WBA is to set new records in 2013 !!!

WBA´s success story, the prestigious "European Backgammon Tour" will happen in 2013 as Season VII and will continue to be the biggest Tour in Europe. New countries, new tournaments and the richest series of events worldwide, it will feature 11 stops !!!!. 20 players will be able to qualify for the Grand Finale to compete for additional 20,000 €, on top of their winnings at individual stops. The Tour will take players to Turkey, Cyprus, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal and Gibraltar to meet old and new backgammon friends and discover new venues and countries.

Additionally, WBA has partnered with a British Group and will host all backgammon events of the Mind Sport International Gaming Festivals in Vienna, Marbella, Prague and new locations. During the various Gaming Festivals, players will enjoy all kind of games such as huge Poker tournaments (WPT, GSOP, etc.), Chess, Scrabble, Risk, eGames, Bridge, etc., and of course, Backgammon.

WBA & their Turkish partner ISTAVDER will introduce and new tournament format and replace the complicated and boring "Main, Consolation / Fighter´s Bracket, Last Chance" by the new FT-System, which guarantees a minimum of 3 matchesto everyone, allows better scheduling of tournaments, more transparency in rankings and more playing experience for the players.

WBA cooperates more tightly than ever with various bodies and groups worldwide and takes a big step towards the unification of the game.

Join us to revitalize the oldest game on the planet and do your share to help us making it big again...

The 7th consecutive year of the "European Backgammon Tour" will mark a new era: more stops, more countries, more players, a new unified format !!!!

Direct stop winner and Point Race top-performers will form a field of 20 pre-qualified players, competing  will compete in a Grand Finale for 20,000€ cash.

At the first stop (5th Istavder Anniversary Tournament) in Istanbul, Parviz ROKH (Iran) emerged victorious and is the first qualified player of the ongoing EBGT.

Congratulations to Ralf JONAS (Germany) for winning the Nordic Open 2013 and qualifying himself for the Grand Finale of EBGT 2013.

Kudos to backgammon Giant Masayuki MOCHIZUKI "Mochy" (Japan) for qualifying by winning the European Pro Championship 2013.

The Point Race is available to be viewed here.

For more info, please check the official EBGT website.

Europe´s most beautiful Capital, Vienna, is waiting for you !

From 6th to 9th of June, the next EBGT stop will take place in Austria´s biggest card room, Montesino. Plenty of 24/7 poker action guaranteed, on top of backgammon fun.

As usual, you can collect points towards the EBGT Point Race and qualify for the Grand Finale. The winner will be given the option to qualify as well.

FT-System format applies in all 3 main divisions. Countless side-events will round it up: Doubles, DMP-Challenge, SpeedGammon, various jackpots and a Board-Challenge.

Austrian Backgammon Associations will enjoy special benefits.

Don´t miss the party on Thursday night with Jakki Hessing at his new club. Lots of fun guaranteed.

The ROOMZ Hotel is nearby and special rates have been arranged.

Download your brochure and don´t miss Austria´s vibrant Capital in the heart of Europe !

The Beer Capital welcomes you back!

From 25th to 28th of July, the next EBGT 2013 stop will take place in Munich, Germany. 

Summer in Bavaria´s Capital is beautiful: Beergardens, parcs, street cafés and restaurants as well as sightseeing and cultural events.

Backgammon-wise, you´ll enjoy the established FT-System, in which you can still win the tournament with 2 losses. Equipment (boards, dice, clocks, score-boards) are provided.

Hotel Vitalis is the venue, centrally located in the Schwabing district with good connections to public transportation. A special "backgammon rate" has been arranged.

Master Points will be collected for each match played and won in the Elite Group and bring you closer to wualifying for the EBGT Grand Finale 2013. The winner will get a 1 month option to buy his seat at the Grand Finale.

Every player will receive a welcome present and early birds will enjoy the "free beer" on Thursday night.

Various side-events such as DMP, SpeedGammon, Doubles, Jackpots and Mini-Jackpots will round up the backgammon activities.

Mark your calendar and start with your travel plans right away. Your personal brochure is ready for download here.

It´s back !. The Summer Fun will take place on Portugal´s sunny beaches in Carcavelos (25km from Lisbon airport) from 22nd to 25th of August at the Riviera Hotel****.

Part of the EBGT VII, the "fun tournament" is back in sunny Portugal to offer wonderful beaches, sunshine guarantee and lots of backgammon action.

Collect points towards the European Backgammon Tour and qualify for the Grand Finale to compete for additional 20,000€.

The tournament will feature 2 divisions with the new and exciting FT-System (out after 3 losses), as well as many side-events (Doubles, SpeedGammon, DMP-Challenge and Jackpots).

Book your room quickly at 95€/night, including breakfast buffet and internet.

Download your brochure right now and start packing your summer bags. Don´t forget to bring your own backgammon set, dice and cube.

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For more info on "European Backgammon Tour", please visit: www.ebgt.info

21st March is "World Backgammon Day" !!!

Celebrate the oldest game on the planet and enjoy it with your friends all around the world.

Play a few games live or online.

Organize meetings and events in your city and neighbourhood.

Backgammon groups and clubs should organize special events and tournaments on that day.

Spread out the word and let everyone know the date of this worldwide event.

BETFAIR/EBGT 2012

Point Race standings (after the last stop of the Tour) can be downloaded and viewed here.

7 stop winners have qualified, 1 live satellite winner and the top 7 performers in the Point Race. The Greek champion will be added to the list to complete the 16 contestants for the European Crown. 

Congratulations to them all: Hisar UYAR (Turkey), Sabri BÜYÜKSOY (Turkey), Peter BLACHIAN (Germany), Inga VIGH PEDERSEN (Denmark), Caglar ERDOGAN (Turkey), Erhan YENISEN (Turkey), Thomas LUMPER (Germany), Peter Van De BRUCK (Germany), Philippe VOUHÉ (France), Jan JACOBOWITZ (Germany), Fuat ERDAG (Turkey), Martin BIRKHAHN (Germany), Gökay GÜLEC (Turkey), Yalkin ERK (Turkey), Dursun CETIN (Turkey) and to the Greek Champion Thanasios KATSIOS. 

The Grand Finale took place April 24th-25th 2013 in Cyprus, prior to the European Pro Championships and featured a challenging format and a prize-pool of 20,000 €.

Congratulations to the new European Backgammon King, Sabri BÜYÜKSOY (Turkey), victorious over Caglar ERDOGAN (Turkey), who came in second.

Watch the interview with the Champ here.

For more info, please check: www.ebgt.info

We are excited to announce Phil Simborg´s and Perry Gartner´s new venture, MindGamesCenter.com. You can go there now and buy fantastic backgammon lessons for as low as 99 cents each, most with 10 or more flash cards for your further study and review and to test your knowledge.

The Lessons and quizzes are written by many top experts, and I won’t attempt to name them all but you will see Bill Robertie, Kit Woolsey, Falafel, Jake Jacobs, Mary Hickey, Matt Cohn-GeierG, and others that will be added soon along with annotated matches by Neil Kazaross and others.

Note that if you buy the lesson, it’s yours for at least 1 year and you can access it on any computer or iPad, and soon you will be able to access any lesson you buy on your smart phone.

Lessons are broken down by skill level, and we made sure to have many beginner lessons aimed to show new players and novices that there is a lot more to the game. Our research shows that there are thousands of people out there playing on smart phones and on line that we never see in organized live play, and we believe this is a great vehicle to introduce them to the game.

We will be adding many more lessons (called Topics) in coming months and there is no membership fee or monthly fee…you get what you pay for, and Perry and I stand behind this product and assure you of top quality lessons and information and service.

Please go to www.mindgamescenter.com and let us know what you think!