Having spectacularly failed to post any news since August there is now quite a backlog. I’ll try to break it up into bite sized chunks…
OXBG Season 1 Over - Finally
OXBG Season 2 Underway
New Players
Sunday PM Tournaments
Chouette Goes Fortnightly
Festive Schedule
Road to Monte Carlo
Other Tournaments
End of First Oxford Backgammon Season
Fred, Tony and Toby display their "magnificent" trophies.
Oxford Backgammon's first leagues, OXBG11 and OXBG7, were both extended by 2 months to August 31st to enable completion of matches. Unfortunately two OXBG7 players failed to complete their matches and consequently all of their results were expunged. Kevin Carter had earlier resigned from OXBG11 due to a temporary medical incapacity.
The final tables for both OXBG leagues were only slightly affected by these 3 expungements. OXBG11 was won by Fred North with Tony Lee taking the runner up spot. Ben Cawdron, having had an outside chance of taking second place, ended up in 5th due to Kevin’s resignation and consequently started the new season in the new Division 2 rather than Division 1. In OXBG7 Ardi took the honours with Toby runner up.
New Season Starts – Current Positions
After the relatively hectic schedule of matches in the first season led to 3 players failing to complete all their matches a shiny new three term model was unveiled with a much lighter schedule of 5 or 6 matches per “term”.
23 players entered the new OXBG League 2025-26 which is split into 5 divisions across three tiers with promotion and relegation between the tiers at the end of each term. All 23 players have recorded at least one result, including Alex who has already completed all of his Div2 (Green) matches with a 100% record. Phil currently leads Div1 with a 3/0 record, Ben leads Div2 (Yellow) (2/0), Amanda leads Div3 (Blue) (2/1) and Shirley leads Div3 (Red) (3/1).
In total 24 of the 54 matches have been completed. Hopefully all matches will be completed before the “end of term” on 24th December. As advised (by Whatsapp) on 31st August, a penalty will be applied to players with more than one match outstanding on 1st December. The penalty for failure to report sufficient results before the beginning of the festive season will be a deduction of 1 point in the final column. Please make sure you arrange your matches in good time so that there’s no need to apply any penalties.
New Players
In the 10 weeks since the last update we’ve welcomed a host of new players variously on Monday Nights, Wednesday Chouette and two Sunday PM tournaments. So, if my records are correct, and sometimes they are, please give a big welcome to Lloyd, Andrew and Mirfat who have joined on Monday nights, Matt who came to watch a Wednesday Chouette and no fewer than 9 players who have been attracted to our two Sunday PM tournaments: Tim, Jackie, Robin and Andy from ThameGammon, Ian from Bristol Backgammon, and previously unaffiliated Mark, John, Ali and Shirley’s brother Bertie. Welcome one and all!
Sunday Afternoon Tournaments
Scenes from a tournament
Our first two Sunday PM tournaments were held on 14th September and 12th October. We had 14 players for the first with our own Joost Jorritsma winning the inaugural tournament beating Dan Silve in the final. The Consolation final was won by Tony Lee who beat first time visitor Mark Cope.
We had 13 players in the October tournament where Tony Lee had invited his mate John Bass who travelled from London to play, going on to beat Tony in the final. Be careful who you invite! In the Consolation final Alex Smith beat Shirley Innes in the final.
The third experimental Sunday Afternoon tournament was scheduled to be held on 9th November. A diary clash has arisen meaning I can’t now run a tournament on the 9th so, if there’s still demand and I can secure the venue, I’m proposing to shift the date of the November Tournament to 16th November. I’ll run a Whatsapp poll to check whether there’s sufficient interest. NB this will also, inadvertently, address the recently noted problem of holding Sunday tournaments a day before Monday Night Backgammon. Tournament scheduling for 2026 remains in the planning stage. Feel free to offer suggestions on format, timing, and anything else.
Scenes from another tournament
Wednesday Night Chouette Goes Fortnightly
The communal and learning opportunities provided by chouette seem sufficiently attractive that our regular Wednesday Chouette nights have gone fortnightly, on the weeks inbetween Monday Night Backgammon. All welcome, if you’ve not tried chouette before we’ll be very happy to explain how it works.
Festive Schedule
The festive season is nearly upon us and people are likely to have multiple engagements and likely the Library at the Slow & Steady will also fill up with revelry and high jinks. I currently have Wednesday 3rd and Monday 8th scheduled in. If there’s chouette demand we may do Wednesday 17th. I’m thinking Monday 22nd may not be entirely conducive to backgammon so Monday 8th December is likely to be the last Monday night session of 2025. League players please take note.
Road to Monte Carlo
The World’s most prestigious Tournament is the World Championship which takes place in Monte Carlo in July. UK team captain, Chris Rogers, is currently organising a series of satellite tournaments the winners of which will win a prize sufficient pay for flights, accommodation and entry into the World Championship Masters flight. Entry into the Satellite is £117 (£107 for UKBGF members), which may be a little rich for some OXBG players. But fear not, the dream of playing in Monte Carlo, could yet be yours – OXBG is organising satellites to the satellite (“Satellite2”). The first is a £28 entry 4 player tournament currently underway involving Phil, Tony, Ben and Ian Anderson. Future satellites will be run, if there is demand, for e.g. 4 or 8 players. Or even a “Satellite3” – where you could
. Let me know if you’d like to play.
Other Tournaments
As well as our own Sunday PM tournaments and MC Satellites, there is a regular schedule of tournaments around the country, near and far, where OXBG players may want to dip their toes. I’m currently signed up for the Three Zeros tournament in Bradford-on-Avon and the Worcester Intermediates, both in November as well as the St Albans Open next April. A full listing of tournaments around the country can be found here: UK Backgammon Calendar. Other interesting and reasonably local tournaments include Breezy Brighton Open (Jan), London Players Championship (Dec), Hedgehog Challenge (charity, online, March) and the UK Open (May) If anyone is interested in any of these, or any others, and would like some advice just ping me a message via Whatsapp or collar me on a Monday or Wednesday Night.
That ’s it for now – I think I’ve cleared the backlog!
Hope to see you all soon. Come and roll the dice!
Phil
