Bristol Backgammon Tournament News

With Mochy Masayuki not present to defend the title he won at last year's inaugural edition of the International Bristol Backgammon Open, there was certain to be a new champion.  

And the strong foreign contingent was always likely to play a significant part. Nevertheless, five of the main quarter-finalists were home based, although both Andy Bell and Bristol's Stuart Mann had been eliminated when they got their quarter-finals out of the way before close of play on Saturday.

Martin Barkwill struck a blow for the UK when he defeated one of the tournament favourites, Lars Trabolt of Denmark. Norway's Odin Svensen, however, defeated Michael Michael to ensure that there would be two home versus abroad semis.

American Carter Mattig was first to reach the final when he eliminated Martin. John Clark, however, always seemed to have his match against Odin firmly in his grip, and clinched an encounter with Carter, which provided a home success. John is pictured, left, receiving his prize, flanked by Roland and Simonetta, with Ian Tarr in the background; photo by Cynthia Roberts, using Simo's camera.

While the Championship unsurprisingly took centre stage, there was some Bristol backgammon interest in the Advanced category. The semis here provided UK versus Scandinavia battles, but Dane Patrick Toxvaerd and Norwegian Ivar Roeynstrand succumbed respectively to home players Malcolm Robertson and Bristol's Miles Farren.

The Ivar versus Miles match was a titanic tussle, twenty backgammon games being necessary to settle the first-to-13 match. Miles then went on to record an emphatic final victory to maintain the Bristol tradition (if you can have a tradition after only two events) of success.

The Intermediate category also had its moments, with an all female final between Denmark's Irene Erbou and Aussie Fiona Oldham, who emerged as intermediate champion.

Progressive consolation flights were, of course, in evidence in all three categories. Home interest in the Championship version was extinguished with quarter-final exits for Neil Davidson, Rachel Rhodes and Stuart Mann. The only French visitor, Eric Guedj, found himself in the semis with three Danes, but did make it to the final. Here, however, he succumbed to Bjarke Skovgaard.

The Advanced progressive consolation was another flight which produced two home players and two Danes. This time the draw ensured an "international" match as Roland Herrera overcame Martin Hemming while Anne Jeppesen went out to Michael Soerensen.

Roland the host failed to extend Michael any further hospitality, and won a flight at his own tournament for the second year running. Come presentation time, the only issue to be decided was in the final of the Intermediate progressive consolation.

In a field where the only overseas player was Lindsay Mattig of the USA, it wasn't too surprising that the final stages were a domestic affair. Bristol's Cynthia Roberts and Richard Owsley didn't make it past the semis, leaving the happy couple (in more senses than one) Diane Iveson and Paddy Smith.

They were part way through their final when presentation time came, so they were happy enough to be presented jointly with the pair of prizes, sorting out the precise destinations of the hardware at a later stage. It was eventually Diane who took possession of the larger trophy, and the larger cash prize.

A sixteen pair Consulting Doubles event had also been convened on Sunday afternoon, and after a slow start it reached a timely conclusion when Neil Davidson and Malcolm Robertson took the title at the expense of Odin and Denmark's Pia Jeppesen.

There was also a £10 2-point shoot-out with rebuys, and Bristol's Steve Morris gained an appropriate reward for his persistence by hitting a winning streak on his final entry of five, defeating Italian visitor.

Giuseppe Ricciardi in the final!