When the Australian Backgammon Federation board of directors met to discuss ways of paying tribute to the late Eva Bitel for her enormous contribution to the game in Australia, it seemed a logical solution that a tournament should be named in her honour.
The result was the creation of Australia’s newest major backgammon tournament. After further discussion, the ABF is proud to announce the Eva Bitel Tournament will be a backgammon event like no other in keeping with what we believe Eva would have wanted… a multi-entry event that encourages people of all standards to play without penalising or deterring anyone regardless of their standard.
Eva and husband Ivor were stalwarts of Sydney backgammon, and indeed the Australian backgammon scene for well over 40 years. They operated Castle Cove Backgammon, one of the major Australian clubs, for more than 40 years, and Eva also organised the Operation Wheelchairs fundraiser in the venue.
After years of striving to achieve a unifying body for the game, Eva was a major force in the creation of the Australian Backgammon Federation. She remained president until shortly before her death in 2019.
While the general entry fee for the tournament was an affordable $50, players can also enter for a nominal $5 and ‘high rollers’ will have the ability to buy in for a further $100 side pool. Regardless of entry fee, the winner, runner up and semi-finalists will receive well-earned trophies. The point of difference is that those who enter for $50 will share the general prize pool (expected to be around $2000) and the high rollers will play for their own higher prize.
Ultimately, as we’re sure Eva would agree, everyone has a chance to win – the prizemoney simply varies according to the entry fee paid.
The Eva Bitel Tournament will be an on-line competition and remain that way. It will be a round robin event, with all entrants playing six 9-point matches. The top two players in each group will then play a knockout. All matches will be played online.
