June

As the June tournament was going on, The #1 and #2 playoff points leaders were duking it out in the finals of the NEBC Championship. Herb Gurland earned the win, winning 3 matches to 1 in the best of five 9 point match series. Congratulations Herb! And well done to all players who earned a spot in the playoffs. Next season’s battle for NEBC Champion starts in September. See you there!

11 players competed in the final tournament of the 2010-2011 season. Anne Bidner took first place by beating Eric Wicklund. Matt Reklaitis, a frequent casher this year took first place in the consolation round.

May

17 players showed up to compete in the May 2011 bonus points tournament — a good turnout for this time of the year. It bodes well for the June tournament and for next season. When the dust settled, Herb Gurland came out on top, besting Ed Ahola in the 15 point final match. With that win, Herb clinched the top spot in the points race, giving him a first round bye in the playoff tournament. Semi-finalists were Greg Jukins and Phil Perelmuter. Over in the consolation finals, it was Dan Chicoine over Marty Storer.

April

20 players contended this month, with Alex Zamanian emerging victorious for the second month in a row, defeating Karl Von Laudermann in the main flight; semifinalists were Greg Jukins and Herb Gurland. In the consolation finals, David Cox beat Doug Roberts.

Congratulations to Karl and David for thier very respectable finishes!

With this win, Alex buffers his lead for the top spot in the points race over Herb. Alex now leads by nearly 100 points, which is how many bonus points the winner of the May tournament will receive, meaning that while Alex is clearly the favorite, Herb can still overcome him.

And Alex has reason to be more than a little concerned, since Herb is playing top notch backgammon right now …

While popular wisdom may dictate that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, there was one occurence in the City of Sin recently of which all members of this club should be aware: the Nevada State Backgammon Tournament was held in mid-April, and the New England Backgammon Club was well represented by one of our own who took home the championship of this prestigious ABT (American Backgammon Tour) event, besting 52 other players in the championship division.

Congratulations Herb Gurland, Nevada State Backgammon Champion!

March

We had 16 players this month, including one newcomer – a hearty welcome to Peter Hildebrand!

Alex Zamanian defeated Greg Jukins in the finals of the main flight, semifinalists were Matt Reklaitis and Roger Rondeau. Tom O’Riordan prevailed over Joe LaRochelle in the consolation finals.

With this win, Alex regains the top spot in the points race over Herb, continuing what has been a heated duel for the leader’s position between the seasoned veterans.

The consolation finals yielded some interesting results as well, with Joe Rochelle finishing with bonus points in only his second club apearance, and Tom O’Riordan breaking into the top 7 list for the first time this season, proving that showing up every month has it’s advantages!

The next tournament is Saturday, April 9th. Hope to see everyone at the Dockside enjoying good food, good friends, and spirited backgammon action!

February

24 players turned out to compete, our biggest field in many years. There were several new players- David Cox, Alexandria Dinome, Brian Foley, and Joe LaRochelle, as well as the return of a veteran club member from a good few years ago – BoMo. A hearty welcome to all new players! Looking forward to seeing you again!

In the competition this month, Herb Gurland defeated Greg Jukins in the finals of the Main; semifinalists were Tom O’Riordan and John Smidt. Matt Reklaitis beat Mark Houser in the Consolation finals.

The next tournament is Saturday, March 12th. Spring can be cold and wet in Boston! Stay dry and warm instead, while enjoing some hearty camaraderie, good food, the drink of your choice, and top notch backgammon competition! Hope to see everyone at the Dockside for the March tourney!

January

We had a good turnout of 20 players. Matt Reklaitis beat Phyllis Seidel in the finals of the Main; semifinalists were Gil Evans and Roger Rondeau. Ed Ahola defeated Howard Rosenthal in the Consolation finals.

The next tournament is Saturday, February 12th. Come take a respite from the cold of winter and enjoy some warm camaraderie, good food and drink, and torrid backgammon competition! Hope to see everyone there!

December

We had 17 players, including two newcomers- Evo Ivanov and John Batista. Alex Zamanian beat Karl Von Laudermann in the finals of the Main; the semi-finalists were Dave Brown and Tom O’Riordan. Phyllis Seidel defeated Jim McKenna in the Consolations finals.

November

We had a good crowd of 21 players for our Bonus event, including several new players- Gints Aldins, Ross Gordon, and Rob McKean. Gil Evans beat Greg Jukins in the finals, with Yan Friedman and Herb Gurland in the semifinals. Alex Zamanian defeated Jacob Mashak to win the Consolation.

October

13 players turned out for the October tournament, where Herb Gurland continued his winnng way, defeating former club champion Gil Evans in the finals of the main flight. Phyliis Seidel and Jim McKenna were the semi-finalists. In the consolation finals, Alex Zamanian defeated Phyllis.

The next tournament is a bonus tournament with longer matches and extra points up for grabs! This is a great opportunity to improve your place in the standings (see below). Hope to see everyone there on Saturday, Nov. 20th at noon.

As Alex would say, “Bring the Herb-icide!”

September

The first tournament of the season kicked off with a solid field of 19 players, including five new ones: Alex Bobiak, Phil Bauer, Arkady Kuperman, Marcy Kossar, and Randi Schalet. Welcome and many happy returns!

In the finals of the main flight, Herb Gurland beat Matt Reklaitis, with Jacob Mashak and Eric Wicklund making the semis-finals. In the consolation flight, Marcy Kossar defeated Ed Ahola.