A few places remain for the second annual Lake District backgammon championship will be staged at Windermere’s Cedar Manor Hotel in March.
Reigning champion Graeme Turner from Newcastle has already booked a place to defend his title on Sunday March 8.
The inaugural contest last year drew players from all over Britain and led to the formation of a Lake District club which meets monthly. There has been an enthusiastic response to this year’s event, with just a few places remaining.
Turner, a commercial banker who had taken up serious competition only a year previously, defeated Edinburgh’s Ian Hesketh after knocking out the then current British open champion Martin Barkwill in an earlier round. He carried off £100 in prize money, and a free weekend at the Cedar Manor,
A 16 year old Cumbrian schoolgirl, Kate Watton, from Grange over Sands, reached the semi-finals last year, after defeating the organiser, the Cedar Manor’s Jonathan Kaye, in the first round.
Jonathan said: “We were thrilled by the response for the first championship last year. It was a really exciting day, with some really top class players in action. Backgammon is growing in popularity and our monthly club has seen some terrific competition during the past year.
“But this is an open competition and we hope to see players of all abilities, from beginners to experts. It’s a really relaxed environment in which to gain competition experience.”
Anyone interested should call 015394 43192 as soon as possible.
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