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'We're on our way to Monte Carlo...'no, we weren't singing at 07:00 hours after
an illadvised night on the juice in the Fox Reformed Ten of us in two taxis set off from
Stokey for the Luton to Nice flight. We were going to play in the World Backgammon
Championships effectively we were exporting the Fox Backgammon Club. At Luton we met up
with two more of the crew and left in suitably British grey cold and wet, only eighty
minutes late.
Two hours later we arrived on the Cote d'Azur, which was enjoying Luton weather. More
taxis, off to Cap d'Ail in France just over the Monaco border, to one of those little
French hotels which can't be faulted for cleanliness, friendliness or price, as long as
the combination of fluorescent lighting and swirly decor doesn't give you migraine. After
a quick freshen up, we embarked on the 10-minute bus ride to Monte Carlo. This took us 45
minutes due to a tropical rainstorm. We ran from the bus stop, down past the Casino, to
the Grand Hotel, just in time to register for the tournament.
We then sat in the piano bar, dripping gently, and drinking expensive beer. Then we hit
the cocktail reception that launched the tournament, where we collected a few more
friends, acquaintances, and past opponents. Final count was a British entry of 32, at
least half of them occasional or regular Fox players. Back to Cap d'Ail where we
established our credentials with the manager of the local bar by drinking until 1.30 am
and making friends with his mate's dog, Egg.
The next day, the Cote d'Azur looked like the Cote d'Azur. The sun shone, the crickets
chirped, the bougainvillea tumbled prettily and we hit the beach (OK, some of us only hit
the beach bar). The sea was fine, and the photo 1 missed involved a 19 stone Goth in
massive black shorts picking his way delicately across the rocks into the sea - then
finding he'd got his banknotes in his pocket.
In the first round, all Brits save four went straight out of the main challenge. Sadly,
none of those four were strictly speaking Fox players, though Dave Robbins was travelling
with us, and scored a major sensation by beating Neil Kazaross, one of the highest ranked
players in the world.
Back to the beach on Wednesday (rest day). Then off to the backgammon gala dinner at the
Sporting Club de Monaco. Twenty-nine Brits (we'd lost a few) sat together at two long
tables and enjoyed, to varying degrees, a four course meal with wine and a cabaret.
The main room of the Sporting Club is known at the Salle Etoiles and is about as big as
you would expect, given that it seats 700 for a banquet and show. The roof splits and
slides back to show the real stars, but if not warm enough, there are enough electric ones
to make up. The whole effect is Essex disco vastly expanded and put on uppers. After the
cabaret, we avoided the attached nightclub ('Jimmy's') where drinks cost £30 a shot, and
found a bar where brandy was a relatively modest £7 (or £4 for a small beer or Perrier).
On Thursday most of us promptly went out in the first round of the consolation. Friday was
Bastille Day, so in the morning many of us went to see the ceremony at the town hall in
Cap d'Ail, where there was a procession of vintage motor cars. Then off to (mostly) lose
in the first round of the second consolation, before coming back to party and watch the
fireworks along the coast.
On Saturday we had a two o'clock start. It took most of us until nearly three o'clock to
be eliminated from the Last Chance stage of the competition. So we wandered around Monte
Carlo, ate in various interesting restaurants, and David Naylor, who organised the whole
trip, took advantage of the lull to fall off his bike in the famous tunnel that features
in the Grand Prix, breaking his collar bone. How he managed to fall off on the only flat
road in the place is a mystery.
On Sunday we had the team tournament, groups of three, and each member of your team plays
a member of the opposing team. The Stoke Newington Council in Exile lost to Bulgaria
(eventual semi-finalists) in round one, along with the rest. So we watched the nailbiting
final between Katie Scalamandre (USA) and Thorn Holm (Denmark), cheering Katie on to
become the second female champion.
Many of us were looking the worse for wear, having played at all hours of the day and
night in what are sometimes called 'friendlies', but more realistically money games. Some
of us had at least made a profit on the week, but the only Brit on the rostrum was the
Fox's Paul Lamford (aka N16's crossword setter, GAP), who was runner-up in the Last Chance
in the championship level. Several others (notably Corinne Sellens, Will Richardson and
Robbie Richards himself) from the Fox group had nice little runs in some of the secondary
tournaments, but all ended in the quarter-finals.
All that was left was a final drink in 'our' bar in Cap d'Ail before some rolled along to
the Nice tournament, and some came home to Stoke Newington
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