Portuguese Open 2006 - Final Day

By Tournament Director Chiva Tafazzoli (WBA)

The skies were crying as the backgammon tournament came to the end. Raindrops falling on Estoril because it was the last day of this beautiful event.

The previous night ended with an uncontested victory of the German team Haase & Reinhardt over Portuguese finalists Matos & Costa Lima and the final of the Superjackpot left two friends and Doubles partners to face eachother, Tardieu and Babillon. Everybody went to party again to the beach bars after we closed the playing rooms at 3 AM and again lots of fun, drinking and dancing were due. 

Sunday was the finals day.

Tardieu won the Superjackpot and the final of the Open was played between Jean-Philippe Rohr (France) and Carsten Byrn (Denmark). This unspectacular match to 17 points was pretty much one-sided in favour of the French player and ended with a score of 17-5.

Ronald Reinhardt lost the final of the consolation to Kazuhiro Shino from Japan while German Andreas Humke came victorious over Portuguese player Sobral-Cid in a nail-biting Double Match Point.

Dorothy Lee from Great Britain won the Ladies' Tournament and Mr. Mercier was the overall winner of the 1-point event sponsored by XcitingGames.com.

Some 30 players attended to the awards ceremony and the cocktail and another 10 remaining players headed off for lobsters and wine afterwards.

It was a great tournament and left everybody happy. It has the potential to become one of Europe's finest and it will be repeated in 2007 with even more money, more players and more fun.

Don't miss it!