Backgammon in London @ Biba 4, 5, 6 September 2009

Report by Michael Crane

Update 11/09/09: I made a mistake in my first reoprt over the 66 played by Jon in which the 2-cube wasn't recorded. I have redone the analysis, shown in red. (see here)

The weekend started with the Friday 500 (18) and we had a very good turnout for this 5-pointer. Thanks to Roland and Simonetta Herrera we had a contingent of Japanese entrants who put up a bloody good show. Simon Morecroft trounced me in the last 8 and then he went on to beat Roland in the semi-final to place himself in the final against Michy Kageyama (Michy's most memorable Biba match was that against Rosey Bensley in the 2004 Scottish Open when, after leading 10-5 he bowed out at 10-11 to Rosey!). Michy had no intention of bowing out this time and it was Simon who did the bowing. Click here to see the latest listing.

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Mike Main is renowned for the number of trophies he hands out at his Biba events, on some occasions you could pick one up for just rolling your dice! So, it was quite a shock to see that this year Mike hadn't brought any trophies at all! Instead he was handing out to each winner one of his branded score cards. He explained this to the entrants, many of whom didn't seem too impressed; however, he made emends by buying everyone a drink. At hotel prices it'd have been cheaper to have given everyone a trophy!

Main (42)
Many chatbots, when asked about the meaning of life, will answer "42". So goes a line from Douglas Adam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The answer can be said of the entry numbers of Mike's tournament, for this last year it was 42 and it was 42 this year. Of those 42, two of them made it to the final to battle it out head-to-head. Jon Barnes (current British Open winner) and Simon K Jones, playing in his 6th 11-point final and yet to win one!

Playing with clocks (all Sunday Main rounds are played with clocks) Simon went 3-1 down and them leveled it off at 3-3. He then remained static as the score moved: 3-4, 3-5, and then (playing as black) he took the cube in this position:

Black 3 White 5
White cubes

According to Snowie this is not a double (an error). Simon takes and turns it around much later when he ships across the 4-cube:

	Black re-cubes

It would have been a big blunder to have not doubled in this position, and this time both players get it correct, Re-double, pass. The score moves to 5-5. Simon wins the next game: 7-5 now to Simon.

In the next game Jon cubes in this position:

White cubes

This is a good double, there's plenty of play left in the game and Simon correctly takes. The game trundles along with both players hitting blots galore when we reach this position:

Black to play 31

Simon moves 21/18, 3/2 and the game eventually moves to this position:

White to play 62

Jon is forced to leave a blot as he plays 6/0, 6/4. Simon rolls the very least roll that keeps everything tidy for him: 31, 24/21*, 2/1! Although Simon is well in control from hereon, unable to get more than a single win he should have cubed on his next roll, instead he left it until much later . . .

Black re-cubes

. . . when Jon gladly passes. 9-5 to Simon. Jon wins the next game, 9-7 and then we start what turns out to be the last game, a game in which Jon has just 1.05 seconds left on his clock! At 2-away, 6-away in Simon's favour, winning with so little time left was always going to be difficult; however, his time was reduced even further when he used up 18 seconds over this:

White to play 66

He quickly went through three options and eventually settled on 23/17(2), 17/11, 12/6. Snowie rated this an error @ 0.056 as opposed to its best play of 23/5, 12/6. Why an error? It's due to gammon losses. With the actual play the gammon losses are 46.2% and with Snowie's they are reduced down to 40.9%. The Dice Gods then went against Jon and they punished him with a 43 for Simon, 6/3*, 5/2. They then teased him with three gammon-saving (perhaps even game-saving) plays when Simon left a blot, but he just couldn't do it and Simon won his first ever Biba final! Well done, Simon, and hard luck, Jon.

Main: Jon and Simon

Progressive Consolation (38)
From the non-prog side of the draw, David Nathan fought his way through five opponents to get into the final. Here he met Martin Barkwill who entered via the last 16 Main losers; an entry from which he battled through four opponents to meet with David. It was the last match of the weekend and everyone except these two and Sharen and me had gone home. I had hoped for a quick match - but then I realised it featured David so I settled in for the night! Mind you, it didn't take as long as I'd feared and it was David who came out the winner.

Consolation: David and Martin

Last Chance (32)
Having failed to notch up a single win in the Main or the Consolation, Wayne Felton was determined to take home something from the Last Chance. His determination was worthwhile for he made it to the final - and on his first and only attempt! His opponent, Peter Chan (also a one-time entrant) was looking to keep Liverpool's interest in the tournament alive and take home another 1st place but Wayne was having nothing of it as he emerged victorious - and relieved!

Last Chance: Wayne and Peter	Mad Monkey: Jeff and Peter

Mad Monkey (32)
This open-draw 3-pointer saw quite a few re-entries. Peter Bennet made it in one, but his opponent in the final got there on his third entry, not that it bothered Jeff Barber. Rolling hot and determined to make his investment worthwhile, Jeff took 1st place and left Peter in 2nd.

Poker (18)

The drunker he gets the better he plays! Mick Vacarey showed them how it's done. He confounded them all by winning the poker despite him telling everyone what cards he actually had! Was he bluffing? Was he not? No one could tell and it worked in his favour for only her knew the truth. Liverpool entrants Simon K Jones and Angela Dell came in 2nd and 3rd, with Rosey Bensley and Andy Darby 4th and 5th - with none of the 'pros' even getting a look in! Click here to see the latest listing.

Team (12)

It looks as if the Michael Crane/Richard Biddle/Nicky Check stranglehold has been finally broken. Irving Czechowicz took home all the dosh as he beat the final pairing of Crane & Biddle!

Jackpot (8)

No one actually won this, it was shared between Rachel Rhodes and MichyKageyama when he offered her a favourable settlement. Perhaps he was thinking, "Once bitten, twice shy"when it comes to Biba female players?

Finally
It was a fair turnout and it all went along without incident; however, the absence of shiny, glittery things reflecting in the bottles of wine on the trophy table did cause some dismay among the entrants. I think next year Mike you should bring a trophy or two with you ;-)