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BGonline.org Forums
Chicago Open Director's Recap
Posted By: rory
Date: Saturday, 4 June 2011, at 4:57 p.m.
I would like to express my sincere thanks for all of the emails and posts here on BGOnline congratulating me and my team for a great tournament.
All the work I have done in the last two years working with Howard on the Chicago Open learning to become a tournament director, the hours spent on the phone with Carol Joy Cole picking her brain and running every stupid to brilliant idea by her, as well as, the discussions I have had with players and directors around the country regarding what decision they would make in X or Y situation was my way of preparing to run my first backgammon tournament.
My love of Backgammon and goal to run a tournament began many years ago. Leslie Van Horn first taught my father and I the game of backgammon when I was just ten or eleven years old. We played nearly every day for a few years. Leslie passed in 1989 but her spirit to play the game continues to live with me today.
Fast forward to 1994 or 1995 when I was about twenty and living in Richmond, VA. I walked into a pool hall, The Side Pocket. In the back there were 2 groups playing backgammon. Two gentlemen were playing for $10 per point and a group of older guys were playing for $3 per point. Having more confidence in my game than most World champions, so of course I joined the guys playing for $10. Those gentlemen were Dennis Culpepper and Greg Lilly. Within an hour I was out $200 and bowed out. I paid my debt and shockingly they gave me $100 back. They told me I was welcome to return and play another day; however they advised that I should play with the other group for $3 and learn from them. In less than six months I was showing a profit. We only played cash games, no matches at all.
My first ABT event was in 1997 at the Beltway Backgammon Championships. I chose to play in the Open Division. The format was double elimination and I lost in the finals of the winner’s bracket and then again in the finals of the 1-loss bracket to finish third.
I was amazed that people came from all over the country to play in a backgammon tournament. And that weekend I remember telling myself one day I would run a backgammon tournament. Then I thought for a second and restated to myself that one day I would run the very best Backgammon tournament.
So that was a quick version of my Backgammon story. I hope I didn’t bore too many of you.
Fast forward once again to the present day and I have to thank a few specific leaders within our small community that have influenced not only me but the direction of our game. The NBA has the triple-double, Hockey has the hat trick, baseball has the Triple Crown, and horseracing has the trifecta. My trifecta is Carol Joy Cole, Bill Davis, and Howard Markowitz. Carol, Bill, and Howard have been instrumental in my growth as a person, player and director and I can’t thank them enough.
I also would like to recognize Howard Markowitz and Ida Zeman, founders of the Chicago Open more than thirty years ago. Joanne Feinstein was also a staple of the tournament partnering with Howard for more than twenty years on this backgammon tradition. All three should be congratulated and thanked for their many years of service.
Shortly before the Calcutta on Saturday morning I discussed how I would rule in certain situations with fairness of play at the forefront of all my decisions. I reminded all that Backgammon should be a Gentleman’s game and I requested that everyone keep that in mind throughout the weekend. I then informed all players that I was in favor of Legal Plays and recommended that each of them consider making an agreement with their opponents before each match to do so. I also offered all players in the Intermediate division $5 to play with a clock for the first time. When the weekend was over I was very pleased that only a few rulings were called to be made and each of them was quite minor.
I would like to thank my family for their support of the tournament and running the hospitality. My Father flew in from Boston to manage the hospitality suite and make everyone feel at home (while my poor mother cleaned up his mess in our kitchen). My family made appearances throughout the weekend which was a refreshing break. My wife is an amazing woman and without her support, guidance, and love I wouldn’t be the man I am today. You probably saw my two-year old, Amelia, breezing through like she owned the place on Saturday or Monday. Just seeing her briefly each day gave me the energy to keep going all weekend long.
The biggest thank you of all must go to Bill Minser and Beth Martinson. They were above and beyond what I expected, they were AMAZING! Bill and Beth are now the Torchbearers/Directors of the Wisconsin State Championships held Labor Day weekend. I attended their event for the first time last year and I am 100% confident that my winning their tourney did not skew my perception that they ran a virtual flawless event. One thing I respected was when I had a concern and brought it to them, although I disagreed with their decision, I appreciated that they respected my request, discussed it, and firmly stood behind their decision. As a player, I believe that is all you can ask for. Throughout the entire weekend I felt they had 100% control over what was going on. I knew immediately that if I was to run a “More Swiss” format they would have to be my staff.
An added benefit to working with Beth is that she agreed to design and host my website www.ChicagoOpenBG.com and created my new email address Rory@ChicagoOpenBG.com. She was able to keep the site simple while including all the information one needs in an easy to view layout.
Many people thought the weekend went off without a hitch. That is far from the truth as I have many opportunities for improvement. Thanks to those of you that helped in moments of stress.
As a first time director, I learned one of the greatest lessons a leader can learn – I need to delegate to my trusted staff. Next year I will do a better job empowering my staff by sharing the tools and details that will allow them to respond to questions and keep things moving. My apologies to Bill, Beth, and my father for not being more proactive in communicating what was needed. I thank them for their patience and assure them that this mistake will not be repeated in 2012.
There was a fourth person on staff in the playing room, Kaitlyn. She is Alicia’s 16-year old daughter and this tournament was her introduction to backgammon. She has never played the game, never mind attend or work a tournament. When I asked her to help me, I believed she was an intelligent and responsible young lady. On Saturday and Sunday her primary responsibility was the Intermediate tourney. She handled the tourney and was able to assisted in areas where needed. She really took a lot off my plate so I could concentrate on other priorities. I can’t thank her enough and can expect to see her on staff for many years to come.
Thursday kicked off 1st Giants of Backgammon Invitational Tournament with 16 of the very best players in the world competing for the title of “A Giant among Giants”. Our photographer, Alicia, captured the historical moments which we will share on the website. I cannot thank her enough for the hours she spent with us taking many great photographs. Alicia took a few set shots of all the players contending in the Giants Invitational and well as a few with Yamin and myself joining the group. One of these pictures will be cover shot of the compilation book when it is released. If only the video had gone as well. Unfortunately, the cameras I bought to record all the matches were not the right kind of camera for this job and many shut off randomly and we lost lots of footage. The book will not have 100% of the matches from the tournament but all matches that we have in entirety will be included as well as any other footage that we can make good. Thank you to the entire team of match monitor’s who worked tirelessly to try to keep the cameras rolling. Howard Markowitz, Carol Joy Cole, Bill Minser, Beth Martinson, Yamin Yamin, Ben Friesen, Steve Blanchard, Robert Stoller, Adrian Rios.
The main tournament began Saturday with 58 players in the Open and 42 in the Intermediate. The schedule was more challenging for Saturday. We were supposed to get five rounds of Swiss in but due to our late start and a few very long matches it was not possible. We made the decision to only play four rounds on Saturday and planned to get six in on Sunday. We adjustment the schedule and made clear announcements informing players of the changes.
Saturday dinner was the one meal of the weekend that was not included in the hospitality. Players ventured out to local restaurants or dined onsite. A group of 28 went out to the Ram Restaurant and Brewery. I enjoyed the comradery and chance to enjoy a social moment with many of my attendees.
I have told many people I thought Sunday was one of the most efficient days in backgammon tournament history and it had very little if anything to do with me. Bill and Beth got the ball rolling by having the fifth round posted a bit early on Sunday allowing all matches to start on time. Competitors played at a very reasonable pace and did not hold up the tournament which was key. At the end of the day we had six rounds of Swiss completed as well as a round of doubles, Mary Hickey and Carol Joy Cole played the final of the Taki Board Tourney, and Bob Glass was able to squeeze in two rounds of the seniors event (7-point matches). Thank you to those players as well as Jeb Horton who played Bob in a seniors match after the tenth round on Sunday night.
Late Sunday night Bill, Beth and I sorted and counted the entire cash pile…and it was big! We then parsed out at least thirty-seven envelopes (this didn’t include the Open/Open Calcutta as the prize distribution had not been determined yet). At 3:45 AM I left Bill & Beth’s room and headed home for a bit of sleep.
The best part of being a director is handing out trophies and cash prizes, making Monday the most enjoyable day of the tournament. Receiving congratulations for a job well done and hearing “I’ll see you at the next year” come in a close second. The final matches played were the “After Tournament Tournament” and the “Giants of Backgammon Invitational Final” between Steve Sax and Falafel. They started shortly after 4:00 PM and ended just before midnight. My apologies to those watching around the World who did not get a clear picture of the first match due to issues with Ustream. Fortunately things were better for the 2nd and 3rd matches and many were able to watch this historic final. Thank you to MCG for inputting the match and streaming his desktop for all to see. And thank you to Kazaross, Orlowski, MCG, Xavier, and a few others for the entertaining commentary.
The post tournament press and emails I have received has been overwhelming. Thank you to every one for attending the 31st Chicago Open and making this event all that that I could have dreamed and much more.
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