Daily Tournament Reports

Sunday 21st January.

Players began to arrive at the Atlantis (left) on Sunday, 21 January. Old adversaries greeted each other as friends as they picked up their PartyGammon.com goody bags and chatted about the backgammon event of the year.

The week began with welcome cocktails next to the Caribbean on the impressive Royal Deck. While the players relaxed, inimitable backgammon legend Kent Goulding introduced the Calcutta Auction, which raised over $21,000.

A special eight-team doubles event kicked off the week’s poker action on Sunday. This extra tournament saw the lucky winners snare $40,000, while the rest of the field left empty-handed. Although only 16 players were directly involved in the tournament, many others watched from the sideline, no doubt checking out the competition and soaking up the atmosphere of the Ballroom.

The entire event was filmed by a MatchRoom T.V. for a series of shows which will be screened in various countries very soon.

The highlight of the first round of doubles was a tense match between Matvey ‘Falafel’ Natanzon and Victoria Smirnoff and Peter Jes Thomsen and Alex Lehmann. ‘Falafel’ and Victoria won the day.

Monday 22nd  January

The main flight started at 12.30 ET, and was sold out. A public draw, overseen by tournament director Howard Markowitz, as made. Most players attended the draw to see who they would have as their first round opponent. Each player was hoping that they would end the week with the huge winners check in their pocket and the trophy on their sideboard.

The first and second round matches were 15-point games. These threw up some interesting results, as experienced players lost to players who had qualified online at PartyGammon.com. These rounds were played on Monday. The main flight was reduced from 128 players to 32 by the end of the day’s play. The players knocked out at this stage were entered into a consolation tournament with a $240,160 prize pool.

In the main flight, world number one Nack Ballard came through his two opening rounds and was playing very well, but pre-tournament favorite Francois Tardieu (left) lost his first round match against Carlos Pinto.

Other opening matches saw Victoria Smirnoff take on Abe Akiko from Japan in a rare all-female game (right).

Tuesday 23rd January

The $600,000 winner’s check drew closer today, as only 32 players were left in the field. There was lots to play for in today’s rounds, which would see the field reduced to just eight remaining players for tomorrow’s quarter finals.

The matches were now 17-point games for rounds three and four. All the players were well aware that if they could survive the day’s play they’d be into the money on the final day.

Round three saw some of the well-known players such as Bob Wachtel, Alex Lehmann, ‘Falafel’, Nack Ballard, and Mike Svobodny progress into the last 16.

The evening matches were watched by a crowd of spectators keen to see some of the top-quality backgammon action and check out who was ‘on fire’ on the board.

While everybody played extremely well, many of the more established players were unsuccessful, and at the end of round four, there were some unfamiliar names still in the tournament. Some of these guys were PartyGammon.com qualifiers more used to playing online than in tournaments.

The consolation tournament was also creating a lot of interest as the four groups were taking shape. Many players who were knocked out of the early rounds of the main flight were now fairing better in the consolation and, with the losers from round four of the main flight also joining the fray, the players had to be on top of their games.

Wednesday 24th January

Wednesday’s matches in the main flight were 19-point games. The tournament room was filled with a buzz of excitement as the players started their quarter-final matches at 13.30 ET.

There were some very intense battles over the boards. Players were edging their way closer to the semi-finals with every point they won. As the matches drew to a finish late in the afternoon, the semi-final line-up was taking shape. Nack Ballard, Andreas Märtens, Lasse Hjorth Madsen (left), and Ralf Jonas all won their afternoon matches and had just a few short hours before sitting down to their semi-final matches.

The consolation was also progressing well, with a lot of games being played throughout the day. Eventually, after some excellent matches, Yaniv Shimony, Lars Trabolt, Torsten Hasse, and Kent Goulding went through to the semi-finals and a share of the consolation prize pool.

Although the consolation matches were 11-point games, the concentration and commitment from the players was impressive, and the semi-finals saw more top matches, with Lars Trabolt and Torsten Hasse eventually progressing through to the final.

Due to a quirk of the tournament schedule, Lars and Torsten had to sit down to play their consolation final as soon as they’d finished their main flight semis. Spectators were glued to the game. After a full day of intense backgammon it was Lars Trabolt (right) who took home the $120,000 consolation prize.

The evening’s main flight semi-final matches were Nack Ballard versus Lasse Hjorth Madsen and Andreas Märtens and versus Ralf Jonas. A place in the final was at stake in these 21-point matches, and with it a shot at the biggest prize pool in backgammon history. The atmosphere was electric, with the advantage swinging first to one player then another. After two great matches, it was Lasse Hjorth Madsen and Andreas Märtens who emerged victorious and slightly shell-shocked at the prospect of the next day’s final.

Thursday 25th January

The final took place on the Dragon’s Patio, which overlooked the fabulous vistas of the Atlantis resort. The T.V. cameras were set up to film the final and also relay the footage to the Dragon’s Bar next door, where all the remaining players and PartyGammon.com staff would watching the action on the big screens. Both players had plenty of supporters from their home nations of Denmark and Germany present.

The finalists had qualified through PartyGammon.com, and had reached the final on merit by beating a field full of top-flight backgammon stars.

The match was a real classic, and had the audience on the edge of their seats as the game ebbed and flowed. Madsen surged to an early 6-0 lead in the 23-point game. Märtens retaliated over the next three games, and went ahead 7-6. Now it was Märtens turn to build an impressive lead, completing a sustained period of impressive backgammon to go 20-11 up.

The game seemed to be over, but Madsen had other ideas: A dazzling fightback saw him pull level with his opponent, leaving the game poised at a nail-biting 22-22 (left). The final, the title, and the $600,000 winner’s check all came down to just one point.

This final point was the most valuable in backgammon history. After a thrilling last game, Märtens emerged as the winner. In the spirit of the tournament, both players shook hands at the end of the match, congratulating one another with broad smiles.

Well done to both players for reaching the final and making it such an exciting and enjoyable event. Backgammon has found another pair of great ambassadors.