Backgammon Club Keeps Growing
May 29, 2006
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Times Community Newspaper – of Greater Dayton
5/25/2006 2:30:00 PM
By SARAH FOSTER
Special Writer
Roger Foster of Enon, founder of the Miami Valley Backgammon Club, has been playing the game for 25 years.
ENON – For those who want to kick back, relax, or try a new hobby while beating the summer heat then backgammon may be the game for you.
There is a backgammon club in the area called the Miami Valley Backgammon Club. Roger Foster of Enon founded the club in February of 2002.
“I wanted to have a local club because it is fun to play on boards with people instead of online,” said Roger Foster.
Foster also said that he wanted to play closer to home, since there were no backgammon groups in the area. There are two other clubs in Columbus and Cleveland. He also added that he started the club because of his interest in backgammon.
“I love playing the game because it is such a relaxing thing and helps me unwind.”
The club has monthly tournaments at the Dayton Marriott. The tournaments are held on the second Sunday of each month. The attendance varies at the tournaments, with as many as 12-13 players. In March there were 10 players, said Foster.
Each year there is a Player of the Year Award. This award is based on tournament standings throughout the year.
In the future, Foster hopes to hold a charity tournament that would benefit a local charity.
Foster hopes to see more players come out to the monthly tournaments. In June there will be a free tournament offered. For details, email mvbackgammon@woh.rr.com
Tom Siebold, a backgammon player in the club from Yellow Springs, started playing the game 26 years ago. He learned from his brother.
After learning how to play, Siebold taught a colleague that he used to work with. Although his friend lives in California now, the two still play when they visit each other.
“It’s a good way to spend time with friends. Ladies talk at the kitchen table to catch up, while I play backgammon,” he said.
His favorite things about backgammon include “the combination of luck and skill involved in the game and having a good time hanging out with the guys.”
Jasmine Skapik, a Scotland native, also enjoys the game. She has been playing for 22 years and started in a Greek tavern in Scotland. She and her husband Mark live in Beavercreek, and are new players in the club.
The biggest difference between backgammon in Scotland and America is how noisy the atmosphere is.
“It is much noisier over in Scotland,” Skapik said, who plays in two leagues online.
Backgammon is a two-person game that many may not be familiar with. It is one of the oldest board games around. The game was invented during the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman eras, but didn’t gain popularity in the United States until the 1970s. Today it can even be played online against players across the world.
It is a game full of strategy, but it is not very difficult to learn. It is a game for all ages to play. If you enjoy chess or bridge, you will probably like backgammon.
Backgammon is played on a board with alternate colorings. It is played with pieces called checkers and two pairs of dice. The object of the game is to get all of your checkers to the opposite end of the board and then begin bearing them off. The first player to bear off all of his or her 15 checkers wins the game. Matches consisting of multiple games are common.
For more information about becoming a member email Foster at mvbackgammon@woh.rr.com.
Recent Survey – Playing Backgammon Helps to Protect your Brain
May 29, 2006
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Recent Survey – Playing Backgammon Helps to Protect your Brain
NewswireToday – /newswire/ – Limassol, Cyprus, Greece, 05/26/2006 – Recent research shows that playing backgammon, whether it is online backgammon or the board game, can help protect brain deterioration, and also prevent various brain related deceases.
A recent survey, conducted by 1on1backgammon.com, and which was concluded mid May 2006, has found that players of online backgammon feel considerable improvement in their mental and cognitive skills. One regular player added a note to his questionnaire stating that “since I started playing backgammon, I’m much sharper as a lawyer.”
Scientists have been trying to figure out the link between playing mind games such as backgammon and maintaining a healthy brain function. Various studies serve to show that people who are intellectually active are less likely to have mental deterioration as they age. These studies prove that without continuing exercise to the brain, the thinking functions do not maintain their strength.
The Backgammon-brain connection is concise and appears in a recent study in the journal Neurology, back in December 2004. The study demonstrated that playing backgammon and other intellectually stimulating activities helps prevent symptoms of Alzheimer disease.
In another study, published June 2003 in the NY times, 469 people aged 75 and older were tested for various types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Those who participated at least twice a week in playing backgammon games were significantly less likely to develop dementia.
The studies and survey that we depicted in the article all serve to show the same basic connection between playing backgammon and improving your brain function. Even though backgammon is beneficial for your health, the main reason most people state as their prime cause for participating in backgammon games is the fun they derive out of it. This has been aparant throughout backgammon thousands of years of history and will continue on in the future.
Agency / Source: 1on1backgammon.com
SPILL GROUP and GameAccount Launch GammonTournaments.com
May 18, 2006
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SPILL GROUP and skill game provider GameAccount have joined forces to launch the next generation in online Backgammon. GameAccount’s browser-based GammonTournaments.com requires minimal download effort, which unlike other online backgammon games, can be played immediately. Furthermore, GammonTournaments.com has been designed to appeal to the broadest range of players, from recreational newcomers to the more serious experienced player.
[ClickPress, Fri May 12 2006] The site’s target demographic is both men and women. The multiplayer games will offer several options, including ‘MoneyPlay’ and ‘MatchPlay’ scoring formats. GameAccount also offers single players the opportunity to play against revolutionary “playerbots” of all skill levels.
Backgammon is a hugely popular global parlour game that has migrated successfully online. Hundreds of thousands of people enjoy a game of virtual Backgammon and are willing to pay to take their chances at winning money prizes. The idea of creating GammonTournaments.com came naturally to the SPILL GROUP and GameAccount – who have empowered players to stake up to as much as EUR 250, potentially pocketing nearly twice as much in winnings.
GameAccount’s Backgammon games are designed to maximize speed in order to meet players’ needs for fast results. GammonTournament’s games are classified as skill games and will therefore be distributed across all Spill Group’s portals.
Players can compete worldwide, owing to the fact that the GameAccount technology platform can seamlessly handle all multi-currency and multilingual features required by the SPILL GROUP. Another convenient advantage is GammonTournaments.com ability to offer several reputable and secure payment methods for customers.
“Choosing GameAccount as partner for setting up GammonTournaments.com was relatively easy, because we continue to work together very successfully. GameAccount is well known for their ability to provide high quality skill games and we are delighted to expand our cooperation,” said Reinout te brake, Marketing & Business Development Director of SPILL GROUP.
About Spill Group
The Dutch holding company SPILL GROUP was founded in 2001 and has subsidiaries in Europe and Asia. Its aim is to become the biggest source of the best games for PC and mobile devices. Currently, the company develops and runs more than thirty gaming portals in eight European countries as well as China, Malaysia and India. 1.5 million unique visitors a day look for gaming enjoyment on the SPILL GROUP portals. The portfolio contains 3.000 online games of all genres – skill games, casual games and fun games. The portals are kept simple and are specifically designed for every country. Those wanting to play a game do not need to register, but can start right away.
For more information on Spill Group, please visit www.spillgroup.com.
About GameAccount
GameAccount is the #1 skill gaming provider for sportsbook, casino and poker operators seeking a single-wallet Skill Gaming solution. The company’s proven portfolio of dynamic games attracts recreational gamers and is the perfect vehicle to build and sustain a broad user audience. GameAccount powers leading online partners such as Victor Chandler, Racing Post, Sportingbet, Betcorp, Paddypower, SkyBet, FHM and Wanadoo.
GameAccount’s Financial Services Platform supports full multilingual white-label solutions with seamless login and real-time exchange rates. Multiplayer games include Gin Rummy, Pool and Backgammon. Competitions include the world’s largest knockout tournament and progressive jackpots.
