Biggest Monday Night Turnout, 5 New Players
We had our biggest turnout so far last night with 25 players in action upstairs at the Slow and Steady. Happily some players brought boards so there were enough to go round but only just... If you're coming on a Monday night and have a board please bring it!
We had 5 new players join us - welcome to Johnny, Joff, Tracy, Anne-Marie and Mark. I also managed to accurately record the names of two newbies from last session so a belated welcome to Nadya and Tsveti.
OxBG11 7 OxBG7 Seasons Extended, Clocks Mandatory
Having canvassed league players via whatsapp there were (eventually) no dissenters objecting to extending the current league seasons to 31st August which should provide enough time for all players to complete all of their matches. In order to assist players to complete in a timely manner it will be mandatory to use clocks for any OxBG11 match played after June 30th. This rule may also be applied to OxBG7, if matches remain incomplete at the end of July. Clock settings are 90 seconds/point + 12 seconds delay. (i.e. 16m30s for an 11 point match, 10m30s for a 7 pointer) Where clocks are used, if a player runs out of time then they lose that match - so, in an 11 pointer, the match score will be 11 to the victor, the number of points scored prior timeout for the loser.
Last Night's League results
OxBG11 - Fred Times Out, Then Goes Top
There were three matches completed in OxBG11, Phil was the first player to complete the season when soundly beaten 11-1 by Ben, this result severely denting Phil's hopes of topping the division. Shortly after Fred North suffered just his second reversal of the season going down 11-9 to Tony as a consequence of timing out, the first time this has happened. On the upside this did provide Fred with enough time and time management experience to complete a double header this time beating Tony 11-8 thereby ascending to the top of OxBG11. Fred even had time to commence a third match of the night, with Wyon, that match adjourning with Wyon 6-3 up. Two wins from his remaining three matches would be enough to guarantee Fred wins the inaugural OxBG11.
OxBG7 - Ardi Extends Lead
Four matches were completed in OxBG7, Toby who has been rapidly working his way through a backlog of fixtures recorded two more, first losing 7-4 to Alex and then a 7-6 win against Stuart. Already leading the division Ardi posted a 7-6 win against Ted whilst Lucila scored a welcome victory against Paul. These results leave Ardi clear at the top. If he wins his last two matches its difficult to see anyone getting past him although both Toby and Stuart are still in the running should results go their way.
Proposed Tournament and Chouette Dates
Plans are afoot to run a series on monthly tournaments. Originally planned to start in May it has been decided to avoid the summer holiday period and experiment with a series of monthly Sunday afternoon tournaments probably starting in September. Proposed tournament details to be published when date poll results are in and venue confirmed.
There has also been demand for a dedicated chouette night separate from the regular Monday Night sessions. Wednesday 9th and Monday 14th are currently looking like the favoured options. Anyone keen to play should message Phil or email oxfordbackgammon@gmail.com to join the chouette whatsapp group.
Backgammon Hub - Sign Up Now
I'm reliably advised that running tournaments is made much easier using tournament management software which can enable online sign-up, automated tournament structure and draw, results collection and results. Some good looking, free tournament software is available from UKBGF sponsored Backgammon Hub. In order to sign-up to tournaments managed on Backgammon Hub players need to sign up. Its free and easy to sign up.
I'm planning to try this out on a Monday Night session, possibly 7th July. Anyone thinking about joining a tournament (likely free entry, optional side pool) is advised to sign up asap so that there's one less thing to think about when tournament sign up time comes around...
New Oxford League
The first pair of Oxford Leagues, OxBG11 and OxBG7 were due to finish next week (30th June) but have now been extended until 31st August. Once these are complete the new Oxford League will commence on September 1st.
Full details of the new league to follow soon, with highlights including:
Small, tiered, divisions of 4,5 or 6 players each, with promotion and relegation between tiers;
An 11 month long season, divided into three "terms" (probably not Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity but you never know) with promotion and relegation at the end of each term. New players will be able to join a division before the beginning of each term.
A reduced load of matches, compared to the current league, will be required with a maximum of 6 fixtures each term.
Invitations to join the new league will be issued before the end of July.
