Backgammon News

January 6, 2011

European Backgammon Tour and US National Team Championship Kick Off

The most active backgammon organization, the new US Backgammon Federation and the longer running World Backgammon Association, have both opened 2011 with excited announcements.

The USBGF is calling for a first national backgammon team championship in the United States, limited to the premium members of the American backgammon association, who share the same backgammon club or at least an area code. Participation in the event will be free of entry fees, and the prizes will be accordingly modest. The championing club will be awarded with a trophy, and the team members will be displayed at the organization's planned hall of fame.

WBA Teams with Play65 Backgammon Online

The successful backgammon promoter, the World Backgammon Association, has teamed up with the online backgammon website Play65 for the upcoming fifth season of the European Backgammon Tour. The Play65/EBGT season will include seven-eight stops in Europe and one in the US (the Golden Gate Open in San Francisco, in collaboration with the American Backgammon Tour) plus a grandiose Grand Finale, with only 24 players and €15,000 guaranteed first prize.

Play65 will be the exclusive provider of online backgammon qualifiers for the entire season including its Grand Finale, and will also give away free VIP Club memberships to the finalists in every online satellite in the series. In addition, qualifiers for the Play65/EBGT Grand Finale will share the same ranking system (WBA Masterpoints, based on the Elo rating method).

Play65/EBGT Season Schedule

The Play65/EBGT season will be launched in February 2011 with the WBA 10th Anniversary/ISTAVDER 3rd Anniversary Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey. The event will be preceded by an online backgammon satellite tournament on Saturday, February 2, 2011 at the Play65 backgammon platform. Future events will take place in Cyprus, Portugal, Georgia, Spain and France. The last event of the season, the Cyprus Backgammon Open, will take place on December 1-4 and will be followed by the Grand Finale, on December 5-7, 2011.

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