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For now, I think Keene got it right

Posted By: phil simborg
Date: Thursday, 17 April 2014, at 12:06 p.m.

In Response To: It's time we had our own "Grand Slam" (phil simborg)

After reading all the posts and thinking about it, it's clear that we don't all agree on what should be used to designate a Grand Slam event. We never will. And until there is an official ruling body to make such a designation, it will not happen.

While there is disagreement on what criteria should be used, I didn't hear any disagreement about my basic premise and reason for making the post: that it would be good for the game to have major events have some kind of special designation and recognition. It would make for more interest, publicity, and hopefully that would also increase participation and eventually attract sponsors. We all know that is the major element missing from backgammon. What will attract sponsors? Many things, but greater interest and greater participation are key.

In the meantime, as Keene suggested, while we might not be able to agree on what should be a grand slam event, it isn't that difficult to say that an event with X number of players in the Open can be considered a "major" event.

Keene used 100, but that's extremely limiting and arbitrary. Why not 64? That's a full field with no byes (even if it is a Swiss movement, 64 is a logical cutoff).

So, this is how things evolve...and they probably evolved this same way in Golf and Tennis before they had official designators...people thought of the biggest events as majors and eventually they became part of their grand slam. And it wasn't always about how much money or how many days or players, it was also about history (like the Masters and British Open).

So, I'm going to call every tournament in the world that gets 64 players in the Open a "Major" and eventually, the very biggest of the bunch, with the most money and most top international players in attendance, can evolve into the Grand Slam of Backgammon.

Can anyone ever win a Grand Slam in Backgammon? I think the odds of it happening in a single year are astronomical, but I believe in a lifetime, it is certainly possible that someone could win the top 4 events in Backgammon, and it would sure be an interesting story.

Also, I think my other idea of anyone who wins a "major" in the past 5 or 7 or 10 years or whatever gets to compete in a Tournament of Champions and this tournament can be made even more special if a small amount from each tournament goes into a prize pool for that event to sweeten the pot.

All things are possible once we get truly organized. The foundations are being laid as more and more countries now have official Federations. All that is left is for the leaders of those federations to come together and form an international alliance to unite the world under a group that can make some general rules and guidelines and designations, not just for uniformity, but also to help create a mass that can work together for more promotion, to share ideas and talent, and to attract major, international sponsorship.

Why hasn't this happened already? Not sure. Are some people afraid of giving up some autonomy? Is it too many big egos in one room? Is it lack of vision? Is it simply laziness? It is NOT that this hasn't been thought of or suggested...I, for one, have been raising this issue for the past 10 years. That's it! It has to be their own idea for it to happen!

It's not brain surgery. Just an email from the head of any one of the major federations to the heads of all the others saying: "Let's form an international group and see if we can agree on one set of rules for the game, and on how to designate major events, and maybe even just a web site to post international rankings, a calendar of all events for all to see, and maybe a committee or two to come up with money and people to help promote the game world-wide and attract sponsors to the game." And maybe each country designates one of their board members and the President to be delegates to this group. Maybe the whole can be bigger than the parts?

Nah. Not worth the trouble.

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