Welcome to the New England Backgammon Club (NEBC) home page! The NEBC is a club for playing backgammon, and encourages players of all abilities to come and check us out. Tournaments are scheduled monthly, on a Saturday or Sunday, and the side action is furious. Newcomers to backgammon, or tournament play are especially welcome, and are always given a cornucopia of help when playing at the club.

We meet at the Dockside Restaurant in Malden, MA, located at 229 Centre Street (Route 60).

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News:

February:
Tom O'Riordan beat Eric Sulkala in the finals; semifinalists were John Smidt and Matt Reklaitis. Herb Gurland beat Anne Bidner in the consolation finals.

January:
Alex Zamanian beat Herb Gurland in the finals; semifinalists were Roger Rondeau and Marty Storer. Matt Reklaitis beat Anne Bidner in the consolation.

January is New Players Month! If your first visit to the club was during the current (2009-2010) season, you will receive $10 off your entry fee in the January 16th tournament. Players showing up at the club for the first time in January are also eligible for the discount.

December:
Greg Jukins defeated Herb Gurland to win a full bracket of 16 players. The semifinalists were Anne Bidner and Bob Haskell. In the consolation, Eric Wicklund defeated Patty Geoffroy.

November:
Matt Reklaitis came out on top of the first bonus tournament of the season. Anne Bidner was the other finalist. Alex Zamanian defeated Herb Gurland in the consolation.

October:
Alex Zamanian defeated Anne Bidner in the finals. Herb Gurland beat Eric Wicklund in the consolation. We had a small tournament with only 8 players, probably because it was only 2 weeks after the September tournament. Don't miss the November bonus tournament which features longer matches and bonus points.

September:
We had a full bracket of 16 to start our 2009-2010 season. Tom O'Riordan won, defeating Marty Storer in the finals. The semifinalists were Eric Wicklund and Matt Reklaitis. In the consolation, Doug Roberts defeated Dave Boulay. Reigning club champ Alex Zamanian went 2 and 2, indicating that last season's domination including 3 tournaments won in a row was a fluke.

We are sad to report that Walter Trice passed away in August. Walter was a friend to all, and will be sorely missed.

Condolences may be e-mailed to Walter's wife, Donna, dtrice137@gmail.com. Contributions can be sent to the "Trice Education Fund", care of Lillian Murphy, 150 Old Mill Road, Wyomissing, Pa. 19610. (Lillian Trice Murphy is Walter's sister). The New England Backgammon Club has made a donation to this fund.

Dear Marty,

Many, many thanks to you and the NE Club for your very generous donation to the Education Fund that we have started in memory of Walter. We will talk about his wishes when Donna visits us next month, but know that Walter would be so proud to help a child develop an interest in music, art, math or another special pursuit. He had a gift for teaching that we will all miss.

I was glad to meet you last month--seems like yesterday--and it was heartwarming to meet so many of Walter's friends and to realize what a rich and full life he had.

Please share our very sincere gratitude with the rest of the group.

Fondly,

Lil Murphy

The monthly tournaments are now at 12 noon, not 1 PM. This is our new standard starting time. (Please arrive at least 15 minutes earlier so the tournament director can include you in the draw without delaying the tournament.) We're also giving out free food with tournament entry: A free item up to $5, or get a $5 discount on your meal.

2008-2009 Playoffs:
The top 7 in the points race qualified for the playoffs, with the points race winner, Alex Zamanian, earning a bye. The other first round match-ups:
Erick Wicklund defeated Greg Jukins
Dan Chicoine defeated Tom O'Riordan
Herb Gurland defeated Dave Metz

Semifinals:
Alex Zamanian defeats Herb Gurland
Dan Chicoine defeats Erick Wicklund

Final:
Finalist: Dan Chicoine
Champion: Alex Zamanian

Congratulations to all.

2009-2010 Points Race

1	Alex Zamanian	302
2	Herb Gurland	272
3	Matt Reklaitis	254
4	Anne Bidner	230
5	Tom O'Riordan	204
6	Eric Wicklund	125
7	Greg Jukins	112
	Marty Storer	84
	John Smidt	66
	Eric Sulkala	56
	Doug Roberts	55
	Roger Rondeau	41
	Phyllis Seidel	39
	Gil Evans	36
	Patty Geoffroy	35
	Dave Boulay	33
	Ed Aloha	32
	Bob Haskell	30
	Dan Chicoine	27
	Ed Murray	16
	Mark Houser	15
	Jim McKenna	13
	John Lorenz	11
	Howard Peele	11
	Gerhard Roland	9
	Yan Friedman	7
	Andrew McKinnes	7
	Dave Brown	2
	Kevin Doherty	2
	Kev Kevekelian	2
	Dave Kiddie	2
	Chris Knapp	2
	Brad Mampe	2
	Michael Urban	2

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