The next club event will take place on Sunday, December 12, 2021, from 1pm to 6pm, in Squash Club Vaart (Kolonel Begaultlaan 15, 3012 Wilsele).
We’ll play five five-point matches, with clock. Pairings will be done according to the Swiss tournament format. Participation is free. No need to announce your participation, but please be there at 12:45.
Needless to say, we must comply with the health measures for indoor events.
Despite the sanitary situation and the occasional car problem, 22 players spent a lovely day together playing backgammon in the beautifully restored historical surroundings of the Abdijmolen, part of the larger site of the Abdij van Park (Heverlee). As it had been two years since the previous edition, we were delighted to see good friends again and resume our annual tournament series.
After 7 rounds of 5-point matches, it was our own Nader K. Rad who emerged as the only player with 6 victories. Congratulations! Nader was followed by a group of five players with 5 victories: Paulus van Rooijen, Mahir Yalçin, Toon Van Herreweghen, Paul van Dijke, and Sonja Custers. All six laureates received a price, ranging from personalized doubling cubes for the first three to custom-made score boards for those ranked four to six. Please see below for the final ranking of all 22 players.
For the traditional Fonske challenge, the 22 participants conveniently split into two groups: 11 players from the club of Leuven and 11 players from other clubs, mostly Brussels. Among the matches between a player from Leuven and a player from Brussels & Friends, 22 were won by a Leuven player and 19 by the other player. Well done, Leuven!
The tournament was administered by Toon through the software Ludite (Play! in Latin) that he has been developing last year. Previous versions were thoroughly tested in the online Brabant Ethereal tournament series, also ran by Toon. The software provides a flexible and backgammon-friendly implementation of the Swiss tournament format. Really cool is that it allows players to follow the pairings on their smartphone by scanning a QR code. Thank you, Toon!
In the screenshot below (taken from Ludite), the meaning of the column headings is as follows:
The results of all 77 matches can be found on BGFed.be’s rating list as of next weekend.
Thank you all for participating and see you next year!
With 24 confirmed players for 24 seats, the 12th Leuven Open on Sunday, November 21, 2021, is going to be a wonderful event. Just a few practical things:
Venue: Brasserie De Abdijmolen, Abdij van Park 4, 3001 Leuven
With 24 participants who have registered and paid the registration fee, the maximum capacity of the 12th Leuven Open, on Sunday, November 21, 2021, has been reached. If you would still like to join, you can enter your name via the registration form, which will serve as a waiting list in case somebody cancels.
After passing a difficult 2020, it’s time to get back together for a whole day of backgammon in Leuven Open, with special health measures, of course.
Registrations are open now, and you can find more information and register here. Please note that we’re limited to 24 participants this time.
We’re looking forward to seeing you in Leuven Open, on November 21st 2021, in brasserie De Abdijmolen.
It’s been a while, isn’t it, but we’re so happy we can finally gather again in real life to enjoy our beloved game and each other’s company.
Mark your calendar for the Fall 2021:
Our playing venues are as before:
In January 2022, we expect to start our yearly club championship again.
See you soon!
Henri, Johan, Toon, Nader
We’ve been thinking hard and long about this one: another venue, another tournament format, etc. But in the end we see no other option. Sometimes, it’s just better to pass than to play on and risk a gammon.
So, for the first time since 2009, there will be no Leuven Open Backgammon this year. We hope that the 12th edition can and will take place in 2021, with the familiar ingredients that give the tournament its unique flavour.
Thank you for your understanding. Looking forward to better times when we can roll the dice together again.
Take care,
Henri, Johan & Nader
Given the current pandemic situation, having the Leuven Monthly games doesn’t seem practical. As a result, we decided to cancel the remaining games in 2020.
Hopefully, everything gets better soon, and we can get together for the games again. Until then, take care and stay safe.
Based on the current state of coronavirus, we’ve decided to resume Leuven Monthly after Summer. The first game will be on Sunday, 27th of September, at 13:45.
Looking forward to seeing you again. Stay safe.
2020-09-22 UPDATE: Unfortunately, this plan didn’t work. The remaining Leuven Monthly games of 2020 are cancelled.
While our in-person events are on hold because of the Coronavirus pandemic, we’ve not forgotten about our future events: the 12th Leuven Open is scheduled for 8th of November, in our usual venue, Abdijmolen.
More information and registration will be available soon.