News Archive
Grant’s Puzzles #208
How should White play 65 here?
See the solution.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
AU vs NZ Final
Well… let’s say a NZ only final. Paul (Slijmbal) vs Carl (R1 dellboy). This Friday 6pm AEST. We’ll get ’em next time!
BG Background
A nice backgammon background image for you.
EBT 2021 Underway
The Eva Bitel Tournament is now underway with the Round Robin stage. See “Now Playing” on our home page for latest results.
SBOT KO
Sydney Backgammoners Online Tournament (SBOT) – After 48 weekly tournaments a Grand Champion has emerged. The title goes to Peter Kalyvas. Well done, Peter, and congratulations to anyone who stayed the distance.
August Warp Signups Open
Warpgammon’s monthly online tournaments. Various formats. Good for Beginners right through to World Champs. Contact Cindy for more information.
Grant’s Puzzles #207
How should White play 31 here?
See the solution.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
MelBG Back Aug 5
Melbourne Backgammon will be re-opening carefully – starting Thursday 5th August 2021. For now, they have decided to meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month.
Did You Know…
Bakelite is considered one of the best materials for checkers because it slides well and is very durable. Some players prefer the feel of Bakelite, and old Bakelite Backgammon sets are very collectable.
Grant’s Puzzles #206
How should White play 52 here?
See the solution.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Prized Board
Hossein Haydari has a number of backgammon boards, but one of his favourite is this beautiful hand-made Khatam board. Khatam is an ancient Persian technique of inlaying. It is a version of marquetry where art forms are made by decorating the surface of wooden articles with delicate pieces of wood, bone and metal creating precisely-cut intricate geometric patterns. This board is valued at around $700.
AU vs NZ Finals Begin
After Stage 1 Round 6, Australia leads 117 matches to New Zealand’s 74. The top 16 from each side will now compete in the Stage 2 knock-out. Good luck to all!
Peter Kalyvas vs Tony Meyer
Habib Shalala vs Farid Farnia
Simon Ustick vs Archie Lamont
Tony Walker vs Carl Dell
Mick Dyett vs Peter Ware
Saeed Nourmohammadi vs Malcolm Forsyth
Michelle Taubman vs Simon Clark
Ben Scarf vs Tom Huber
Cindy Belonogoff vs Paul Kellett
Reece McLean vs James Noble
Breck McCormack vs Grant Hoffman
Jim Bean vs Ivo Zarnic
Elsa McNally vs Patrick Davey
David Kinston vs Murray Richards
Melinda Kelf vs Richard Theunissen
Hammon Mans vs Elie Sawma
Grant’s Puzzles #205
How should White play 62 here?
See the solution.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Backgammon Dice
Who would have thought there could be a cool backgammon song!
AU vs NZ Rd 5 Results
Australia
99 wins, 2678 pts
New Zealand
60 wins, 1875 pts
Round 6 is the final round of the Swiss format. The next round will be the knockout stage, consisting of the top 16 from both sides.
2021 EBT
The 2021 Eva Bitel Tournament will get underway August 1. Entries close July 31. Full details here.
June SBOT Results
AU vs NZ Rd 4 Results
Australia
81 wins, 1772 pts
New Zealand
46 wins, 1219 pts
Grant’s Puzzles #204
How should White play 21 here?
See the solution.
Did You Know?
The Catholic church didn’t approve of a lot of things back in the days. One such thing was Backgammon, which they banned during the sixteenth century. They ordered the boards to be burned, just like numerous books that they deemed unholy. Luckily, people managed to save the game from destruction by playing in secrecy.
Grant’s Puzzles #203
How should White play 41 here?
See the solution.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Aussies vs NZ Round 1
Round 1 results in the Australia vs New Zealand challenge – Australia wins 20 matches to NZ’s 12.
Pork Chops
At Sydney Backgammoners you never know if you’ll go home with a tray of pork chops. We play backgammon, too.
Grant’s Puzzles #202
How should White play 52 here?
See the solution.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Who Will Prevail?
2021 Aussie-NZ Challenge, Round 1 underway.
Melbourne BG Live
Melbourne Backgammon Club is back in action this Thursday June 24th (subject to COVID restrictions, as always). Looking forward to seeing everyone again!
Sydney Open Winner
The 2021 Sydney Open attracted 35 strong players including several from interstate. A very happy winner, Ron Shaked, is holding the coveted crystal cube trophy and wearing the Sydney Backgammoners Champions’ cap (see home page photo gallery). Below, Sydney Open Tournament Director Gary Stavrou (R) congratulates 2nd place winner Habib Shalala, with winner Ron Shaked looking on.
Who is Uey?
Current Aussie #1 Simon Ustick with World #1 Mochi.
So Sociable, So Smart
Grant’s Puzzles #201
How should White play 53 here?
See the solution.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Grant’s Puzzles #200 Answer
How should White play 43 here?
See the answer.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Happy Campers
An unusually large SydBG club jackpot of $649 went off to a very happy Hammon Mans who also collected first prize of $90. Club champion David Reitzin is always supportive of our next generation of top players. I trust that is a V for victory sign Hammon is giving us!
Did You Know?
The term ‘backgammon’, or more literally ‘back game’, is said to originate from the Middle English words ‘back’ and ‘gamen’, in reference to the counters that go back to the ‘bar’.
Grant’s Puzzles #200
How should White play 43 here? The answer in a couple of days.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Giants of Backgammon
Who are the top players in the world? Read about it here. Something to aspire to!
Who is Mochi?
Watch this interesting interview with World #1 Masayuki Mochizuki, known as Mochi (pron: moh-chee).
Grant’s Puzzles #199 Answer
How should White play 54 here?
See the answer.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Grant’s Puzzles #199
How should White play 54 here? The answer in a couple of days.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
President’s Message
2021 NZ Championship Winners
Paul Kellett (NZ) 1st Place
Chris Taylor (NZ) 2nd Place
Grant Hoffman (NZ) 3rd Place
Reza Nemati (NZ) Silver Plate Champion
Congratulations to all!
Breck on Deck
Please join us in welcoming new Secretary Breck McCormack to the AusBGF committee. Breck was born in the United States and first learned backgammon from his grandfather. He lived in London for 3 years and spent 15 years in Hong Kong where he was the Managing Director of the sports marketing firm IMG. He now lives in Sydney (plays with SydBG) and is very happy to call Australia home. Welcome aboard, Breck!
Breck McCormack
June Warp Signups Open
Warpgammon’s monthly online tournaments. Various formats. Good for Beginners right through to World Champs. Contact Cindy for more information.
Hutson def Kazaross
Well done Malcolm Hutson, who defeated Giant Neil Kazaross 13-12 in Warp Gammon’s Esprit Teams consolation round. Mel also won her match yesterday with Neil 13-7. Team eVICtioners are hot!
Grant’s Puzzles #198 Answer
How should White play 21 here?
See the answer.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
Watch Live
Watch Mel (try to) play Giant Neil Kazaross this Friday 9am at Safe Harbor Games, Doubling Cube room, in Warp’s Esprit Teams consolation round. (chaffey vs NeilKaz)
Grant’s Puzzles #198
How should White play 21 here? The answer in a few days.
Courtesy of Grant Hoffman
The Cube is Your Weapon!
Great video for intermediates to experts that really drives it home… BE AGGRESSIVE!
April SBOT Winner
The April Sydney Backgammoners Online Tournament was won by Hammon Mans over Saeed Nourmohammadi. Bill Marczak came third. Entry to the June tournament is now open.
WBGF Membership
AusBGF is excited to announce that we have joined the World Backgammon Federation (WBGF). Not only are we supporting this dynamic group, they will be supporting us in growing backgammon within Australia, particularly in regard to bringing young people into the game. Exciting times ahead! Check out the WBGF announcement on their Facebook page.
Sydney-Bucharest Result
The Sydney team prevailed over Bucharest 15-13. The internet, with a little help from Covid, has added an international dimension to such challenges. Congratulations Sydney Backgammoners!
Sydney-Bucharest Update
As they enter their final round, Sydney leads Bucharest 12-11. Either club could win in this nail-biting finish.
Who is John Symon?
AusBGF Treasurer and Public Officer John Symon contemplates ZenGammon last week. Hard work.
Who is David Reitzin?
For those who wondered what one of Australia’s top players David Reitzin looks like, here he is playing with Mahnaz Rostami at Sydney Backgammoners.
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Sydney-Bucharest Update
Round two of the Sydney-Bucharest challenge has finished and Sydney leads 11-5.
2021 NZ Championship
May 29/30 at Auckland Bridge Club. See Tournaments for more information.
VicBG makes Semis
VicBG’s eVICtioners has made it through to the semi-finals of Warp Gammon’s annual teams event. Definitely the underdogs, we are next up against a team of US Champions, including several Giants (Steve Sax, Joe Russell, Alan Grunwald). Whatever the outcome, it’s an honour to play these champs. Pray for us! – Mel
SydBG Record Turnout
Sydney Backgammoners had a record turnout of 26 at their weekly club meeting. Hammon Mans and Andre Marootians arm wrestle any disputes.
Sydney-Bucharest Underway
VicBG Warp Esprit Team
VicBG has entered team “eVICtioners” in Warp Gammon’s annual Esprit team event. With 12 international teams competing, after Stage 1 eVICtioners are in second place. Bring on Stage 2! Latest results
Sydney vs Bucharest
Flush from their success as winners of the Australian Inter-Club Challenge, Sydney Backgammoners are going international with a challenge to the Bucharest Backgammon Club – play begins 20 April. Where next? Is there a club on Mars? …Gary S. See the flyer.
2021 Interclub Challenge Results
After six rounds of ups and downs, Sydney Backgammoners came out on top with 2139 points. Second place goes to NewyBG with 1897 points, and third place to MelbBG with 1770 points.
Feb SBOT Winner
Congratulations Amir Golegolab, winner of the February Sydney Backgammoners Online Tournament (SBOT). Second place goes to John McAleenan and third place Steve Clarry.