Stuart 200 away ......
Martin Hemming's wait for a first major Bristol title is almost over.
Despite failing to trouble the scorers in his last three tournament appearances, the OGP lead built up through three grand prix wins earlier in the year is still looking far too great for him to be caught.
Discards are playing their full part in proceedings just at present, preventing Steffen Nowak and Simonetta Herrera from overhauling second placed Richard Cartwright.
One player who just managed this feat, though, was Stuart Mann, who has succeeded in reducing Martin's cushion from 205 to 200. But a final win would bring him to within 165 points.
A win for Steve would move him into the top ten for the first time this season, and would place him just 58 points away from second place.
14/10/05: Steve has the support of many ......
Popular as Steve Ferrer is amongst his peers, he may have the support of more than his usual share of followers when he meets Stuart Mann in the final of the main flight.
Should Steve win the match, he would ensure a £150 rollover to the Winner Takes All pool at the November tournament.
14/10/05: Tim, Miles and Chris score useful IGP points ......
The IGP title race is hotting up at last.
With a 117 points lead going into last night's event, Tony Walters may have looked a strong favourite for this title, just as he does in the Conference, but there are at last some encouraging signs from the pursuing pack that nothing is decided yet.
Manchester's Kevin Jones had held second place, but three locals overhauled him last night, and one of them, Tim Line has even reduced the absent Tony's lead to just 77 points.
Tim, Miles Farren and Chris Roberts all scored bonus points for defeating Premier Status players, and bearing in mind that this competition carries Premier Status awards for the top two players, things should get even more interesting over the last three events, starting with next week's Handicap Knock-out.
A whole host of other players could yet figure in this showdown, but only if they turn up for tournaments!
14/10/05: Phil, Jason and Blaine still in the race ......
Four Premier Two matches were completed at the BCSC last night, and wins for Phil Charlton, Jason Champion and Blaine Buchanan kept them all in the hunt for promotion.
But Blaine also suffered a defeat at the hands of Ian Preston, which has given him less margin for error.
Eight players are now vying for the two remaining promotion places, alongside the already promoted Steve Ferrer and Ian Tarr.
10/10/05: Mark stays in the hunt
Mark Dixon this evening scored an 11-9 victory over John Ould at the BCSC to keep himself very firmly in the League Championship race.
The win has pulled him level on points with John Slattery, although Slatts does have a match in hand.
As for John Ould, the defeat leaves him very little margin for error on the run in if he is to avoid relegation back to Premier Two.
09/10/05: Mark and Roland tie up a loose end
The consolation flight final from the August Handicap Knock-out was finally played out in Bishopston on Friday evening.
Mark Shipton made the most of his 3-points advantage by defeating Roland Herrera to take the prize.
07/10/05: John goes second
An 11-5 victory over Graham Ross at the Watershed last night has elevated John Paton to second place in the Conference, just ahead of Andrew Cobb on points difference, but still fifteen points adrift of leader Tony Walters.
06/10/05: Michael stakes his claim
Michael Corbett tonight moved into fourth place in the Premier Two table, improving his chances of a first promotion to the top flight.
With half a match remaining -- he is 3-6 down to Steve Ferrer in an adjourned match -- Michael would love to make it tougher for the pursuers by turning that one around.
Steve and Ian Tarr have clinched two of the four promotion slots, but there are still many ready to stake a claim for the other two places.
05/10/05: Festival time!
We're going for it!
Following the success of the Wedding Tournament, a k a the Bristol Wide Open, a gathering of interested parties decided on Sunday to plough on with the establishment of the event on an annual basis (the backgammon, not the wedding!).
Many players have offered their services to the cause, and some venue negotiations have already begun.
The plan at the moment has the event scheduled for August 23rd to 28th inclusive under the title "The Bristol Backgammon Festival", with a main tournament similar to this year's being supplemented by other events, including a gala party, and the re-establishment of the Bristol "50".
It is an ambitious project, but the chance to stage further world class tournaments seems too good to miss, especially following the amount of favourable feedback from players at home and abroad.
As arrangements are firmed up, there will be further announcements soon.
05/10/05: Jon ends Tony's run
Tony Walters' sequence of Conference wins has come to an end.
League newcomer Jon Kent gained revenge for a defeat suffered at last week's league night, stalling Tony's sequence at a praiseworthy ten victories, enough to win him a prize from sponsor John Slattery's 1000 to 1 scheme.
Jon has won two of his first five matches, and interestingly both successes have come against leading promotion contenders.
04/10/05: John completes victory
John Paton, it has emerged, also won a Conference match last night, completing a previously unfinished match against Tim Oldfield.
The adjourned score of 7-0 was converted into an 11-3 victory.
03/10/05: 1000 to 1 Tony!
Tony Walters has become the fourth player to gain a John Slattery sponsored 1000 to 1 award, having won an astonishing ten successive Conference matches in the space of the past 20 days, the shortest time interval yet for this award, by some ten days!
The ninth and tenth legs of this noteworthy feat came this evening at the BCSC, when Tony scored a double success over Robert Hampson.
Tony now looks out of sight of the other contenders for this year's Conference championship, while Andrew Cobb and John Paton also look impregnable in the promotion stakes.
03/10/05: Tony rewriting Conference record book
Tony Walters' supremely successful Conference season is setting new standards in terms of matches played and matches won.
Twenty-four matches played, and nineteen won are the new Conference benchmarks, with further progress almost inevitable over the final few weeks of the season.
The overall Conference record for number of matches played in a season is also under threat, with tonight's brace of matches bringing up the 100. There were 105 maches in the 2001 Conference season.
03/10/05: Four up now guaranteed
Robert Hampson has done his bit to maintain the healthy turnover of players through the Premier Status barrier.
The formula which works out the number of promotion slots from the Conference each season has now decreed that at least four players will gain promotion via the Conference this time, with Robert the eleventh player this season to pass through the eight match barrier.
Should a further three players do likewise, a record fifth promotion slot would be triggered.
The immediate beneficiary of Robert's effort would appear to be Mike Smith, who currently holds fourth place.
02/10/05: Seven penalised at September 30th checkpoint
Four Premier One players and three from Premier Two have incurred penalty points at the September 30th checkpoint.
In the top flight Martin Hemming, John Ould, Dave Pym and Elliot Smart are each docked a single point, while Blaine Buchanan (two), Phil Charlton and Jason Champion are penalised in Premier Two.
All seven players can, of course, claw back their penalties by finishing the season on time, i.e by November 30th. Further transgressions at that stage are punished by penalties of four points for each match uncompleted.
29/09/05: SEPTEMBER LEAGUE NIGHT NEWS ......
There were twenty-nine players present for the September league night at the BCSC.
With Premier League penalty points concentrating several minds, and the heartening enthusiasm of the current crop of Conference players very much in evidence, it was a busy night, with several issues moving closer to resolution.
29/09/05: Stuart's reign ends ......
Stuart Mann's two year spell of Bristol Premier League dominance is coming to an end.
A title defence which was already veering towards the unfruitful finally ground to a halt last night with defeats at the hands of Martin Hemming and Simonetta Herrera.
John Slattery and Mark Dixon are now the likeliest recipients of Bristol's top league prize, although Dave Pym can still have an important say in the outcome in his two meetings with John.
Ed Turner, who until last night had not totally extricated himself from the relegation battle, retains a mathematical interest in proceedings, but needs at least nine of ten separate results to go his way. Wins over Martin and John Ould, however, now see him heading for his highest ever league finish.
Others near the bottom who had good nights were Paul Watts and Simonetta.
Paul was heralded just two months ago as favourite for the drop, but five successive victories -- including last night's double over Steffen Nowak -- have made his position considerably more promising.
Simonetta's spell of eight wins in ten matches has wrought a similarly remarkable transformation.
While neither player is yet out of the woods, Steffen, Martin and John Ould now have a great deal to do to avoid the drop, with one of Paul, Simonetta and Elliot Smart potentially filling the other relegation slot.
But if that's the way it looks now, who is to say that there won't be more twists over the closing stages?
29/09/05: Ian back in the top flight ......
Ian Tarr will make an immediate return to the top flight after his victory over Phil Charlton yesterday evening.
Having finished his campaign, he stands second to champion Steve Ferrer in the Premier Two table with only Phillip Hill in a position to overtake him, largely thanks to a points difference of plus 53.
Another player to finish his campaign yesterday was Neil Young. His start to the season was unpromising to say the least, but closing the season out with a brace of wins completed a sterling recovery with just one defeat in the final nine matches.
Neil is currently in the fourth promotion place, and is there to be shot at by a clutch of pursuers.
He will be hoping that none of Michael Corbett, Alan Parfitt, Phil Charlton, Richard Cartwright, Jason Champion or Blaine Buchanan is able to do enough.
The other possibility for Neil -- a long shot, perhaps -- is that two heavy defeats for Phillip Hill could actually see Neil rise above him.
Apart from Michael and Blaine, the night's other winners were John Lewis and Ian Preston.
29/09/05: Only a miracle can stop Tony ......
With just over two months of the Conference season remaining, Tony Walters is leaving little to chance.
He yesterday equalled Cynthia Roberts's record for the number of Conference matches played in a single season (22), and won all of his three matches for good measure.
Not only does his tally of seventeen wins stand as a new Conference record, eclipsing Richard Owsley's total last season, but it makes it virtually certain that Tony will be playing in the Premier League next season, given that fourth place is 21 points behind him, and fifth and sixth, which are ultimately likely to be more relevant, are a full thirty points below.
And he is currently on a run of eight successive league wins.
Andrew Cobb's situation is looking nearly as impregnable after he registered his fourteenth victory in nineteen matches, and John Paton, with twelve wins from seventeen, must also -- surely -- be looking ahead to bigger things next season.
The fourth promotion place has not yet been earned, but this is only a matter of time, and it still looks a good bet that a fifth place will materialise before the season is out.
Were that to be the case, Mike Smith and Tim Line would be the favourites to benefit, although Tim's double reverse last night did not help his cause.
Others to register victories last night were Thomas Liedtke -- himself not entirely out of the promotion reckoning -- Shane Roberts, Miles Farren and Jon Kent, who claimed the scalp of Andrew Cobb as his first Bristol Backgammon victim.
29/09/05: No expungements this season ......
Bristol Backgammon Director Ian Tarr can heave a sigh of relief in the knowledge that nobody can be expunged from either division of the Premier League this season.
The September checkpoint is the last at which is expungement is possible, and all Premier League players have now made sure they will not fall foul of that fate.
There are still penalty point issues in the pipeline, with Premier One's Martin Hemming, John Ould, Dave Pym and Elliot Smart all in line to receive a single penalty point tomorrow night unless they register a single result apiece.
Blaine Buchanan (two), Phil Charlton and Jason Champion are similarly placed in Premier Two.
23/09/05: A new Bristol Backgammon record
Last night's activity at the BCSC saw the number of matches in all domestic Bristol Backgammon competition this year reach 708, surpassing last year's all-time best by 2, with over three months of the year still to come.
23/09/05: John is fourth Intermediates trophy winner
John Paton (pictured, left, holding the trophy) emerged from a field of just eight players at the BCSC last night to become the fourth winner of the Intermediates Trophy.
The turnout was a little disappointing. How many realistic opportunities are there in the Bristol Backgammon calendar, after all, for intermediates to win handsome trophies?
One player making a welcome debut was Rouslan Bass, who will hopefully be back for more after an unfortunate first round exit against Tony Walters.
Tony made his exit in the semis, losing out to John, who had already despatched Mark Shipton.
In the other half of the draw, Miles Farren and Tim Line were eliminated to set up a "local derby" semi-final between Tim Oldfield and Robert Hampson, which Robert won.
John then won the final -- slightly reduced in length due to time constraints -- 7-2, to claim his first title.
Tony later made the most of his semi-final elimination by beating Tim Oldfield in a Conference match, thus increasing his lead to three points.
In an earlier match, Ian Tarr did his chances of immediate promotion back to the top flight no harm at all by inflicting an 11-2 defeat on rival Alan Parfitt. Ian, with one match remaining, now has what must surely be the bare minimum requirement for a top four slot, namely 27 points.
There are still many contenders for the four Premier Two promotion slots, however.
21/09/05: John and Tim share spoils
John Paton and Tim Line shared the spoils in a double header at the BCSC tonight.
11-8 margins, first in John's favour, then in Tim's, saw John rise to within six points of Conference leaders Tony Walters and Andrew Cobb.
Tim, who has now completed twelve league matches since joining up five weeks ago, moves into fifth place.
21/09/05: Tony hits top spot
Tony Walters's tireless search for Conference opposition continues.
And his double attempt to gain Premier Status for next season moves ever closer to bearing fruit as he now leads both the Conference and the IGP.
It was an 11-5 victory over Tim Oldfield at the Gentlemen's Club yesterday which finally moved him above Andrew Cobb at the Conference summit.
19/09/05: Ed stuns Stuart
Stuart Mann's hopes of a third successive Bristol Premier League championship took a sharp nose-dive at the Churchill Inn tonight when he slumped to a 10-11 reverse at the hands of Ed Turner.
The top three contenders now each have three matches remaining, with leader John Slattery on 12 wins, Mark Dixon on 11 and Stuart on 10.
Although Stuart has the best average points difference of the three contenders, it now seems that too many factors are beyond his control.
For Ed, however, the result was just what the doctor ordered, as the three points have hauled him up to fifth place, and although he is not yet out of the relegation woods, an average run-in will see him safe.
15/09/05: Paul's double intensifies relegation fight
A Premier One session that was meant to be played out at the BCSC yesterday upped sticks and moved to Backwell for its conclusion after an emergency phone call.
Paul Watts and John Ould had started their double header at the BCSC when the call came from John's home about a troublesome PC, necessitating a sudden change of venue.
Home advantage counted for nothing, however, when Paul registered 11-10 and 11-3 victories to haul himself off the bottom of the league, at the expense of both John and Martin Hemming.
Paul had hitherto looked like the favourite for the drop, but now it's anybody's guess which four players from the bottom seven will take the fall into Premier Two.
The matches also ensured that the proud boast of Bristol's top flight never having experienced an expungement will be maintained for another year.
The rules prohibit expungement at the season's end, and now that all eleven contenders have reached the fourteen matches necessary to avoid the chop on September 30th, that fate will not befall anyone this year, although heavy penalty points do need to be avoided.
The only instances of players not completing the Premier One season occurred in 2002, when the disappearing David Horner set the cat among the pigeons (although his four outstanding opponents all escaped penalty), while Jerry Limb and John Napier also elected not to bother with their final match, thus incurring penalties which troubled neither.
14/09/05: Conference players show initiative
Over the past two evenings, no fewer than eight Conference matches have been completed, with six players showing the kind of initiative that may well earn two or three of them Premier Status come the end of the year.
Tony Walters and Graham Ross got together at the Watershed on Tuesday evening, and Tony was joined by Miles Farren, Tim Line, Mike Smith and Andrew Cobb for a productive session at the BCSC on Wednesday evening.
Biggest beneficiaries were Tony, with three wins out of four, and Andrew, who won both matches he played.
And with Graham and Tim both crossing the eight match threshold, just one more player is required to do so for a fourth promotion slot to be earned.
09/09/05: LESTERS 56 REVIEW ......
After the Lord Mayor's Show ...... backgammon in Bristol came back down to earth with one of the most low-key Lesters Trophy tournaments of recent years.
Less than two weeks after arguably the highest quality backgammon event ever held in the UK, just fourteen worthies turned up for Lesters 56 at the BCSC.
09/09/05: Simon returns to take the spoils ......
Making only his second visit of the year, Simon Baker made the most of his opportunity to scoop his fifth Lesters title.
Victories over Ed Turner, Tony Walters and Ian Tarr paved the way for a final clash with Richard Cartwright, who had progressed via a bye and wins over Martin Hemming and Blaine Buchanan.
Simon took an early lead in the 11-point final, but a 4-cube which could easily have gone either way left the score at 8-all rather than game over.
The score edged up to DMP, but Richard's doughty back game eventually failed to bear fruit.
09/09/05: Time running out for Martin's pursuers ......
A major scoring opportunity for Martin Hemming's OGP pursuers to make a dent in his impressive lead was allowed to pass by without anything more than superficial damage being done to Martin's dominance last night.
Only four more chances remain -- one of those a low tariff Handicap Knock-out -- so it would clearly take something quite remarkable to wrest the title from Martin's grasp.
Martin's 218 points lead was reduced by a mere 13 despite his failure to add to his tally.
Absences, the inability of the majority of contenders to make any impact, and the relative lack of scoring opportunities afforded by a small field all worked in Martin's favour.
Of the top ten, only Richard Cartwright with a net gain of 40 points, Ian Tarr 35, and Jason Champion 20, were able to increase their scores, and the realistic focus for all now will be the minor placings.
09/09/05: Premier Status beckons for Tony ......
Three intermediates contested Lesters 56 at the BCSC, and two -- Miles Farren and Tim Line -- failed to trouble the scorers.
The exception was IGP leader Tony Walters, who took a further sizeable step towards Premier Status by scoring a single victory complete with 20 bonus points for dismissing Premier One's Steffen Nowak.
Tony's 40 points net gain extends his lead to 117 points, and in such a low scoring IGP contest, it would take a brave punter to bet against him.
As for second place -- which also carries Premier Status as its major reward -- it is no exaggeration to say that the entire field is still in contention. But who will grab the opportunity?
09/09/05: Pool rollover, while Tim and Richard scoop auction ......
A £50 Winner Takes All pool rollover will be in evidence at the October grand prix tournament, after the final interested contender Ian Tarr was eliminated at the semi-final stage last night.
Meanwhile Tim Line's heavy auction investment paid off when his purchase of Simon Baker gave him the £50 top prize, while Richard Cartwright's confidence in his own ability won him the remaining £20.
09/09/05: Simon maintains Masters record ......
Simon Baker's record of qualifying for every incarnation of the Bristol Masters was maintained by last night's success.
A less and less frequent visitor to Bristol events, Simon has nevertheless once again done enough with an outlay of minimal effort.
Only Stuart Mann has so far emulated Simon's achievement, although Charlie Hetherington and Ian Tarr still have the remainder of the year to preserve their respective 100% Masters qualification records.
09/09/05: Ed and Tim use their time wisely ......
Single flight Lesters competition has its detractors, mainly because of the lack of a consolation flight.
Bristol Backgammon Director Ian Tarr has so far resisted pleas for change to the traditional Lesters format, which has been pretty much unchanged since 1986, mainly to preserve the large prizes which have always been a feature of Lesters events.
One useful spin-off of the format is that those players who are eliminated early have the opportunity to get some league action in.
Foremost among those taking advantage of this yesterday were Ed Turner and Tim Line, albeit that each had a somewhat different agenda.
Ed faces twofold problems in Premier One, being in the thick of the relegation dog-fight, while also being beset with the danger of penalty points.
His two matches yesterday will help to ease penalty worries, and just two more results before the September 30th checkpoint will erase them completely.
His results, a 4-11 defeat at the hands of Steffen Nowak and an 11-10 victory over Martin Hemming at least keep very much alive his chance of preserving his top flight status.
Steffen's win was also a boost for him in this respect, but things are beginning to look a little serious for Martin.
For Tim Line in the Conference, the objective is entirely different.
A late entrant into this league, Tim is showing every sign of possessing the kind of quality necessary for Premier League membership. Time is his enemy, though.
While he probably has as good a chance as anyone else of securing his Premier Status via second place in the IGP, he still has plenty of work to do in the Conference.
By the time the season ends, it is fairly safe to assume there will have been four promotion slots earned by player activity levels.
After his double success against Miles Farren yesterday, Tim is still four victories shy of fourth place, but having completed seven matches in just 22 days since joining, Tim plainly has the appetite to search out as many opponents as it takes!
05/09/05: Danish response to the Bristol Wide Open
For those who understand Danish -- probably not too many of us -- there are now a couple of links to Danish sites with photos (by Line Karkov) and discussion.
Click here and follow the links.
04/09/05: Wedding tournament photos now online
Photos supplied by Peter Bennet and Steffen Nowak are now to be found on this website, along with a summary of the poker prize-winners.
Click here and follow all the links.
02/09/05: Full results from last weekend ......
...... are now online.
Click here for the Wedding Tournament home page, and follow the results link.
01/09/05: AUGUST LEAGUE NIGHT ROUND-UP ......
Even the height of the holiday season cannot dampen the ardour of Bristol's backgammon players. Twenty-three players -- including debut player Jon Kent -- partook of some league action, two honeymooners stopped by briefly en route to Slovenia, and one enthusiast turned up in the vain, tenuous hope of completing an outstanding handicap knock-out consolation final.
There were also welcome overseas guests in the shape of Ivar Roeynstrand and Jim Remy Nesdal, whose return to Norway is not until Friday.
01/09/05: Stuart wins doubled up crunch match, Mark falters ......
There was a lot riding on one particular match at the BCSC last night.
Stuart Mann and Ed Turner, with three 11 point match meetings still to be played this year decided to combine two of them into one match, which is perfectly acceptable under the rules, so long as both players agree to do this beforehand.
So it was both a Premier One match of some importance, and the final of the August 11th Grand Prix main flight.
Stuart was a resounding winner, moving up to seventh in the OGP, and keeping his chance of a league hat-trick alive.
Ed, who had hoped to play three matches on the night, but was let down by his earliest scheduled opponent, thus lost his opportunity to make some inroads into Martin Hemming's colossal OGP lead, and also found himself under more pressure as the relegation battle intensifies.
He was able to relieve this somewhat in his second match, however, when he scorched into an 8-0 lead over second placed Mark Dixon. It took just one game to wipe out that lead, but the quadruple gammon turned out to be Mark's only scoring game.
This result leaves John Slattery as the strong favourite, since the destiny of the title is now in his own hands. If he wins his three remaining matches -- a big if, perhaps -- he cannot be caught.
Mark and Stuart must aim to win their remaining matches and hope that Slatts slips up once.
Stuart's difference is superior to both of the other protagonists, and Mark's probably would be better than Slatts' if he were to draw level on points.
Dave Pym, John Ould, Martin and Ed all have nothing more than theoretical chances of becoming a part of the equation.
As for relegation, the annual scramble to avoid the bottom four slots shows every sign of going to the wire.
Only the top three are definitely safe, while it would take a major slump and some very bad luck for Dave to become embroiled.
But as to which of the remaining seven players can eventually stay up, that is really anybody's guess.
01/09/05: Phillip almost there, but ten still involved ......
With Steve Ferrer already assured of the Premier Two title, the race to join him in Premier One becomes ever more fraught.
Second placed Phillip Hill tidied up two unfinished matches last night, winning one, and may -- just possibly -- have already done enough to secure a top four placing.
He now has nine wins under his belt, but it will take ten to be absolutely sure, so his remaining matches, both against co-contenders, could still be tense affairs.
There are still ten players with very realistic chances of promotion, and nine of the 22 remaining matches are meetings between members of this group, so we are sure to be treated to a fascinating denouement in the coming weeks and months.
Alan Parfitt and Richard Cartwright did their chances no harm at all last night, each player scoring two wins without reply, while Ian Tarr beat Michael Corbett in a "six-pointer".
Other players still in with a chance are Phil Charlton, Jason Champion, Neil Young, Blaine Buchanan and Jerry Limb.
01/09/05: Third promotion slot assured and leaders prosper ......
The formula which dictates the number of promotion slots at the top of the Conference clicked up another notch last night, when Thomas and Susy Liedtke each reported their eighth result of the season.
There will now be at least three Conference players gaining Premier Status via this route this season, and there remains every prospect of at least a fourth slot being earned before the season ends on November 30th.
The pace is picking up at the top, though, and some members of this league appear determined to do enough to put themselves beyond reach.
Andrew Cobb leap-frogged John Paton into pole position with a brace of victories, while John managed one out of two.
Pursuers Tony Walters and Mike Smith each secured two victories from three matches on the night to keep up the pressure, and other winners were Tim Line (twice), Heike Faulhaber and Richard Coleman, while previously unreported victories were registered by both Thomas and Susy.
31/08/05: Unfinished business at the BCSC
After the glamour and glitz of the weekend, Bristol Backgammon returns to the bread and butter business of league backgammon at the BCSC this evening.
One of the highlights of the evening will assuredly be the meeting between Stuart Mann and Ed Turner, which will not only have a bearing on the Premier One title race, but will also double up as the held over August grand prix final.
30/08/05: That weekend ......
Unique.
That is the best word to describe a tournament the like of which the world -- never mind just Bristol, or even the UK -- has never seen.
And the world may not see the like of the Wedding Tournament ever again, although there was much talk of anniversary tournaments to keep the feeling alive.
Four days of varying activity at three different -- and superb -- venues, fourteen separate competitions, involving 78 different players, with a cash turnover -- including entry fees, side pools and auctions -- exceeding £12,500.
The strength in depth of the field was quite possibly unparalleled in the history of UK tournaments, with 29 players travelling from overseas -- nineteen Danes, three Norwegians, two Poles, two Dutchmen, an Italian, a Belgian and one top player all the way from Japan!
The 49 UK based players included no fewer than 25 who have tasted bread and butter Bristol competition, the others arriving from all over the country. And very gratifyingly from both a British perspective and a Bristol perspective, there were some outstanding performances from the members of this much maligned island backgammon race!
Oh, and yes, I nearly forgot. There was a splendid wedding thrown in for good measure!
It all started on Friday, when Roland and Simonetta were married at the Clifton Pavilion, which is a part of Bristol Zoo. This joyous occasion in superb surroundings was followed late in the evening by a 31-player Warm-up Tournament of 5-point matches, Peter Bennet kicking off what was for him a very profitable weekend when he defeated Steve Ferrer in the final.
The main event, at the Clifton Club, a k a the Gentlemen's Club, took place over Saturday and Sunday. Steered by Bristol Backgammon Director Ian Tarr, with great support from Alison Lee and the outstanding Jo Curl, the assembled throng had negotiated its way through eleven separate competitions before the Sunday awards ceremony.
Forty-one players, including the esteemed host and hostess (deliberately kept in separate halves of the draw), contested the Professional Category -- consisting of 15-point matches all the way through -- and the target was to whittle them down to eight quarter-finalists by Saturday's close of play.
Two matches from the last 16, however -- Lawrence Powell versus Andy Bell, and Mike Heard against Simonetta -- were adjourned a few points from their conclusion, and had to be "tidied up" on Sunday morning.
At this stage, though, it was already clear that the last eight would contain no fewer than five Brits, including occasional Bristol visitor Paul Gilbertson.
Two Danish giants, current national number one Mikael Jensen and former top Dane Lars Bonding, decided to play their quarter-final on Saturday evening in a restaurant, Mikael prevailing, and Lars deciding to return home next day.
Apart from Mikael, just one player stood between the Brits and a stunning main event victory -- Japan's Mochy Masayuki.
Meanwhile, the Amateur Category, featuring 32 players was on a less demanding schedule, with two rounds of 11-point matches anticipated before Saturday's close.
Here three Brits -- all with Bristol connections -- made it to the last eight. Two pairs couldn't wait for tomorrow, however, and this spelt Saturday quarter-final exits for both Rosey Bensley and Juanita Ferrer. Only Steffen Nowak remained to carry our flag into the Sunday, although which flag would it be?
Sunday morning saw the respective demises of Lawrence Powell and Simonetta, so the Pro Main quarter-final line-up looked like this: Mochy Masayuki (Japan) versus Andy Bell (UK); Mike Heard (UK) versus Paul Gilbertson (UK); Lars Bonding (Denmark) versus Mikael Jensen (Denmark) -- already completed; and Martin Barkwill (UK) versus Dod Davies (UK).
Mochy, Mike and Martin joined Mikael in an alliterative semi-final line-up. Mochy beat Mike, and Martin edged past Mikael to set up an intriguing final clash.
Another close affair ensued, with Martin taking an early lead before the turning point arguably occurred at 8-all. Martin himself claimed he took a questionable cube at this point, although a subsequent roll-out showed him to be correct! He never recovered from the ensuing gammon, Mochy ultimately proving a worthy winner of the weekend's top prize of £3,290.
Meanwhile, the Amateur Main saw Juanita's and Rosey's conquerors -- Anni Bech Nielsen of Denmark and Norway's Jorn Nesdal -- vying for a place in the final. Anni Bech won through, and had to wait for an opponent.
In the two outstanding quarter-finals, Steffen Nowak got past Denmark's Line Karkow, while the sole visiting representatives of Italy and Belgium -- WBF supremo Marco Fornasir and Michel Lamote contested the other one, Michel winning through.
Michel then went on to eliminate Steffen, before defeating Anni Bech to take the Amateur crown, along with £800.
There had been some concern about the progress of the progressive consolation flights, especially in the Pro Category, but things did eventually sort themselves out.
And it was in the Pro Consolation that the weekend's most popular victory occurred.
The groom, Roland Herrera, having lost to Lars Bonding in the last sixteen of the Main, did better in the Consolation, overcoming Peter Bennet, Dane Jan Petersen, Holland's Rogier van Gemert, and Andy Bell before scoring a famous win against yet another eminent Dane, Mogens Knudsen.
And there was another local success in the Amateur Consolation, when Steve Ferrer skipped past absent Reading based American Brian Kenny, before despatching Danes Lone Foldager, who likes cellists, and Poul Lindberg Soerensen.
Rosey Bensley was Steve's semi-final obstacle, but another win saw him into the final against Katrine Teigen, another of the Danish contingent. And Steve triumphed, to add to his Friday Warm-up runner-up spot.
With the inevitable eliminations and delays a feature of all tournaments, there had to be other activities to fill the void. And these were present in abundance.
For some the current vogue for poker schools as an adjunct to backgammon tournaments hits the spot. And Martin Hemming conducted these with no little success.
But for those of us yet to be bitten by the poker bug, other backgammon events are a necessity.
There was a £5 2-point shoot-out, and a £10 5-point knock-out with a Hatrick Board as the prize. These two events filled gaps nicely during both days at the Gentlemen's Club.
Buy-backs were also a feature of both events, just as they were (albeit only once) in the Sunday Consulting Doubles event.
And there were the inevitable eight-player Jackpots, one with a £10 entry on Saturday, a further £10 one on Sunday, and two more at £20.
Denmark's Henrik Veje won the board, while his compatriot Kristian Stegenborg took the 2-point shoot-out.
Norway took the doubles, through Ivar Roeynstrand and 13-year-old Jim Remy Nesdal.
The £10 Jackpots were won by Tony Walters and Taus Boytler, Tim Line won the first £20 Jackpot, and the second was split between Chris Ternel and Mark Dixon.
And so, after the presentation ceremony, adorned as it was with beautiful trophies provided by Peter Bennet, you would have been forgiven for thinking that a perfect weekend had come to a fitting climax.
Wrong. There was more to come, as Bank Holiday Monday saw as many as 50 players staying on for the Team Event and Individual Last Chance at another beautiful venue, Burwalls, right next to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and set in sumptuous grounds, allowing alfresco backgammon for those who wanted it.
Players arranged themselves into fourteen teams of three players each, with the proviso that a maximum of two could be drawn from the Professional Category.
There were some appropriate team names, including The Lars Chance, The Bride and the Vikings, Tacos and Tequila and Two Fish and a Cow.
Players played a single 5-point match against a member of the opposition, and the first team to get two wins progressed through to the next round.
Meanwhile, the unlucky losing team was jettisoned into the progressive Last Chance.
There was a fitting success in the Team Event, with no prizes for guessing the identity of "The Bride" accompanied by "Vikings" Lone Foldager and Taus Boytler.
And rounding off the weekend was a triumph for the only player to join the action as late as Sunday. Blaine Buchanan had been at another wedding over the weekend, but turned up to win the progressive Last Chance final against Chris Ternel.
The pasta party which followed, complete with live music provided by Roland and Simonetta for a rapt audience, just ended the weekend perfectly.
Dod Davies had performed both auctions at the weekend in his customary lovably uncouth manner, taking a total of £1,350 in the group auction, followed on Sunday morning by an £880 pot for the individual auction.
Kristian Stegenborg and Julian Fetterlein made handy profits from their group auction investments, while Peter Bennet made a stunning double raid on the individual auction pot.
All in all, the weekend was characterised by a slightly ad hoc approach to some aspects of the tournaments, but things passed off with barely a hitch -- although I can think of two people who were hitched! -- and a great spirit.
There was just one dispute of note, involving two of Britain's top players who, knowing each other very well, digressed from normal tournament protocols and became embroiled in a dispute revolving around interpretation of events. The message for the future, surely, is that if you stick to proper tournament rules, such altercations never need happen.
The fact that the weekend's hostess was sitting at an adjacent board made the incident the more regrettable.
One such occurrence in an amazing weekend, though, cannot significantly detract from what was a fantastic success, and a time which will surely be fondly remembered -- and deservedly so -- by Roland and Simonetta for the rest of their days.
A full breakdown of results will be provided shortly, hopefully to be followed by some photos.
30/08/05: Leagues also progressing
In the shadow of the major tournament action in Bristol over the weekend, there has been some interesting league action, with four matches completed, and every one of them at a venue hitherto uncharted by Bristol Backgammon explorers.
The Hare on the Hill pub last Friday was the scene of John Paton's latest Conference triumph. His 11-8 success at Graham Ross's expense took him to the top of the league with an impressive record of nine wins from eleven matches.
On Saturday and Sunday, John Slattery made amends for a quiet tournament at the Gentlemen's Club by scoring emphatic Premier One victories over Steffen Nowak and championship rival Stuart Mann. John goes top, and must now be considered favourite to regain the title he last won in 2002.
The third new venue was Burwalls, by the suspension bridge, as Tony Walters and Tim Line completed a Conference encounter which had started at the Gentlemen's Club. Tony edged home 11-10 to consolidate his third placing.
25/08/05: Mark beats namesake
In a "Battle of the Marks" -- the outstanding semi-final of the consolation flight of last week's Handicap Knock-out -- it was Mark Shipton who prevailed in a hard fought match against Mark Skelton.
The tournament has featured maiden competitive wins both players, and it may not be long before their handicaps (the maximum of four) are revised.
The winner meets Roland Herrera in the final, although this may not be for a few days, as this correspondent understands that Roland may be a little busy over the next few days!
24/08/05: International backgammon hits Bristol
This coming weekend's Wedding Tournament is looking like the major international backgammon event it always promised to be.
The number of starters is still uncertain, but it looks as though a minimum of eighty players will be contesting the event.
Home support is impressive, but the largest army of invaders -- around twenty at the latest count -- will be coming from Denmark.
With others travelling from Poland, Norway, Japan, Italy, Belgium, France, Holland and Tenerife, the event is guaranteed a strong international flavour, and should do full justice to Roland and Simonetta's plans for a unique wedding celebration.
21/08/05: Martin in Gammonitis semi-final
Although only 23 players contested the tournament, that should not detract from Martin Hemming's achievement in reaching the semi-finals of the main flight of Gammonitis' Live Challenge Finals tournament, held at Sundridge Park, Kent, this weekend.
This was Martin's second appearance in a Gammonitis semi-final, the previous occasion being in the Julian Minwalla Trophy back in December.
This weekend's event was won by Jon Barnes, who was making his Gammonitis debut.
19/08/05: AUGUST HANDICAP KNOCK-OUT ROUND-UP ......
That a field of twenty-nine participants was the smallest of this year's three Handicap Knock-outs thus far is an indication of just how popular these events have suddenly become, so much so that there are likely to be more in the series next year.
And the ability of these particular tournaments to attract new players was further emphasised by the Bristol Backgammon debut appearances of Mark Shipton, John Denton and Karina Specht.
19/08/05: Danish invasion starts early ......
With the Wedding Tournament just a week away, and the influx of top overseas players eagerly anticipated, the appearance of Denmark's Karina Specht at yesterday's Handicap Knock-out event should not have been a total surprise.
But although Karina classifies herself as a mere beginner after 10 months of intermittent competition in her homeland, there was little sign of this as she scored a stunning victory in the main flight, making the most of her 2-handicap to eclipse Graham Ross, John Lewis, Richard Cartwright, Blaine Buchanan and finally Alan Parfitt to take the spotlight.
Alan had reached the final by defeating Heike Faulhaber, Phillip Hill, and the father-son combination of Simon Fahoury and Martin Potter.
19/08/05: Newcomers in consolation semi ......
Mark Skelton and Mark Shipton are two unfamiliar names set to battle out the consolation flight semi-final at a date, time and place yet to be decided.
They will be playing for the right to play Roland Herrera in the final, and either player would have a 3-0 start in that match.
Mark Skelton was making just his second appearance in Bristol competition -- his previous appearance had been in a Handicap event earlier in the year -- and beat Neil Young and John Paton to reach the semi.
The other Mark arrived at that stage via a bye and a hard-fought win over Ian Tarr.
19/08/05: Blaine and Richard closer to Handicap Trophy lead ......
Not a great deal has changed at the top of the Ed Turner-sponsored Handicap Trophy table after the third of the four scheduled events.
Ian Tarr still holds a 5 point lead over Phillip Hill after each player scored a modest 15 points, but although Neil Young lost a little ground in third place, Blaine Buchanan and Richard Cartwright moved a little closer to the lead.
The fact that the night's major scorers had been either low in the table (Alan Parfitt) or not even in it (Karina Specht) means, however, that not a great deal has changed overall.
With discards coming into play for the first time at the final event in October, the inaugural Handicap Trophy title race remains wide open.
19/08/05: Almost as you were in OGP and IGP ......
The Handicap Trophy points tariff was, of course, never designed to make a major difference to the OGP and the IGP, being more in the nature of a source of small bonuses.
In the OGP, one such bonus for Ed Turner has cut leader Martin Hemming's lead by 10 to a mere 218 points. Meanwhile Simonetta Barone has edged ahead of Steffen Nowak into third place.
Tony Walters' status as IGP leader was marginally enhanced as he moved a further 5 points ahead of second placed Kevin Jones, who is now 77 points adrift.
Simon Fahoury and Tim Line also consolidated their top ten places with small gains.
19/08/05: League wins for Neil and Tim ......
Neil Young -- in Premier Two -- and Tim Line -- in his first Conference match -- took time out from the Handicap event to score useful league victories in their respective divisions.
John Lewis and Graham Ross were the victims.
It has also been announced that the brothers Young -- Lewis and Todd, who both scored wins in the Handicap Knock-out event, unlike father Neil -- will not be contesting the Conference this year after all.
12/08/05: AUGUST GRAND-PRIX TOURNAMENT NEWS ......
Twenty participants -- including one latecomer who only played in the consolation flight -- graced the August grand prix tournament at the BCSC on Thursday evening, including welcome first appearances of the season for Simon Fahoury and Martin Potter.
12/08/05: Ed and Stuart make it to the final ......
Ed Turner has made it to the final of a Bristol grand prix tournament for the second time in there months, defeating Ian Tarr, Martin Potter and Martin Hemming en route.
There he will meet Stuart Mann, conqueror of Cynthia Roberts, Blaine Buchanan and Tony Walters, although the match will not now be played until Stuart returns from holiday later in the month.
12/08/05: Slatts gains some consolation ......
John Slattery reaped the benefit from early elimination from the main flight, by winning the consolation flight, defeating Tim Line in the final.
Slatts' other victims were Chris Roberts and Roland Herrera, while Tim got past Phillip Hill, Ian Tarr and Cynthia Roberts.
12/08/05: Martin stretches OGP lead by 3 ......
As if a 225 points lead in the OGP wasn't enough, Martin Hemming managed to extend this by a further three points by scoring two victories in the main flight.
Reigning OGP champion Ed Turner is now his closest pursuer, and Ed can cut that deficit by 35 points by winning the final.
Stuart Mann's quiet OGP season gathered a little momentum when he rose to 10th place by reaching the final, and he has the chance to improve by a further three places with a victory.
12/08/05: Kevin overhauled at last ......
Eureka! Manchester's Kevin Jones no longer heads the IGP points table.
Remarking that his solitary visit to Bristol in February was enough to give him the lead has become a sad monthly duty for this correspondent, but not any more after he was finally overhauled.
Tony Walters was the player to take over the mantle of IGP leadership with a storming run to the main flight semi-finals which netted him a total of 75 points including 20 bonus points.
He now has a lead of 72 points to take into next week's Handicap Knock-out event.
On what proved to be a good night for intermediates, some other useful points hauls were netted, including 70 for Simon Fahoury, 60 for Tim Line, and 35 apiece for Martin Potter and John Sprague, all of whom are realistic contenders for second place, which is also rewarded with Premier Status at the end of the season.
12/08/05: Rollover hopes dashed ......
It had looked like another slow night on the Winner Takes All front, despite the minutest carrot of a £30 rollover, but a late flurry of activity raised the overall WTA pot to a respectable £120.
When five of the nine entrants made it through to the quarter-finals, there remained some hope of a rollover, but these were soon extinguished with the elimination of Simonetta Barone, Martin Potter and Simon Fahoury.
So finalists Ed Turner and Stuart Mann have a total pot of £258 (including shares of stake money) to play for, when they finally sit down for the final.
12/08/05: Extra Premier One Masters place ......
There will now be at least four high finishers from Premier One in the 2006 Bristol Masters qualification list, after the emergence of Stuart Mann and Ed Turner into the main flight final.
With both players already qualified for the event, the rules dictate that an additional high finisher from their league will benefit.
12/08/05: Slatts suffers league blow ......
John Slattery's visit from High Wycombe had a dual purpose. His tournament exploits perhaps took second place to the task of getting two more Premier One matches completed.
His double header with Elliot Smart would have left him with mixed emotions, after the two shared the spoils.
Slatts leap-frogs Stuart Mann into second place, but the defeat he suffered means that all three main contenders, himself, Mark Dixon and Stuart have now lost five matches apiece.
Mark has won eleven, Slatts ten and Stuart nine, but Stuart has the advantage of a markedly superior points difference to sustain his challenge on the run in.
12/08/05: Phil's promotion push ......
Phil Charlton turned up to play a league match last night, but instead of facing Juanita Ferrer as he was expecting to, he actually took on Cynthia Roberts in Juanita's absence.
A rapid-fire 11-9 victory pushes Phil into the top four of Premier Two, and he remains one of the favourites to make a quick return to the top flight.
Ironically for Cynthia, the narrow margin improved her points difference to the extent that she is off the bottom of the league at John Lewis's expense.
As for Juanita, currently hospitalised, we wish her a speedy recovery from her illness.
12/08/05: Tim makes it twenty-one ......
Tim Line is the latest entrant to the Conference, making it nineteen paid up members, and 21 in all.
With three and a half months remaining of the league season, Tim -- and every other member of the league -- still has time to make an impact.
08/08/05: Tony close to SAC hat-trick
Tony Lee -- winner of the BIBA SAC Trophy in 2003 and 2004 -- could "only" manage second place when attempting to complete his hat-trick of wins at the weekend.
Lawrence Powell took the title, but Bristol was well to the fore in the main flight of the Swiss Format event when no fewer than four representatives were among the eight to make the cut after the first two rounds.
John Slattery finished fifth, Kevin White sixth, and Martin Hemming eighth.
Others present among the 32-player starting line-up were Peter Bennet, Paul Gilbertson, Rosey Bensley and Tony Walters.
And Chris Purchase and Rachael Garrett -- due to make their Bristol Backgammon debuts at next week's Handicap Knock-out -- were also present, Chris winning the 10-player Friday warm-up event.
01/08/05: 35,000 hits
This website reached 35,000 hits at around 3pm today, a count that now averages over 20 per day.
And this is an "honest" counter which only clocks up a hit when a new visitor arrives, not just for every refresh.
01/08/05: Three incur penalties
Three Premier League players have incurred penalty points at the July 31st checkpoint for falling behind the required schedule.
Ed Turner of Premier One loses two points, while in Premier Two Ian Preston and Jerry Limb have each incurred a single penalty.
Whereas all three players can recover these lost points by catching up at the September 30th checkpoint, Ian has now "permanently" lost the point he first incurred at May 31st, subject to appeal.
28/07/05: JULY LEAGUE NIGHT ROUND-UP ......
There were twenty-one league players present for the July league night, and all bar Michael Corbett got a game. Most action came in Premier One.
28/07/05: Stuart, Simonetta and Steffen prosper in night of double headers ......
Ten matches were completed in a busy Premier One session at the BCSC on Wednesday evening. And all were double headers.
Honours often get shared when double headers take place, but this was the exception to the rule -- only the Simonetta Barone--Paul Watts encounters providing solace for both players.
Those who became upwardly mobile on the night were reigning champion Stuart Mann, Simonetta -- who completed four matches -- and Steffen Nowak.
For Stuart, who has had an uncharacteristically mixed 2005, the green shoots of recovery arising from his double success over Elliot Smart have moved him well into contention for a coveted league title hat-trick.
The battle for the crown is now looking more and more like a three horse race between leader Mark Dixon, Stuart and John Slattery, after Dave Pym lost substantial ground, losing twice to Elliot, the other player to complete four matches on the night.
As for relegation, there were those who thought there would be no need to look further than the bottom four going into the session -- Steffen, Simonetta, Elliot and Paul.
But with Simonetta winning three out of four -- and she led 10-1 in the match she lost -- Steffen scoring a double win over Martin Hemming, and Elliot doing enough to keep his hopes alive, the pundits would probably only consider Paul a safe bet for the drop now, with Martin, John Ould and Ed Turner getting sucked into the intriguing race to avoid those four bottom slots.
28/07/05: Lower orders gain ground in Premier Two ......
Five matches in Premier Two produced five winners -- four of them from the bottom five positions.
The exception was Phil Charlton who edged home 11-10 against Alan Parfitt to reassert his promotion credentials.
Third placed Ian Tarr lost by the same margin to the resurgent Richard Cartwright, who cannot be ruled out of the extremely tight promotion race just yet.
Other victors were Richard Owsley, Ian Preston and Cynthia Roberts.
28/07/05: Ten avoid penalty bother ......
On a night when thirteen players from the two Premier League divisions still had work to do to avoid penalty points, ten of those threatened managed to defer any problems to the end of September at least.
In Premier One Ed Turner is still two results shy of the mark, while In Premier Two Jerry Limb and Ian Preston are each one result short.
In Ian's case, a penalty from May 31st will become permanent should he fail to complete another match by Sunday night.
28/07/05: John and Tony score in low-key Conference session ......
With just four Conference players present, two matches were contested, and promotion contenders John Paton and Tony Walters did their respective causes no harm at all by scoring victories.
John has consolidated his second place, while Tony moves up to third.
28/07/05: New title for the library ......
Martin Hemming has found a novel but welcome way to pay off his Bristol Backgammon library fines!
He has donated a new title to the collection, a 1974 offering from Don Stern, entitled "Backgammon: How to Play, Gamble and Win".
Books can be borrowed at any Bristol Backgammon session. See Ian and he will arrange it for you.
26/07/05: Mark and Paul share the spoils
In a double header this evening, Premier One leader Mark Dixon shared the spoils with bottom placed Paul Watts.
Mark edged the first match 11-10, then Paul replied with an 11-8 victory.
Paul has thus avoided the threat of expungement at the July 31st checkpoint, and now there are only penalty points to worry about for no fewer than thirteen players in the two divisions of the Premier League.
26/07/05: Slatts beaten in Liverpool final
John Slattery, a three time winner of the Liverpool Open, fell one win short of a fourth title in six visits at the weekend, losing the final 2-11 to Manchester's Brian Lever.
Rosey Bensley was runner-up in the consolation flight, losing the final to Kevin Jones, who will be remembered by some as a welcome February visitor to Bristol, when he did enough to be still in the lead in the IGP.
A total of forty-eight players contested the event.
22/07/05: Honours even as Premier Leagues clash
The third and last of this year's Inter-League challenge matches took place at the BCSC yesterday evening, and featured representatives of Premier One and Premier Two.
The event had been scheduled as a fifteen match encounter, with five players per side playing three members of the opposition but, with the draw made, and most players starting their phase one matches, Jason Champion of Premier Two failed to turn up. This meant a reorganisation of the impromptu £10 pool organised by Martin Hemming, as three Premier One players -- Ed Turner, Simonetta Barone and Steffen Nowak -- were forced to sit out a round each.
No matter, with twelve matches still on the schedule, all results -- including a draw -- were now possible.
Premier Two got off to an excellent start, with the first three results reported all going their way. Then non-leaguer(!) Roland Herrera, guesting for the top flight team, pulled one back to make it 3-1 after the first phase.
Phase two saw a reversal of fortunes, with the first three results going the way of Premier One, then Blaine Buchanan levelling matters at 4-4.
Neil Young drew first blood in the final phase, giving Premier Two a 5-4 lead, but Ed and Simonetta edged Premier One ahead, to ensure that they could not lose.
Ian Tarr claimed the final point, however, and honours were even with a 6-6 draw.
Roland, Neil and Ian shared the £10 pool, which was bad news for Ed, the only player on either side with a 100% record, who had his stake returned when it emerged that he would only play two matches!
And Neil's success capped an excellent evening, after his earlier Premier Two victory over Phil Charlton.
Complete scores (Premier One names first): Simonetta Barone 0 Ian Tarr 7; Martin Hemming 3 Neil Young 7; Steffen Nowak 3 Richard Cartwright 7; Roland Herrera 7 Blaine Buchanan 6; Steffen Nowak 7 Neil Young 0; Ed Turner 7 Ian Tarr 1; Roland Herrera 7 Richard Cartwright 4; Martin Hemming 4 Blaine Buchanan 7; Roland Herrera 0 Neil Young 7; Ed Turner 7 Richard Cartwright 3; Simonetta Barone 7 Blaine Buchanan 5; Martin Hemming 5 Ian Tarr 7.
15/07/05: JULY GRAND-PRIX TOURNAMENT NEWS ......
Nineteen players turned out for the seventh monthly grand prix tournament of 2005, with new Conference player Graham Ross making his Bristol knock-out debut, and Wiltshire based Tim Line -- an online opponent for both Miles Farren and Neil Young -- paying his first visit to a Bristol tournament.
Sixty-one different players have now contested Bristol grand prix tournments so far this year.
15/07/05: Martin's rich vein of knock-out form continues ......
Martin Hemming scored his third Bristol grand prix title success this year, when he played the final "away" to Roland Herrera in Bishopston in the early hours of this morning.
The scene was set for an enthralling, tight battle when, with Martin leading the first-to-11 final 3-2, an epic seesawing quadruple gammon brought a surprisingly swift end to proceedings!
For Roland, this was the closest encounter yet with main flight Bristol success, being -- amazingly -- his first final in many attempts, although four semi-final appearances in the last 13 months give an indication of his quality.
Martin's route to the final went past Graham Ross, Phillip Hill and Richard Cartwright, while Roland's victims were Miles Farren, Gaz Owen and Steffen Nowak.
15/07/05: Mark defeats Neil in consolation final ......
Premier One leader Mark Dixon made light of an early elimination from the main flight to win Thursday's consolation flight.
Chris Roberts, Juanita Ferrer, Jason Champion and Neil Young were the obstacles he had to overcome, while Neil had defeated Brian Porter and Tim Line on his way to the final.
15/07/05: At least the OGP second place is up for grabs ......
With the OGP race desperately needing a shot in the arm in the shape of Martin Hemming's pursuers starting to make inroads into his impressive lead, the last thing the competition needed was another Martin Hemming tournament win.
But even though the latter stages of the main flight were well populated with players well placed to mount that much needed challenge, it was Martin who came through to stretch his lead to a massive 225 points.
It will quite clearly take something special to dislodge Martin from pole position now -- something every bit as special as Martin's form so far this year.
The race for second place, though -- if that's really the limit of the other contestants' expectations -- is wide open.
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