Backgammon 'addicts' get ready to roll the dice

Dice-rattling enthusiasts will gather at Nelson's Founders Park this weekend for the 2009 New Zealand Backgammon Championship.

The Nelson Backgammon Club has organised the event, which so far has 12 entrants.

Competition directors Grant Hoffman and Tony Gibbons are self-confessed backgammon addicts. Both play at least once a day.

Mr Hoffman said they would set up tables for the competition in and around the Jaycee Room. If it rained, "we'll squish inside", he said.

Backgammon is said to be the oldest game in history, believed to have been created nearly 6000 years ago. It is a two-player game in which playing pieces are moved according to the roll of a dice.

Famous backgammon players included American actor Robert Downey Junior, Mr Hoffman said.

"He's quite well known as a reasonable player."

Mr Hoffman said he got hooked on backgammon years ago after he bought his cousin a set. Before wrapping the gift he played a couple of games and then a few more.

Earlier this month he came eighth out of 128 players in the Australian Open Backgammon Championship in Sydney. He said the prize money covered his airfare, accommodation and $140 entry fee.

This weekend's competition will follow a round-robin format. Entrants will play a minimum of five 11-point matches.

Mr Gibbons said he heard other players were busy practising online. "We are all on-the-go."

But, he said, you could not beat playing someone in the flesh. "It's much more fun. You get to play human psychology."