Remember Kevin Jessup, the first winner of Play65 $200 bonus? Well, for the festive occasion of winning Play65 backgammon quiz first quarterly draw, we had a little chat with Kevin on playing backgammon online and in live tournaments, winning Play65 bonuses and more.

"Winning Play65 quiz was certainly a great surprise", Kevin says at the beginning of our conversation, and then goes down memory lane: "I first became aware of Play65 when playing in FIBS tournaments that are organized by David Escoffrey. An advertisement for Play65 comes up as you are about to log off and I was directed to the site from there. I think this was about 3 years ago." 

Q: When did you first start playing backgammon?

Kevin: "I first started to play backgammon in 1981…I live in Melbourne, Australia and one weekend went to special festivities conducted in central Melbourne on what is known as Moomba weekend.The Melbourne Backgammon Club was represented at this festival and had a promotion called “Beat the Champ”.I barely knew the game but beat the Champ and was intrigued to go along to the Club nights where I progressively learnt how to play the game."

On Playing Backgammon Tournaments Live:

"I have been to many live backgammon tournaments. There were many conducted all around Australia in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. For many years I was an executive member of the backgammon club in Melbourne and we conducted two major tournaments each year from around 1985 to 1992. I was fortunate to win a large tournament that was conducted at Wrest Point Casino in Hobart, Tasmania. 

Coincidentally, I have just returned from competing in the 2008 Australian Backgammon Championship conducted in Queensland at Surfers Paradise during last weekend. This is the first major tournament run in Australia for many years and there were about 60 participants." 

On his Collection of Backgammon Boards:

"At last count I think there are about four or five backgammon boards in my house. Back in the 1980’s I traveled to Hong Kong on a number of occasions where I purchased a couple of leather backgammon boards.  More recently I purchased a hand crafted leather board from England complete with mother of pearl pieces – I am very proud to show off this set. I also have quite a library of backgammon books that have been published over the past 20 years or so."

  Example of a Mosaic Backgammon & Chess Board with Mother of Pearl

Online Backgammon vs. Live Backgammon

"I have no preference and like to play either face to face or online. Online has the great advantage of a constant instant pip count. Face to face you can start to read your opponent and probably more quickly work out their game style – maybe a little like poker." 

Playing Online Backgammon from Australia

"Living in Melbourne is a disadvantage because of the time zones.  I generally play on Play65 at night-time our time, which is around 9.00am to Midday GMT, although there are not so many people online at that time. I like to participate in the big tourneys at 20.00 GMT but this means being online at 6.00 a.m. my time, which can be a bit of a challenge at times. "

And finally, Kevin’s advice to new backgammon players:

"When you first learn the game try to play as much as you can with players who are more experienced than you and get them to explain why they make moves in the manner that they do.  Then seek out and read any backgammon books that you can find as these will broaden your knowledge on the finer points of the game."

Two Play65 players got extra bonuses this week: the winner of last week’s backgammon quiz and the winner of the first quarterly bonus who was rewarded with a $200 bonus.

First, the answer to last week’s quiz - asking about the only three-times European backgammon champion - is François Tardieu. The French backgammon player, number 3 on the Giants of Backgammon list 2005-2007, has been playing backgammon seriously for over 20 years. Recently, he made some headlines in the poker world, winning the Partouche Poker Tour Super Satellite and qualifying for the Main Event scheduled to September.

The winner of the $200 quarterly bonus draw is a veteran Australian player known as KevinJessup who has been playing backgammon on Play65 since August 2008 and was recently named the winner of the 4th backgammon quiz after knowing that Kylie Minogue is the singer who was caught playing backgammon at the luxurious Pikes Hotel in San Antonio, Ibiza.

You still got a chance to win the next $200 quarterly bonus. Start by answering the current week’s quiz: what is emotional backgammon?

Backgammon quiz no. 13 went online yesterday, so if you have a clue about the backgammon player who won the European Backgammon Championship 3 times, you can submit your answer. It also indicates that 12 weeks have passed since the first backgammon quiz, which means that the promised $200 quarterly draw (in which one of the 12 past winners will be rewarded with a $200 bonus) is due any minute now. 

As for last week’s backgammon quiz, asking about a 2008 movie with a famous real money backgammon game behind its scenes, the answer is Mad Money. Directed by Callie Khouri with performances by Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah, the crime comedy about three Federal Reserve who plan to steal money from their workplace wasn’t appraised by the critics, but still did well in the box offices. Here is the movie trailer:

Play65 new backgammon quiz is up. This week’s question is about a real money backgammon game held at the set of a 2008 movie. The backgammon game caused an actor named Adam Rothenberg to lose lots of money to his colleague Roger Cross. The movie, dealt with three Federal Reserve female workers who planned to steal money that was subject to destruction. If you recall the name of the movie (which isn’t such a difficult task – first, cause it is a rather new movie and secondly, because you have four options to choose from), you can submit the answer and even win $20 bonus!

Last week’s backgammon quiz was about a crime incident where a Greek cop was caught and arrest during a backgammon game for an alleged 2004 crime. The crime was not an illegal parking at a bus stop, not illegal fishing and even not stealth of an ambulance. The 23 years old cop’s backgammon game was stopped for a much trivial crime – bank robbery. crys_cos of Romania is the winner of this Play65 quiz and $20 bonus, and along of the rest of the winners, he will take part in the quarterly $200 bonus draw.

 

The 11th backgammon quiz, online since yesterday, brings up an odd story from 2004, directed indirectly to backgammon. Once upon a time in 2004, a local policeman was arrested in Patras, Greece while playing backgammon. The quiz asks about the cause of his arrest – was it due to an act of illegal parking, bank robbery, illegal fishing or stealing of an ambulance? If you know the answer, submit it and get into the weekly $20 bonus draw. 

Last week’s Play65 quiz brought up an even odder seeming story. As you may recall, it asked about a film festival in which a Salt Backgammon Tournament was held in the company of a huge salt backgammon sculpture. The right answer was Venice film festival, but it is only part of the answer.

Salt Backgammon Tournament

The Salt Backgammon Tournament, or "Una Notte di Sale" in Italy’s local language, was part of an installation made by Bettina Werner, a New York artist who is recognized with her salt crystal works of art. 

The Salt Backgammon Tournament took place during the 2005 Venice Film Festival at the ancient monastery in the Lido of Venice in the presence of some of Werner’s creations: huge backgammon board and dice composed of Sicilian salt. The winner of the special VIP backgammon tournament, the American shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, took home a $5,000 salt sculpture of a backgammon board.

The 2005 Venice Film Festival Salt Backgammon Tournament wasn’t the first time Bettina Werner artworks were involved in a backgammon competition, as equipment as well as the top prize. The artist has been making backgammon boards out of salt since 1994; since then, she was involved in several charity backgammon tournaments in which her famed salty boards were offered as a trophy.

Play65 backgammon quiz is starting its 10th week! And you thought it wouldn’t last! The 10th backgammon quiz is about an interesting backgammon event happened in 2005 (September 3, to be exact) as part of a film festival with a king-sized-bed-sized-sculpture made of salt. Do you know which film festival hosted the Salt Backgammon Tournament? If you do, don’t hesitate to submit your answer.

Last week’s backgammon quiz asked about the meaning of the Chinese backgammon variant Shan-liu. The correct answer was double six and the lucky winner whose online account is now $20 richer is sepo22 of Erevan, Armenia.

"CHARMEDONE75" of Bakersfield, California is the winner of Play65 8th quiz and the first woman to ever win the desirable $20 bonus!

The right answer to last week’s question (asking about the painter who included a backgammon board in his "The Triumph of Death" painting of 1562) is Pieter Bruegel. "The Triumph of Death", currently exhibited at the Prado Museum in Madrid, is a macabre masterpiece, which depicts on top of a deserted backgammon board, a herd of skeletons ambushing the living people and executing their deaths, either by drowning, throat-slitting, burring alive, etc.

 The Triumph of Death – on the right bottom: a backgammon board

The new quiz on Play65 asks about the meaning of the ancient Chinese backgammon variant called "Shan-liu". Does "Shan-liu" means battle on the board, twenty four triangles, hit and run or double six? If you know the answer, you might find yourself $20 richer next week, and if you don’t, be bold and take a wild guess; when worse comes to worse you might just not win!

And finally, a tribute to our first female winner:

California Girls by The Beach Boys: Oldies but Goldies

In this week’s backgammon quiz, a little bit of background in the history of art will bring you nearer to the weekly $20 bonus and/or the quarterly $200 bonus. The question is: who painted the backgammon board shown on the 1562 "The Triumph of Death"? If you are still unfamiliar with the drill, go visit play65 backgammon quiz rules.

Last week’s backgammon question wondered about a royalty member who had organized the first ever major European tournament in Monte Carlo. The answer is Prince Alexis Obolensky and the winner is a lucky Play65 member of Bulgaria.

Prince Alexis Obolensky is seen as the father of modern backgammon, whom under his influence backgammon flourished in the USA and worldwide in the 1970s. Before organizing the European backgammon tournament in Monte Carlo in 1973, the Prince had set up the first significant international tournament in the Bahamas in 1964. As the president of the World Backgammon Club, Prince Alexis Obolensky took care of organizing large backgammon events decorated with everybody who is somebody in the social elite, and promoting modern backgammon worldwide.

The 7th backgammon quiz in Play65 series of quizzes is online since yesterday and dozens of eager backgammon players are pressing submit madly. This week’s question is rather easy: who had organized the first major European backgammon tournament in 1973 in Monte Carlo?   

The answer to last week’s backgammon question is Greece. Greece is the country where the backgammon variation Fevga is played. Fevga is one of the three board games belong to the Tavli family of games (the other two are Portes and Plakoto). Fevga is considered the most challenging game of all Tavli games. Fevga is played on a standard backgammon board with regular checkers and dice (yet without the doubling cube). Click here to learn how to play Fevga.

And a special bonus: "Nude backgammon with swimsuit models"

Where will you play a backgammon variant called Fevga? If you know the right answer, fill in Play65 6th backgammon quiz and what do you know – you might win $20 bonus.

(And if you don’t know the answer, learning how to say backgammon in different languages can get you closer to the desired bonus).

At the same opportunity, you might like to know the correct answer to last week’s backgammon quiz. 15. If you have two checkers left to bear off and win the game, one on your 6 point, and the second on your 1 point, then in 15 of the possible 36 rolls you’ll be able to bear off both checkers.