Photo courtesy of the ABT

The USBGF extends congratulations to all winners listed in these partial preliminary results from the Chicago Point. Complete results can be found on the Chicago Point website.

OPEN (49): 1-Grant Schneider (VA) 2-Ed O’Laughlin (VA), 3/4-Steve Hast (PA) / Matvey “Falafel” Natanzon (Israel/USA), 5/8-Paul Berg (MI) / Matt Cohn-Geier (NV) / Tim Mabee (IL) / Mark Gordon (MD), 9/12-Victor Ashkenazi (NJ) / Ray Fogerlund (NV) / Donny Lomuto (NY) / Alfred Mamlet (MD).  ADVANCED (44): 1-Phyllis Shapiro (MO), 2-Neal Weiner (FL), 3/4-Richard Catalano (PA) / Arthur Sutton (NJ); 1C-LEW Webber (MD), 2C-Cengiz Yakut (PA), 3C/4C-Marcy Kossar (CT) /David Settles; 1LC-Roger Abbey (NY).  NOVICE (10): 1-Pam Dodsworth (PA), 2-Stephen Collins (OH); 1C-Joe Davidson (PA), 2C-Robert Hartley (PA).  PITTSBURGH MASTERS (18): 1-Matvey “Falafel” Natanzon (Israel/USA), 2-Ray Fogerlund (NV), 3/4-Harvey Gillis (WA) / Bob Koca (MD).  ADVANCED JACKPOT (10): 1-Jason Lee (MD), 2-Arthur Sutton (NJ), 3/4-Farhad Forudi (OH) / Peggy Neubig (NJ).  THURSDAY 500 (8): 1-Victor Ashkenazi (NJ), 2-Ray Fogerlund (NV).

 We have also made the very prolific Phil Simborg our Facebook Editor, and he has begun posting, almost every day, an interesting position for discussion, an interesting fact or quote or tip about backgammon, interesting pictures, and other discussion items.  

 As some of you may know, Phil has been posting a “position of the day” every day for the last several years on his teaching web site, www.thebackgammonlearningcenter.com, and he has agreed to stop doing it there and doing his very interesting and educational positions on the USBGF Web Site with links on Facebook to let you know when they are posted, as well as some positions directly on Facebook.

Phil is backed up by a team of volunteers that will be posting timely updates and results for current tournaments while they are in progress, links to live streaming of matches, schedules of major international and collegiate matches and events happening on line, and other current information you will find interesting.  Our thanks to Karen Davis, Perry Gartner, Rochelle Hasson, Richard Munitz, Justin Nunez, Rynell Nunez, and Joe Russell, for their help in keeping the Facebook page updated and interesting.

With Facebook, you can also post your comments and questions for Phil, or any of our members to answer or consider.  It’s an exciting, informative, fun place to read and share ideas with the rest of our members and the many visitors to Facebook.  If you haven’t already done so, do sign up at www.facebook.com/USBGF and urge your friends to sign up as well! 

Don’t forget to get the Facebook app for your Smart Phones so you can keep up with us when you’re on the go!

Jeremy Bagai (left) and Matt Cohn-Geier at Burning Man (Photo by Chris Berkman)

The U.S. Backgammon Federation presents the January-February 2012 issue of its bi-monthly electronic magazine, PrimeTime Backgammon. In it, you’ll find articles by leading backgammon players and authors.

Selected contents include:

• Paul Weaver—The National Internet Championship: A Great New Concept
• Art Benjamin and Bob Koca— Mathematics and Backgammon Mini-Course
• Steve Sax—Burning Men: the 2011 Las Vegas Open
• Phil Simborg—How Do You Stack Up Against the Giants?
• Mary Hickey—Starting Off Right
• Karen Davis—NY Metropolitan Open and USBGF National Championship

USBGF News:

• Justin Nunez and Joe Russell—2012 USBGF National Club Team Championship
• Joe Russell and Phil Simborg—2012 USBGF National Backgammon Collegiate Team Championship
• Mellen and Nunez Join USBGF Board of Directors
• Richard Munitz—USBGF Rating and Stats System: An Update
• Barry Silliman—The Leading U.S. Tournament Players
• 2011 USBGF Awards
• Notice of Annual Membership Meeting of the USBGF
• Founding Sponsors
• Upcoming U.S. Backgammon Scheduled Events
• November-December 2011 Tournament Results
• Perry Gartner—Update on the US Backgammon Federation

This issue of PrimeTime Backgammon, and other analytic articles, are restricted to Premium, Youth, and Founding Sponsor members. Join now, and you’ll enhance your playing experience—and have more fun! For those of you who have joined, again, many thanks for your confidence in us, and enjoy this 39-page action-packed, fun-filled issue.

Download PrimeTime Backgammon in PDF format

Jeremy Bagai (left) and Matt Cohn-Geier at Las Vegas (photo by Steve Sax)

The USBGF National Internet Championship brought new options for playing competitive backgammon without leaving home! Paul Weaver reports on his experience playing in the largest online U.S. backgammon tournament ever in the latest issue of PrimeTime Backgammon. After a grueling NINE rounds of world class competition with 191 entrants, Dorn Bishop won the Open Division with 2nd place going to Bulgarian, Svilen Todorov. 3rd and 4th place in the Open Division were Frank Frigo and Paul Weaver. Paul shares interesting positions from his matches along the way, as well as his reflections on online vs. live play. The next issue will include interviews with Dorn and Bruce Newberg, who captured the Advanced Division title.

Steve Sax captures the excitement of live tournament play at the Las Vegas Open, and the exciting final match between Burning Men friends Jeremy Bagai and Matt Cohn-Geier. Rynell Nunez streamed matches to an Internet audience for four days, capturing the high points of the New York Metropolitan Open and USBGF National Championship in early January. The issue has photos of winners and staff, and players out on the town seeing the sights and sounds, and enjoying the great food.

You won’t want to miss the upcoming USBGF National Club Team Championship—so round up a team of your fellow local club members and register by March 20 with play to take place on GridGammon starting shortly thereafter. College students should do the same and play in the collegiate team event to be held on Safeharborgames.net on April 21st. Get all the details in this issue of the magazine.

Attracting new players to online and live tournament play is a major goal of the U.S. Backgammon Federation, which sponsored a two-day seminar at the Joint Mathematics Meeting in Boston in early January. Co-instructors Art Benjamin and Bob Koca report on their two-day mini-course for math students, educators, and professionals, with a snippet captured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.

Richard Munitz encourages tournament players at every level to check out their ratings and stats on the USBGF website, and outlines plans for new features made possible through a non-exclusive license granted to USBGF by programming wizard Michael Darooge, creator of backgames.org. Barry Silliman, USBGF Ratings Editor, has updated the Leader Board, with ABT rankings at the end of 2011, and USBGF Elo ratings for Open, Advanced, and Novice divisions based on ABT/USBGF tournament play since 2009.

If you’re not yet a member of USBGF, or your membership has expired, sign up now and join the fun. You’ll enhance your playing experience—and enjoy this 39-page action-packed issue.

This month’s  topic is “BEARING OFF”.  USBGF teaching pro Phil Simborg provides some key Rules of Thumb for bearing off and shows you actual positions and examples using eXtremeGammon  software.  Click the title link to play the WebEx recording of the lecture:   “BEARING OFF”

You can also access this month’s lecture under the heading LEARN: http://usbgf.org/learn-backgammon/monthly-lecture-series-2/

ADVANCED (20): 1-Judy Field (MI), 2-Lawrence Wilson (CO); 1C-Abby Biss (New Zealand), 2C-Eric Hiner (MN); 1LC-Jonathan Leusden (UT).

NOVICE (22): 1-Dan Burke (NM), 2-Erik Sawyer (NM); 1C-Gina Hartwick (NM), 2C-Andrew Wice (NM); 1LC finals to be played Tuesday: Phyllis Wieland (NM) vs. Daniel Roybal (NM).

SANTA FE MASTERS JACKPOT (16): 1-Kit Woolsey (CA), 2-Matvey “Falafel” Natanzon (Israel/USA), 3/4-Mike Senkiewicz (NY) / Neil Kazaross (IL)

ROADRUNNER ADVANCED JACKPOT (16): 1/2-James Bray (TX) / Greg Kurrell (CO).

DOUBLES (16): 1-Frank Talbot (MI) & Phyllis Wieland (NM), 2-Jack Lewin (NY) & Leonard Fink (NY).

CENTENNIAL JACKPOT (8): 1-Fran Goldfarb (NY), 2-David Wilshin (AZ)

Let’s also give a round of applause to the Finalists of the Intermediate and Advanced Divisions. Joe Roth won the Intermediate, with Evren Koptur coming in 2nd Place. Semifinalists were Carol McGannon and Kat Denison. Bruce Newberg won the Advanced, with Angelo Wilson coming in 2nd Place. Simifinalists were Leon Marzillier and Peter Kasturas.

The finalists and semi finalists in all Divisions will receive USBGF certificates signed by the Tournament Directors, as well as have their names and photos displayed permanently on the USBGF website Hall of Fame. The winners of each division will also receive a qualifying spot in the 2012 USBGF National Championship Playoff, bypassing the qualifying brackets of 8.

Congratulations to all of you on a fine performance against tough competition! We hope to see you all again in next year’s tournament.

2011 was the first USBGF National Backgammon Collegiate Championship event with 8 teams competing. UCLA beat Northwestern in a very close and exciting final.  UCLA was coached by Joe Russell with help from Justin Nunez and Steve Sax and included Dan Ben-Moshe, Joe Roth, and Ashim Ahuja. Northwestern was coached by David and Lyle Rubin with help from Phil Simborg and included Naveed Heydari, Uri Magaram, Kerem Taskin, and Michael Harper.  Most of the participants were beginners at the beginning of the year, but in the actual event, which was on line (and monitored), several matches were played at Personal Ratings in the “expert” range. Third and fourth place teams were: Indiana University and Princeton. Fifth through eight place went to: Clemson, Harvey Mudd, a second Northwestern team, and Yale.

The USBGF will also mount a collegiate singles competition that will run during the months of March and April. Scholarships will be awarded to first and second place ($300 and $100, respectively). Matches will be 3 point matches. The singles competition has been established primarily to give individual students at schools that do not yet have clubs fully established and are not able to field a team.

Help us meet the fantastic interest in forming backgammon clubs at colleges! For those who would be interested in helping to form and/or coach a club at a college, high school, or elementary school in your local area, please contact Phil Simborg, USBGF Education Adviser at psimborg@sbcglobal.net. Donate used boards by sending to Phil Simborg USBGF Education Adviser, 1230 N. State Parkway, apt. 6C, Chicago IL  60610 (312-543-0522) or contacting Phil. Or make a tax-deductible donation to the U.S. Backgammon Foundation by sending a check in any amount, made out to the U.S. Backgammon Foundation, to Karen Davis, Treasurer, 4838 Laurel Hill Place, Toledo, Ohio 43614. Donations in 2012 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a challenge grant of up to $10,000 donated to the U.S. Backgammon Foundation.  

Since this program began in 2010, over 130 college students and 50 faculty members have been in direct contact with Phil to discuss playing backgammon or starting a club.  This is the future of backgammon, and your support is essential.  We also owe much of the success of this program to the over 30 USBGF members around the country who have volunteered their time and skill to help start clubs and coach the students.

Perry Gartner, President and Executive Director of USBGF, noted: “The U.S. Backgammon Federation is fortunate to have Steve Mellen and Justin Nunez as members of the Board of Directors. Steve Mellen brings great judgment, legal expertise, and experience to the Board. Justin Nunez is also an important addition, and serves as co-director of USBGF online tournaments, Local Club Director and Match Director. He brings important insight into the interests of a new generation of backgammon players.”

Steven E. Mellen is a partner of the New York office of the law firm Winget, Spadafora & Schwartzberg, LLP, focusing his practice on securities and commercial litigation. Steve has more than 15 years of experience as a tournament backgammon player. He is a former Player of the Year at the Chicago Bar Point Club, and his tournament victories include the Georgia Peach Cup, the Pittsburgh Memorial Cup, and the Masters title at the Michigan Summer Backgammon Championships. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Jillian, and their two children.

Justin Nunez hails from Southern California: he was born and raised in San Diego, and currently resides in Los Angeles with his new bride, Rynell. He is a member of the USBGF Board of Directors, the USBGF Editorial Board, and serves as the USBGF Local Club Director and Recorded Matches Director. He also serves as Co-Tournament Director (with fellow BOD member, Joe Russell) for USBGF’s Online Tournament Series, having successfully directed two online events thus far in 2011, with several more in the pipeline for 2012. Justin also had his live tournament directorial debut in San Diego in September 2011, having steered the Swiss-formatted Vietor Cup Invitational to a successful completion. As a player, Justin is very active on GridGammon, under the nickname nightmare73. He also competes live at the Championship level. In 2011, he failed only once in reaching at least the final four in either the Open or Masters events in the six ABT tournaments he has attended. Previous noteworthy results include: finalist in the Championship Division at the 2010 Los Angeles Open, winner of the Limited Jackpot at the 2009 Las Vegas Open, and winner of the Championship Open Consolation bracket at the 2008 Nevada State Open (his first attempt there in this division). Justin’s new bride, Rynell, whose support he would be lost without, is also very active within the backgammon community, having served on staff numerous times at ABT events with Patrick Gibson, Chiva Tafazoli, and Lynn Ehrlich, as well as spearheading Tournament Internet Reporting and Live Streaming efforts for the USBGF.

So Captains, mark your calendars, read and understand the terms of contest spelled out below, and send in your Team Registration emails to clubs@usbgf.org no later than March 20, 2012. You will find there is no entry fee, but the traveling trophy will be awarded to the first place team and certificates will be awarded to players of the top four teams at the USBGF awards dinner on June 9 in Los Angeles. Photos of winning team players will be featured on the USBGF Hall of Fame website page and the July-August 2012 issue of PrimeTime Backgammon electronic magazine. There are a just a handful of easy hoops that each player, three-person team, and local club must jump through to qualify for this event.  You won’t find more fun, prestige, and recognition anywhere else!

Details are available on the usbgf.org website under the Events tab.