The Winner of the
19th City of Venice International Backgammon Tournament is:

Damian Plesec

The Tournament took place between November the 29th and December the 2nd at Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, the historical 1500 palace on the Grand Canal, which hosts the glamorous Casino of Venice.

Plesec, the Backgammon champion from Slovenia, won the final against the Japanese Masahito Yamamoto, who came to Venice thanks to his winning the qualifier for the City of Venice that took place in Tokio during the Japan Open 2007. It has to be said that “Dami” was about to register for the intermediate Tournament and when I asked him why, he told me “I am not strong enough!”… well, luckily he decided otherwise, and the facts proved that he was strong enough!
Dami, besides the aspired price, recieved also the free participation to the first event of the 2008 edition of the European Backgammon Tour, the prestigious circuit of the World Backgammon Association magnificently organized by Chiva Tafazzoli, which City of Venice is proud to be part of.

The Double Davis European Championship was a success for the Italian players. This kind of Tournament is set in a creative way with its “Davis formula”, like in a tennis game (two single matches, a consultation and then eventually two more single matches): the winners where the Italian couple from Rome:

Giuseppe Ricciardi – Piero Gallo

that won against the German players Uli Koch e Michael Schmidt. Both Ricciardi and Schmidt where part of the group of players who earned their participation to the Tournament by winning a qualifier on the website Play65.
Also the Georgian player Badri Tsertsvadze (recent winner of the Tournament of Enghien-les-Bains) had good results, winning the Last Chance.

Among the Italian players Carlo Melzi from Milan was one of the most successfull, by winning the Consolation as well as the play off of the National Circuit.
Also Piergiorgio D'Ancona from Venice was very successful, winning both the Japan Open 2008 qualifier and the Estoril Open qualifier, the next coming event of the EBGT 2008: have a nice trip to Japan and Portugal!
Giorgio Caldera from Venice (the winner of the 2003 edition) did a great performance as well, missing by an inch the final, after his loss in the semifinal against an inspired Plesec.

The “qualifier” competitions are most fancied by the players and are also a very good kind of collaboration between the organizers. For instance, with the Japanese Tournament Venice started a “friendship” that became also a friendship match: after the Italian winner Fabrizio Lo Surdo in Japan, here in Venice the winner was the Japanese Tatsuya Tanaka (winner of the Japan Open 2007) against Giorgio Castellano (former champion of the National Circuit).

Also the UISP encounters (Backgammon for everybody) where very appreciated, with a total of 56 players: it was great to watch champions play “no money” against beginners: this is probably the best part of this game.
The interesting new formula of the “Swing” Tournament was won by Dino Visentin from Italy.
Giovanna La Falce from Italy won at the “Ladies Tournament” (that was also free) out of 16 ladies that took part in it.

Special thanks to the Casino of Venice, to the Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Circuito Nazionale Backgammon, to the UISP (Lega sport e giochi Tradizionali) and the World Backgammon Association that always believed in this event and helped in the realization of it, recognizing its sportive nature. Special thanks also to Sofitel Italy, Renzo Romagnoli, backgammon.it and everybody who helped during the event.

See you at the 2008 20th Edition!
DARIO DE TOFFOLI




CHAMPION (54)
MAIN
winner DAMIAN PLESEC (Slovenia)
finalist MASAHITO YAMAMOTO (Japan)
semifinalists GEORGY BALKANDINSKIJ (Bulgaria) / GIORGIO CALDERA (Italy)

CONSOLATION
winner CARLO MELZI (Italia)
finalist ANDREJ MARKOV (Bulgaria)
semifinalists MICHEL LAMOTE (Belgium) / KENJI SHIMODAIRA (Japan)

LAST CHANCE
winner BADRI TSERTSVADZE (Georgia)
finalist DINO VISENTIN (Italy)

INTERMEDIATE (32)
MAIN
winner NICOLA SPIRO (Italy)
finalist UDO GEIB (Germany)
semifinalists BAMBI DE BRUIN (Spain) / ALESSANDRO RIETTI (Italy)

CONSOLATION
winner PETER BARDEHLE (Germany)
finalist GARETH OWEN (UK)

LAST CHANCE
winner THOMAS LÖW (Germany)

AMATEUR (32)
MAIN
winner ANTONIO VARISCO (Italy)
finalist GIROLAMO CASTIGLIONI (Italy)
semifinalists ALBERTO ZEGNA (Italy) / MICHELE COMERCI (Italy)

CONSOLATION
winner LAURA MONACO (Italy)
finalist DELIA POPA (Italy)

LAST CHANCE
winner DARIO BERTOLA (Italy)

DOUBLE “DAVIS” EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP (21)
winners PIERO GALLO (Italy) / GIUSEPPE RICCIARDI (Italy)
finalists ULI KOCH (Germany) / MICHAEL SCHMIDT (Germany)
semifinalists WERNER SCHMUCK (Austria) / TASSILO RZYMANN (Austria)
GEORGY BALKANDJISKY(Bulgaria) / ANDREJ MARKOV (Bulgaria)

CASINO OF VENICE KICK – OFF (64)
winner SERGIO FRAGIACOMO (Italy)
finalist KAZUKO NUMAZAWA (Japan)
semifinalists NODAR GAGUA (Russia) / KENJI SHIMODAIRA (Japan)

UISP “NO MONEY” (56)
1° match: 1° CESARE NANTI (Italy)
2° match: 1° MATTEO BASTAGLI (Italy) – 2° KAZUKO NUMAZAWA (Japan)
3° match: 1° AZIZAN SHADI (Italy) – 2° VIOREL POPA (Italy)
4° match: 1° STEFANO SINOPOLI (Italy) – 2° CESARE NANTI (Italy)
Overall: 1° FANIKA PETROVSKA (UK)

LADIES TOURNAMENT (16)
winner GIOVANNA LA FALCE (Italy)
finalist DELIA POPA (Italy)

JAPAN OPEN QUALIFIER (32)
winner PIERGIORGIO D’ANCONA (Italy)

FRIENDSHIP MATCH
winner TATSUYA TANAKA (Japan)

ESTORIL QUALIFIER (64)
winner PIERGIORGIO D’ANCONA (Italy)

SUPERJACKPOT
winner NODAR GAGUA (Russia)

SWING (26)
1° DINO VISENTIN (Italy)
2° SANDRO MESCOLA (Italy)
3° STEFANO SINOPOLI (Italy)

ITALIAN NATIONAL CIRCUIT 2007
winner CARLO MELZI (Milan)
finalist FEDERICO TOLEDO (Naples)
semifinalists PIERO GALLO (Rome) / ANDREA de ZANDONATI (Venice)

class. in points FLORIN POPA (Verona)
intermediate DARIO BERTOLA (Turin)


128 different players coming from 19 different countries officially registered at the tournament that played a total of more than 1.500 official matches.

albo d'oro