THAI OPEN
January 2001
Pattaya
A personal report by David Levi
Ask any traveller what they remember about a country, and it's usually their first impressions that will be the most vivid. This is the natural result of heightened senses in a new environment; the smells, colours, tastes, and sounds are all fresh and registered, simply because they are alien.
Alien, did I say? Then where better to go than Pattaya?
Whether your interests stretch to women or the brew, fine sea fare, shopping at giveaway prices, or the challenge to discover what makes the locals tick, Pattaya is as worthy a place as any other this particular writer has been, and comes highly recommended. |
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Davd Levi in Pattaya |
If you can arrange your finances to bulge with an obscene amount of money for a while and don't mind leaving responsibility somewhere on the other side of Myanmar, you can party with a vengeance. Your first few days will be a bit like the final hours on the Titanic – mayhem - and the last will be the first in reverse.
On the other hand, whether you're so relaxed that you can't get out of your own way or your liver is on meltdown and screaming for mercy, consider that humanity advances, when it does, not through being sober, righteous, responsible and cautious, but through rebellion, mischief, frivolity, and the ability to discard reason for long enough to find something different.
Best advice for anyone who cannot imagine living in Pattaya because you've never been there - pay a visit; soon you'll be struggling to imagine living anywhere else. If you're unsure what to bring, make it some readies and a suitable state of mind.
Backgammon
The backgammon scene in Pattaya started in the mid-80's, at Style restaurant on Jomtien Beach (turn right down the beach path at the Police Station), some two miles south of the melting pot they call South Pattaya, although history fails to record who actually set up the first board.
Around nine years ago the legendary Swede, Goran Hasselquist, happened along, saw it as a nice place to park up and spend part of life tossing dice (never mind the legalities), decided the existing chaos simply wasn't on (no rules, no tourney, whoever shouted the loudest got his way) and in true Viking spirit got the act on stage. Since then people have come and gone, some to return and some never to leave.
The Cast
The current crop of residents, mostly from Germany and Scandinavia, are a pretty diverse bunch, but with backgammon and survival in common. Make no mistake, they are not in Pattaya for any altruistic reasons. You will find no budding monks, no spiritual journeys, no profound insights. Some came to make money, some to spend it, and no doubt a few just woke up there, but for most the overriding attraction is Pattaya's offer (insistence?) of a lifestyle they could never get away with anywhere else. This is no accident.
Colourful characters include the tanned and tough Gerhard Schulze, he who braved bullets to traverse a wall in order to play backgammon, and who rumour has it eats nails for breakfast.
Swiss (millionaire) Tom, claims his genius father made so much money that his errant son could bum around on the heritage for his next dozen or so lives. "That's impossible," the intrepid Goran remarked, "if he was a genius he couldn't possibly be your real father - your mother must've forgotten to go home before she went to bed." He now disputes Darwin's theory that coconuts drift with the sea-current to the next continent; it seems under the right conditions they can also fly.
Then we have everyone's beloved "Baby" Burkart, Thai Open 2001 winner, averaging some 6 visits a year and yet to leave with any money – all left behind, liberally sprinkled with a trail of IOUs. According to reliable reports, he was broke some 3 minutes after being paid his tourney winnings, and almost trampled to death by the first salvo of stampeding creditors. Must be a lesson in there, somewhere.
(l-r) Thai Open 2001 runner-up, Karsten Nielsen,
and winner "Baby" Burkart
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If it's backgammon that turns you on, and we know it is (the heat can be a problem, but give it a few days - there are other things to do...), visit either the Style Restaurant any afternoon, or the 19th Hole in Pattaya proper for night action. There will always be something on, whether chouette or heads up, and, as is often the case, more money can change hands on a single roll than most natives could only dream of earning in a decade.
The Tourney
The Thai Open 2001 had an inspiring start, fielding 45 in the main to set a new record. No mean feat when you consider that the New Year had just begun and Thailand is a long way from home. Honours in any case to everyone who supported this effort.
Anticipation mounted as the seeds rolled in - Jake Jacobs (USA), Steve Nelson and Robin Swaffield (Hong Kong), Joachim Johansson and Lars Degerman (Sweden), Andreas Martens (Germany), Morten and Karsten Nielsen (Denmark), Ryan Jones (Aus), Vichai Kwatra (Thailand) - all respected players with impressive records, each in with a real chance, and each wondering which no-hoper would knock them out.
(l-r) Jake Jacobs and Lawrence Powell |
Brits that came along for the ride included David Levi, Lawrence Powell, Bill Pope (still working on his puzzles, but did find time for more trivial pursuits), Glen Gill (British lineage, regained consciousness on a beach one day and decided to stay), Julian Minwalla (complete with shaved head, was a tossup between Pattaya and a Buddhist temple), and last but far from least, Pattaya could never be Pattaya without the sporadic presence of David Brown, still kicking, still barking, still hunched over a board wondering what went wrong. |
The auction and first round were scheduled for Friday evening. At first I was a bit disturbed by such a late start, with play due to begin around 10.30 pm, but the huge upside of an evening kick-off is avoiding the afternoon heat, so yet another example of organisation skills by Goran (twice previous winner) and his team.
The one-day intermediates (2,000 baht, £30) bracket was played out on Thursday, with congrats in order to Glen Gill, who beat Khun Gaem in what turned out to be an exciting final. Unfortunately there will not be an intermediates bracket next year, due to the poor interest; only three Thais and seven foreigners entered, 2,000 baht being a bit of a strain for most natives, and four of the foreigners entered the main in any case.
Thursday also kicked off the 16-player (30,000 baht, £500) Super Jackpot, with official honours going to Joachim Johansson via a one-point final, after sharing the spoils with Jurek Sarzynski.
Shake, rattle 'n roll. Friday afternoon arrives, and the music of backgammon takes over Style, with chouettes, singles, props, positional analysis (invariably leading to more props), boards on every surface surrounded by onlookers determined not to miss that 'incident' everyone would be discussing later.
The auction took off at 9, with Jake in the hot seat. Tons of fun, deals being made all over the place, everyone wanting part of everyone else. Blind bids (highest gets to choose any unsold player) helped to push the final kitty to 240,000 baht (£4,000).
Then the (free) pre-launch buffet went down a treat, with Thai curried chicken, some unidentifiable meat that looked too close to pork for my liking, fish, and an array of veggie dishes followed by fresh fruit.
Most of the first two rounds were out of the way the same evening. Of the 10 highest ranked players, only Jake Jacobs and yours truly failed to make it through, both left scratching heads after facing Steve Nelson.
The Consolation was in full swing as the 16 survivors fought for their rightful places in the last 8, and then the money bits, with cheers from one camp countered by groans as player after player stood up, victory and disappointment etched on tired faces. When the dust settled, 4 stood up with smiles: Baby, Vichai, Karsten, and Casper.
Of these, Karsten was the clear favourite to win his semi, although due to meet the relatively unknown Dutchman, Casper, who had earlier despatched the #1 seed (Jurek) 15-3 in a spectacular performance. Kasper played every joker impeccably.
Ironically, a mild hiccup (-140 pts) some three weeks earlier had slaughtered the Dane's finances and almost literally had him with a foot on the airport bus, but the tenacious K turned around for long enough to have a final fling with what turned out to be his sponsorship wedge for the duration.
From that point on either the devil herself or John Clark must've been lurking in his cup, because whenever he needed a number - out it popped. A tough player, rolling well – what a combo!
The Action
Thai hopeful Vichai, seemed to be the only real danger, complete with his fine tourney record and playing on home turf. Baby and Casper were out of their depth in this company, window dressing, and this was adequately reflected in the betting.
As expected, Karsten coasted through, and all eyes turned to the 17-point match on the table giving birth to his opponent; probably Vichai, although his powerful early lead had dwindled to 14-11, at which score we reach what must've been the defining game.
Semi-final 17 Point Match
Kwatra 14 Burkart 11
Black/Thailand White/Germany
White to play 54
Vichai, holding a 2 cube, had one checker on Baby's 2-point facing a 6-prime (3- to 8-point), with spares on the 8-, 4- and 1-points:
| Wins | G/BG | Equity |
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| White | 82.3 | 8.2 | 0.724 |
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| Volatility: 0.248 |
Which came out after a 1296 rollout as:
| Wins | G/BG | Equity |
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| White | 85.0 | 6.5 | 0.755 |
With at best a slender racing chance (102-79) in the unlikely event of no further contact, he did own a 6-prime of his own (extras on 7-, 6-, 23-points), and any opposing checker dumb enough to visit the bar would soon allow him to reach Crawford or play for match, with a recube.
Baby's 5-4 took no less than 10 minutes to play, probably nearer 15.
Imagine if you will a sea of heads jockeying to catch a glimpse of the board, only to be blinded by others vying for the same treat. More bodies seeming to appear, like creatures from the Black Lagoon, each newcomer scuffling for the right to say he was there and spotted the best play, and in panic that he might miss the position, the move, whatever was causing the oxygen to be drained from within 6 foot of the playing surface. Rattle at nearby tables joining in a chorus of silence as the piercing hush engulfs those as yet unaffected, players looking across at the huddle, then at each other before downing cups to join the skirmish ...
Naturally, I made my mental play, knew with utmost certainty that Baby would not even consider this, and (having no direct interest in the outcome) casually decamped from hanging onto the rafters, vacating my prime vantage point to the nearest, or sleekest.
"What do you think?" someone asked, a safe distance from the heaving masses.
"Clear the 6-point," which sent him scurrying for a second look, and back, for a wager. To be fair, his eloquent explanation for choosing (8-4, 8-5) was persuasive, and I began to doubt myself. Not for long, mind you, but long enough to agree I might be wrong.
"What did he play?" I asked a passer-by.
"Offed the 6-point."
Well, I was wrong, very wrong. Baby had not only spotted the play but also made it ... AND picked up his dice!
"And ...?"
"4-2".
I felt sad for the lad, now 16-11 Crawford, or worse. He made the right play and lost the match because of it. Well, wipe your mouth and get on with the next game, match, tourney ... That's backgammon.
"Score?" I asked another passer-by, minutes later.
"14-13."
Baby went on to win it. That's backgammon, yeah!
The final was annotated and watched by the usual crowd. Unfortunately there appears to have been a recording error in the penultimate game, that cannot be reconstructed, but the match is available through Biba.
And finally ...
Let the record books declare: Winner Thai Open 2001 - Michael (Baby) Burkart (Germany), with runner up, Karsten Nielsen (Denmark).
The Consolation was scooped by Joachim Johansson (Sweden), who met Ryan Jones (Aus) in the final.
Jake Jacobs (USA) picked up the Last Chance, against Lars Hammargren (Sweden).
In closing, Goran deserves a special mention for getting it right, doing what was needed as it was needed, and being everywhere all the time.
Warmest thanks also to management and staff at Style restaurant, not only for dindins but also for venturing way beyond the call of duty in all areas to make the Thai Open 2001 a very special occasion, and one that virtually guarantees yet another record field next year.
Click here for the Thai Open quick results.
THAI OPEN ARCHIVES
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