The Minister for Culture, the Media, Youth & Sport, Steven Linares, congratulates the Gibraltar Backgammon Association in their successful bid to host the 2018 European Backgammon Championship.

This was decided at the annual general meeting of the European Backgammon Federation held last Saturday in Reykjavik, Iceland, during the 2017 European Championship at which Gibraltar was participating.

Gibraltar’s bid was backed unanimously by all countries attending the AGM. This is a measure of the esteem in which Gibraltar is already held internationally as a result of the hugely successful Gibraltar Backgammon Competition held in February each year.

This year’s European Championship saw Gibraltar playing against the UK, Sweden, Iceland, Turkey, Belgium and last year’s champions, Denmark. Gibraltar’s performance was creditable with two wins out of four matches against the UK and Sweden. Particularly noteworthy was the performance of John Neish who won three out of his four matches beating two world class players, including a former world champion, in the process.

Gibraltar’s success in its bid to host the 2018 European Backgammon Championship means that Gibraltar will host two big international backgammon events next year bringing a great number of players and their families to Gibraltar.

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