At the end of July, ten members of the Cambridge Backgammon Club travelled to Canterbury to take part in the annual Interclub Tournament. Cambridge was proudly represented by two teams: the Cambridge Blitzers and the Cambridge Primers, while several other club members competed in the individual events throughout the weekend.
The Blitzers got off to a flying start, raising hopes of a deep run in the competition. Unfortunately, those hopes were brought firmly back to earth in round four by the local Peasants, who proved a formidable obstacle. The Primers also battled hard throughout the tournament but found the opposition equally challenging. Results aside, spirits remained high, friendships were strengthened, and everyone agreed it was a fantastic weekend of backgammon. Judging by the post-tournament conversations, the dice are already being polished for next year’s challenge!
Some of the most memorable moments came courtesy of Henry, whose matches had spectators gripped from start to finish. As the clock ticked down to the final seconds and every move carried huge significance, stress levels rose, hearts raced, and more than a few onlookers forgot to breathe.
A special congratulations goes to Chris Palmer, who got the weekend off to the perfect start by winning Friday night’s warm-up event. Here he is proudly posing with his trophy alongside Peter Bennett holding his board.
Or so we’d like you to believe…
In the spirit of the UK Backgammon Federation’s legendary “cutting-edge journalism”, this photograph is actually from the 1981 Varsity Match. Thank you Chris for sharing those memories.
Speaking of Peter Bennett, here is another picture of him crushing without mercy our Cambridge player Andrew Baxter in the Quarter final
A special Thanks to Sean and Matt from East Kent Backgammon Club for organizing this fantastic event in a lovely setup !
Read more on the UKBGF website: https://ukbgf.com/uk-clubs-championships-darwin-college-canterbury-july-26-2026/