Club evening 7 March 2016

Ten players turned up of whom eight contested a knock out & the other two played a league match as did players knocked out. At the end of the evening Martin beat Keith in the final whilst Graeme leads the league with 7/8 with Pol on 6/9.

Club Event @ G Casino 20 Feb 2016

Sixteen players turned up to do battle including several players from outside the region.

Each player contested five rounds of seven point matches, Swiss format. After a grueling days play a clear winner emerged with five wins out of five. Gary Bratton was a worthy winner & Graeme Turner & John North shared the runners up prize with 4/5.

We are very grateful to the G Casino who laid on an excellent buffet. I had to stop two of the poker players from eating the food before we got the chance!

Our good friend Zsolt, who organised a succession of weekend events at the casino between December 2012 & November 2014, presented the prizes and did a great deal of work behind the scenes to ensure the day went smoothly. Thank you Zsolt, it is good to be back at the casino.

 

Winner Gary Bratton (r) being congratulated by Zsolt from the G Casino.

Next Club Meeting, Monday 11 April

A slight change to the regular order of things, the Club meeting for April will take place on the 2nd Monday of the month, the 11th April, at the Royal British Legion in West Jesmond.  As the first monday of May is a bank holiday, May's meeting will also be on the 2nd Monday of the month, May 9th.

NEBA Meeting, 1 February 2016

Nine players braved atrocious weather for our February meeting which was devoted to league matches.

At the end of the night's play the lead is held jointly by Martin on 5/6, Graeme on 5/6, & Pol on 5/8. Hot on their heals is Allan on 4/4. The scene is set for an exciting finish for the league season to determine the club champion & for places in the first & second division next season.

There will be a special club meeting hosted by the G Casino on Saturday 20th February for club members & invited guests. The entry fee is £10 with 100% returned as prize money. The registration fee is £3 & the casino will be laying on a buffet for the players & providing free soft drinks. We are grateful to the casino management & in particular Zsolt, for their kind hospitality. Play starts @ 2pm however please be there earlier to register. If any players would like to play league matches they are welcome to be there @ 12 noon. 

The next monthly meeting will be at the Royal British Legion on Monday 7th March 2016 starting @ 7pm.

Lord Lucan's last backgammon game

With Lord Lucan back in the news comes the timely revelation that he was playing backgammon just a short time before he disappeared.  You can find the story here.

Club Meeting, 4 January 2016

Despite inclement weather conditions, ten players turned out for our January meeting.

A discussion was held before the commencement of play & the clear consensus was that we should stick with the Royal British Legion as our home for meetings on the first Monday of each month.

We will also arrange additional meetings at other venues to cater for the demand from our members & to allow our friends from further afield to join us. The G Casino has kindly offered to host a future weekend meeting & provide a free buffet & non alcoholic refreshments. Invitations will be sent out as soon as this has been arranged.

Further progress was made with the NEBA league & at the end of the session Martin & Pol were in the lead with 4/5 and 4/6 respectively with Ian & Don on 3/5. There is all to play for as only Alan Dye has a 100% record and there is great pressure to ensure first division status. As there are eleven players in the league, the top six will qualify for the top flight for the next season.

The next monthly meeting will be on Monday 1st February 2016 at 7pm at the Royal British Legion.

Solutions to November's Quiz

We are indebted to Mislav Kovacic, who played for the triumphant Croatian team in the European Team Championships in Budapest 2015, for his kind permission to use these quiz problems and solutions.

Problem 1

White on roll - cube action?

a.  No double/take

b.  Double/take

c.  Double/pass

d.  Too good to double/pass

Solution: b) double/take

White has a small lead in the race, a stronger board & powerful threats. All these advantages are small but added together give white a strong double. Black has an easy take because white’s threats have yet to be materialised.

Problem 2

White to move - 21

a.  15/13  7/6

b.  15/14  7/5

c.  15/12

d.  7/4

Solution: d) 7/4

If black doesn’t roll doubles on his next roll then white must roll doubles to avoid being gammoned. 7/4 saves the gammon with 33, 44, 55 & 66. That’s 4 gammon saving rolls. All other plays are less effective.

Problem 3

White to move - 43

a.  24/20  13/10

b.  13/10  8/4

c.  13/9  8/5

d.  8/1

Solution: d) 8/1*

Most hits are done for two reasons. To gain ground in the race or to attack a key point. A less common but still important motive for hitting is a defensive idea known as a tempo play. The hitting play prevents black from using the whole of his next throw to make his five point or another strong play. Black has to use half his next throw to re-enter from the bar.