Backgammon News

October 7, 2009

WSOB Prague 2009

By Robert Wachtel

The World Series of Backgammon (WSOB) hosted its second of three tour stops for the 2009 season at the Corinthia Towers Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic, from September 16 – 20. By far the highest-priced series of events on the backgammon circuit -- with main event entry fees in the 1500 euro range -- the WSOB embodies the dream of the backgammon community that our sport can achieve some measure of the immense popularity and prosperity that poker now enjoys.

To that end, this WSOB event featured not only its trademark video coverage of selected matches (to be edited for later televising on a variety of networks, including ESPN and Eurosport), but also a full-service on-site bookmaker (Morton Holm of Denmark) and a live free-for-all web-forum analysis of the to-be televised matches. In this jazzy format a number of miked-up world-class players (including Sander Lyloff, Mr. Holm, Matvey (“Falafel”) Natanzon and, occasionally, your correspondent) fused their verbal commentary with the blogs of young backgammon superstar Stick Rice and the instant-message comments of an extremely knowledgeable and computer-adept web audience. The result was a sharp and often hilarious stream of insights, insults, anecdotes, claims, refutations, and challenges.

Wachtel vs. world champion Mochy in WSOB Prague

And then there were the broadcast industry learning experiences. In a break during one of the final matches, I made the newbie mistake of neglecting to turn off my mike as I walked through the hotel lobby. I had been on a bad luck streak all tournament; and sure enough, not a minute had gone by when I was accosted by a seriously inebriated acquaintance who put me in a choke hold while swearing up and down, in the maudlin fashion that drunks will, that I was his friend for life and would never need to worry about anyone doing anything to me. My feeble attempts to placate him (and extricate myself from his death grip) were, unbeknownst to me, broadcast live to the internet audience. I can only hope that most of them had run to the kitchen or bathroom during the break; but when I returned to the commentary room, there was a post that read: “Who was the drunk who was laying the man-love on Wachtel?” Never again …

The clear star of the tournament was Jan Jacobowitz of Germany, who won not only the main event (best two out of three 7-point matches, 52 entries and 12 rebuys to reach a field of 64), but also the 40-player freeroll, which had as first (and only) prize an entry into the next and last stop on the WSOB’s tour, the UK Masters in London at the end of October. Second in the main was the Norwegian playboy and backgame expert Shahab Ghodsi. The great Danish star Sander Lyloff captured first prize in the consolation tournament. Another outstanding result was registered by the ever-dangerous Schmucki Werner of Austria and the Philippines, who won both the super-jackpot tournament (1000 euro entry) and, with his gorgeous wife Dahlia, the doubles event as well!

Young backgammon superstar Stick Rice

For any backgammon purist or serious student, this tournament was a virtual non-stop seminar, with Falafel and Stick holding court on a board in the center of the playing room at all hours of the day and night. Joined by Mochi, Sander, Morton and the occasional fish like me, the boys were working, working, always working. They must have made argued over 200 positions and made bets on 50, all of which Stick claimed to be rolling out on multiple computers all through this event.

But in my mind the hero of the tournament will always be Mr. Shino. In my previous article on the Swedish Open, I explained how this Japanese gentleman rolled “properly” at double match point in the final to win a game in which he was a 350 to 1 underdog. In this tournament, he made that result look very ordinary!

Playing against the strong Danish player Steen Groenbech in the second round of the consolation, Shino reached this slightly challenging position at double match point: Groenbech (Black) was on roll … and lost!!

Snowie gives White’s winning chances as zero, but of course this is not accurate. Groenbech threw a 2-1. Shino countered with a 2-2. Groenbech threw another 2-1, and Shino another double. A mere 17,000 to one shot, by my rough calculation.

Mr. Shino went on to destroy me in the next round of the tournament, but he was hardly himself following this amazing demonstration of legerdemain. “It is a bit embarrassing,” he confided to me while closing me out. “This is was not proper.” No, Mr. Shino, not even for you.

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