The top-placed entrants posing with their prizes after last year's tournament. From left are winner and president of the world backgammon association, Chiva Tafazzoli, runner-up Alastair Macbeath, founder of the Stawberry High Stakes Backgammon Association and Johnny Todd, who placed third.
Billed as the coolest tournament in the world, the fourth High Stakes Back-gammon Tournament will take place on the weekend of April 24-26 in the hills of Irish Town, St Andrew.
The venue is the Strawberry Hill Hotel and Spa, with its magnificent view of Kingston and its environs.
Tournament organiser, Alastair Macbeath, in announcing the dates and the format of the tournament at Strawberry Hill yesterday, said 32 competitors will battle for approximately $2 million in cash and prizes.
Players will enter on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Like the football World Cup, players will be divided into eight groups for round-robin play before the top 16 get down to a straight knockout competition.
"Backgammon is an extremely popular social game in Jamaica and the High Stakes tournament affords those who wish to play the game to a higher level, an opportunity to pit their wits against the best in the land," Macbeath said.
He added: "It will be three days of fun and two days of great competition. The victory by the Germany-based Iranian Chiva Taffazzoli in last year's tournament has driven the local players to improve their game and they are determined to regain the trophy."
Taffazzoli is expected to return for this month's tournament.
The backgammon competition will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, with play in the preliminary round continuing until 6 p.m. Later that same evening, patrons and players alike will be treated to musical offerings while having dinner in the Jade Courtyard.
Final round action
The tournament resumes the following day, also at 10 a.m., with final-round action and will culminate with a gala prize-giving on the main lawn of the hotel at 4:30 p.m.
Other activities will take place during the tournament including art exhibits, fresh and dried flower stalls. Eurostars Motors will also have the latest Mercedes Benz models on display all weekend for car enthusiasts.
Backgammon is a board game of chance and strategy dating back 6,000 years to the Middle East. It is a game for two players in which the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice. A player wins by removing all his pieces from the board.
The game has developed into one of the most popular worldwide with millions of people playing every day, through a mixture of web sites, in backgammon clubs, tournaments and among friends.
Sponsors of the event include Wray and Nephew, Scotia Private Client Group, Wisynco, Jamaica Broilers, Blackwell Rum, Adducci Cigars, Heineken, IQ Optical and Island Outpost.