Bristol International
Festival of Backgammon
Main Page
23rd-30th August 2006
(Last Update :30/08/06 : Please refresh page)

 Click here for : Daily Report and Official Post-Tournament Report by TD Ian Tarr
 Republished with permission from Bristol Backgammon site

Main Results / Click here for All the Results :
Championship Winner = John Clark Runner-up = Carter Mattig
Championship Consolation winner = Bjarke Skovgaard
Advanced Winner = Miles Farren Advanced Consolation Winner = Roland Herrera
Intermediate Winner = Fiona Oldham Intermediate Consolation = Diane Iveson
Last Chance Winner = Mark Dixon Team Event = 'Cheap & Nasty' Martin Barkwill, John Sprague & Chris Ternel
Consulting Doubles event was won by Neil Davidson and Malcolm Robertson
Warm-Up = Lawrence Powell

Read latest report from Ian Tarr's Bristol Backgammon website

Photos

Recorded Position(s) :

Above: I cubed to win my Advanced flight consolation final. My opponent correctly takes, but unfortunately never gets to make another move.

Pre-Tournament

Links : Download brochure in .pdf format - Download brochure in .pub format
(Please Right click & Save Target as..)
www.bristolfestivalofbackgammon.com

Feedback on the 2005 Wedding Tournament (Bristol Wide-Open):
"I received today the nomination papers for The World Giants and I noticed that of 159 nominated players 9 or 10 were present (25% of the field) at your tournament... a very impressive collection and quite the strongest field ever assembled in the U.K., to my knowledge. Very well done... What a terrific springboard for an annual event?"
John Clark (First British Grandmaster).

The 2006 Bristol International Festival of Backgammon.
Prepare yourself for an overwhelming variety of Backgammon and Poker events which will include both large scale Tournaments, and small scale informal challenges. The Main Backgammon event will be the second instance of the Bristol Wide-Open. Dedicated Poker days, and an exclusive Gala Dinner aboard the S.S. Great Britain (The First Passenger Steamer in the World) are just some of the many features of this spectacular and unique Backgammon Festival. The Festival week will be centred around Clifton, Bristol from Weds. 23rd August - Weds. 30th August 2006 and early planning with bookings & accommodation is advisable, as Bristol is a popular and busy Summer location.

This site will attempt to give you as much information as possible about the tournament itself , as well as practical issues to help you organise your stay including information on local accommodation and travel to and from Bristol. You are not required to attend the whole week, but are welcome to do so. People taking up Goldney Hall accommodation (at a very reasonable cost of around £130-140 (revised figure 14/08/06) for a Wednesday-Wednesday week) will have events to keep them occupied every day. This is a bank holiday weekend and if you can start it on Friday, the main days to really aim for are Fri / Sat / Sun / Mon.

* Please bring a backgammon board with you ! *

The 2006 Festival of Backgammon Committee members :
In order to create a truly remarkable Festival experience a Committee has been formed and is hard at work organising the event. The following members may be contacted for information and help :

2006 Festival of Backgammon : Provisional Program of Events :

The Festival week in more detail : (Subject to revision)

2006 Festival of Backgammon : Venues & Accommodation
Please also consult section on maps

Bristol Wide-Open (Main Event) venue : Artillery Grounds (map), Whiteladies Road, Clifton. parking for 20-25 cars.
Last Chance Venue (Monday) : Clifton College, Preparatory School ; Pre Hall
Gala Dinner (Friday) : S.S. Great Britain, Docks
Student Accommodation Flats : Goldney Hall, Clifton. Accommodation places still available at Goldney Hall (as of 18.8.2006) - Guest Flats direct.
Additional low cost Rooms : The Wellington Hotel (Bristol) Ltd., Proprietor: John Sprague, Tel. 0117 9355 445 Mob: 07977 904 475, Gloucester Road, Horfield, Bristol BS7 8UR.

2006 Festival of Backgammon : Provisional Entry Fees & Registration :

How you can win a free Entry & Registration to the Wide-Open Main event : We encourage Early Booking & Registration to the main event (Wide-Open 2006). If you prepay for your Entry and registration, we will enter you into a draw in which the winner will receive free entry and registration. You have to do this before June 30th 2006. The winner will be refunded the full amount of your entry + registration to the Flight you entered. Warm Up tournament entry is free as soon as you purchase an SS. Great Britain Ticket (hereafter SSGB Ticket).

How to pay your entry fee & registration : There are 3 ways :

1. UK residents can make Cheques payable to "Bristol Festival of Backgammon" and sent to Miles C Farren, 37, Brunel Road, Nailsea, North Somerset, BS48 2FD

2. Bank transfer into our account : Account name = Bristol Festival of Backgammon -  Please confirm with Miles Farren, making sure it is absolutely clear what you are paying for.

3. (N.B. this option has now expired) Oversees residents also have the option of paying via Paypal to email account wps@blueyonder.co.uk -  Paypal customers should kindly add a 4% (was previously thought to be 1%) commission charge (This is Paypal's fee, not mine). Please include your name and contact details.

SS Great Britain (SSGB)

Gala Dinner, Friday evening, on board the Formidable S.S. Great Britain (SSGB Tickets required £50 )
Please note that the Gala Dinner on board the S.S. Great Britain will be totally unique. It celebrates Roland & Simonetta's first Wedding Anniversary. The £1650 hire of this outstanding venue is courtesy of The Bristol Festival of Backgammon's Organising Committee ! The Dinner includes Ship tour, Entertainment, Wine, Disco and excellent food of course !  The Warm-Up finals will be played on board the Ship ! This ship, of historic importance, because it was the first Steam powered Ocean Liner in the World was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (who lived in Bristol and also built the Clifton Suspension bridge (another first) ). Roland Herrera's Uncle, Roger Herrera played a key role in organising and motivating the safe return of the ship in 1970 from the Falkland Islands. Brunel's ss Great Britain, reconstructed and restored to it's present day condition is an invaluable educational resource and an international monument to British invention.

Schedule for the Friday evening :

Dinner Menu :

There will be some contingency dishes for vegetarians. Please let us know beforehand if you are vegetarian. Disabled access available via lift etc.

You can win a free Gala Dinner ticket by booking early too : If you buy your Gala Night ticket for the S.S. Great Britain by 31st June 2006 you will be entered into a draw in which the winner will receive one free ticket (this could be an extra ticket if there are places or a refund of the price of the one already bought.)

Prize Splits for all categories :

Suggested match lengths 9 / 13 / 15 points al the way through

 

Links :

Last Year's Bristol, Wide-Open 2005 : Enter here (Some useful Accommodation tips).
Bristol Backgammon Site Run by Ian Tarr : www.bristol-backgammon.org
British Isles Backgammon Association (BIBA) run by Michael Crane
Gammonitis, set up by Liz Barker and Andrew Sarjeant
Danish Backgammon Federation (DBGF); we follow their rules ; download pdf file in English !
Backgammon Federation.co.uk
Roland's new hobby & new part time profession : Portrait Photography
Roland's BG Page

Maps and Locations

Above : The SS Great Britain. Parking lot £1.10 all day. SS BG Site plan

Above : Artillery Grounds location (look for the white cursor), just off Whiteladies Road, between Oakfield Road and St. Paul's Road. Here is another map in a more traditional style below.

Above : The Black & Red marker indicates the location of Clifton College Prep School, The Avenue (The Ave), Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HE, Tel. 0117 315 7502. This is very close to the zoo (the car park outside the Zoo is very visible by the yellow A4176 Road sign).

Above : The Bristol County Sports Club (BCSC) is where the hand is, along Colston Street, just a little walk up the hill from Colston Hall. It is, in fact, just at the top of the tiny Zed Alley... On a larger scale it is very close to the B.R.I. (The Bristol Royal Infirmary / Hospital). This is the venue for Thursday and Tuesday... especially for Poker players. Thursday evening includes an International Backgammon contest : UK vs Nordic !

Other Sites, activities & things to do around Bristol

Golf

Ashton Court Golf course. Adults = £6, and sets of clubs require a £5 deposit. 5 or 7 Iron. Phone 0117 9738 508 or visit www.cliftoncollegeuk.com

City of Bath

Visit the beautiful nearby city of Bath. Bath, England, is a unique city; its hot springs, Roman Baths, splendid Abbey and Georgian stone crescents have attracted visitors for centuries. Set in rolling Somerset countryside, just over 100 miles west of London, it is a beautiful and unforgettable place to visit.

City of Bristol

Visit Bristol. Bristol is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, 115 miles (185 km) west of London and located at 51°27′14″N, 2°35′48″W. With a population of 400,000, and metropolitan area of 550,000, it is England's sixth, and the United Kingdom's ninth, most populous city, and one of England's core cities. It was chartered as a city in 1155 and county in 1373. For half a millennium it was the second or third largest English city, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham in the Industrial Revolution of the 1780s. It borders on the unitary districts of Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, and has a short coastline on the Bristol Channel.

Ballooning in Bristol

While the Balloon Fiesta ended last week, there may be a chance of a flight with Bristol Balloons. However, beware !... such an event is quite volatile, depending mainly on Weather. Flights cost over £100 each, and if you are in Bristol for a short time, it may not be your most secure choice of event.

Specific sights and places in Bristol

The Clifton Suspension Bridge, spanning the beautiful Avon Gorge, is the symbol of the city of Bristol. For almost 150 years this Grade I listed structure has attracted visitors from all over the world. Its story began in 1754 with the dream of a Bristol wine merchant who left a legacy to build a bridge over the Gorge.

The Durdham Downs : Between them, Clifton and Durdham Downs make up more than 400 acres of grassland stretching from the very cliffs of the Avon Gorge to the edges of the Victorian-built suburbs.

The Clifton Observatory and the Camera Obscura. On a bright Summer's day, if you reach Clifton Observatory by foot, you will not only be rewarded by a spectacular view of Clifton Suspension Bridge, but for £2 per adult, you can climb to the top of Clifton Observatory and manually direct the camera onto any nearby target, to get a projected view of the immediate surroundings. Times from around 10:30 am to 5 pm but may be closed if it is raining or very dull.

@Bristol and the I-Max Movie theatre : 3d Movies with goggles / red & blue glasses. For a timetable of shows click here. Walking on the Moon ; magnificent desolation is showing weekdays at 11:15 am

Email wps@blueyonder.co.uk with questions about Westbury Park Strings
Copyright © 2011 Westbury Park Strings - Last modified: December 19, 2011 10:48