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Backgammon NewsMarch 9, 20092009 Nordic Open Backgammon Tournament AnnouncedThe Danish Backgammon Federation announced the schedule of the upcoming 2009 Nordic Open. The prestigious and anticipated backgammon tournament will take place during Easter week on April 9-14 Hotel Marienlyst in Helsingør (Elsinore), Denmark. This year Nordic Open will be sponsored by the backgammon website Play65 and directed by Henrik Bodholdt. The Nordic Open backgammon tournament is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year with new satellites for the Monte Carlo World Backgammon Championship and the Japan Open backgammon tournament, the festive announcement of the 2009 WSOB schedule and other events. The Nordic Open is one of the most successful operations of the Danish Backgammon Federation (DBgF), along with the grand presence of Dane players at the leading international backgammon events (see for example, the Dane attendance at the 2009 Portuguese Open). When did Denmark become a backgammon empire?It all started with the founding of the Danish Backgammon Federation, says the DBgF current chairman, Kenny Nissen in an exclusive interview. The DBgF was founded in 1987 by a group of local backgammon players who "were tired of the large deduction at tournaments, which all went into private pockets."
"In the early nineties the international results began to come, peaking with Peter Jes Thomsen winning the World Championship in 1993. A lot of the most famous Danes began playing those years, and the level was rising quickly. At the same time, the Danish team tournament started, and that is basically the key to the Danish success." Among the famous Dane players that were raised by the Danish Backgammon Federation are four world champions including the pioneer Peter Jes Thomsen and the current World Backgammon Champion Lars Trabolt, Backgammon Giants such as Sander Lylloff, Morten Holm and Lars Bønding as well as local celebrities like the former European boxing champ Christian Bladt and several football players from the national league. In addition to the international Nordic Open, the Danish Backgammon Federation organizes about 12-15 regional tournaments a year including "the team tournament, Danish Championship, and a lot of special tournaments (doubles, consultation and other kinds). Besides, a lot of the clubs have weekly tournaments and a club championship once a year." So, how does a weekly backgammon tournament in the strongest backgammon association look like? "Imagine the best 100 players in Denmark playing each other every week in 17-point matches. That creates an environment of exchange of knowledge. Almost all members are part of a team, and today we have more than 100 teams in 9 divisions. The players study the game with their team members. A lot of positions are evaluated on Snowie or GNU, and the debates are running all the time. Actually, it has become a sport finding errors in Snowie." |
