Backgammon Champs 2009

I have enjoyed playing backgammon for quite a while now (since 17? – maybe earlier). I really only play online (on FIBS) – as I don’t know anyone who plays in ChCh*… FIBS = First Internet Backgammon Server. It’s a free server and there are decent players there.

Anyway – about a year or so ago I played against a kiwi player online (Grant Hoffman) and we got to chatting – and I was complaining that there was no tournament in NZ. Long story short.. he and his friend Tony were thinking about setting up a tourney – and this weekend was the result.

So I flew up on Friday night – and Tony (and his lovely partner Jo) put me up for the weekend. Everyone (I hope!) has their eccentricities, Tony’s is collecting vases. However, he and Jo put them to excellent use and the house is just filled with flowers. It’s great.

Onto the competition then.. 12 of us were split into two pools of 6 for a round robin qualifier. So, you had to play five, 9 point matches. Top two from each pool went through to a semi final – and then final.

I had the nervous pleasure of playing Mike McManaway (inventor of Tantrix, gravity trap, and now Palagos).

Mike was also the NZ Backgammon champ back in 1986 – though I think he has played more tantrix than backgammon recently. I’m sure it’s not all roses, but being a (successful) games inventor would be quite a bit of fun I suspect. Good work. I would reccommend Tantrix or Palago’s to anyone – fun games to play, and really enjoyably tactile.

That evening we had a bbq at Rays (another of the competitors). This view would cost you $320K(NZ) (about 6 months ago).

Yet another reason to move here ;) Heh. Interestingly Rays dad (grandad?) was into early industrial espionage and spent his days touring the world and … identifying products which hadn’t made it to NZ yet. The pictures below (called Greedy Nigger Boys) are things that his company manufactured out of Christchurch!. Obviously wrong at the time, and wrong now.. but.. that aside – they were really cool! And I do like the idea of kiwi industrial espionage well ahead of time…

I *wish* I had taken a video of these.. You put a coin in their tray – and then pull a lever. The tray gets lifted up and the coin goes into the mouth while the eyes roll back. Quite the piggy bank really.

Then came the semi final (11 point match) on Sunday morning. I played Grant (having qualified behind Mike) and Mike played pip. Grant and I had an epic battle. He’s definitely the better player – but I think the dice were a little favourable to me (yay for chance – and the four leaf clover imprint that Maaike had given me). So scraped my way through that – but was defeated by Pip in the final.

It was a good match – unfortunately got gammoned when the cube was at 4 (going from 5:5 to 13:5) and didn’t come back from that. In any game involving dice – sometimes you feel that chance robbed you. However, Pip definitely deserved to win the match – the better player on the day. (will get her next year ;)

We split the winnings 50:50 – which almost but not quite paid for my flight up!.

Oh, the tourney was played in Founders park. A great period themed attraction close to the city centre.

Finally – met up with an old work mate and Squash terror Fraser. He is now the area manager for Red Cross (top of the South Island). Sounds like a fascinating job – and one that he is enjoying and doing really well in.

Well, he would make it sound like that ;) but still. From organising the first aid courses, charity shops, relief work etc. etc… certainly varied!

And then back to ChCh. Maaike picked me up from the airport (with a bottle of champagne) – Val, Steve, Mark and Maaike had made a delicious dinner… and Val a poster!

It was simply a superb weekend. Roll on next years tourney!

*
Note, I do have friends who I play against on Wednesdays (often) in ChCh – Magnus set it up… and it is great, it’s just I’ve played about 9 years longer! so it’s not quite the same as the Nelson Crowd