Olympiad News asked Chief Arbiter Haig Kessedjian, who runs the National Backgammon Players Society, about the growing backgammon scene in the UK and overseas. Well, although I have been based in the UK for about 30 years, I was born in Egypt, where there is a very strong backgammon tradition. Nowadays I run my own small construction company, playing backgammon and organising tournaments in my spare time. We have had a fantastic response from both newcomers who have read about the event in the national press and from experienced players who are delighted to find something going on. We had about 90 players here on the first two days and are anticipating many more at the weekend.
Most players join associations and societies and play in local events.
There are dozens of small groups around the country, but not as many as for chess and bridge. Yes, more and more. The highlight of the UK calendar is the national championship, which is held over a weekend and usually attracts around 80 players. This restriction has certainly hampered the development of the game over here. Yes, the most prestigious tournament is the annual World Championship in Monte Carlo, which has been held for about 20 years.