“Do you want to play backgammon at lunch?”

Yes, it’s a question we’ve all faced at some point in our lives.

When former digital analyst Gavin Rix asked our department two years ago, we said yes.

My only memory of the game was it sitting on a shelf in my grandparents’ living room. I assumed that, like most games, it was a long, boring affair you played to avoid dwelling on life.

From our first game in Dick’s Bar at the Amex, we were hooked.

There’s a reason it’s one of the oldest board games in the world, dating back about 5,000 years.

Played between two people, the aim is to move your counters in opposite directions around a board by rolling a dice. The first person to clear all their counters off the end of the board wins.

If you have four minutes to spare, this video explains it.

Very soon, we set up a backgammon league. Concurrently, we also set up the Ultimate Backgammon Championship – a belt you can challenge for if you’re high up the league. It’s a bit like the football league and the FA Cup; you could win the FA Cup but then perform terribly in the league. Except it’s also like boxing, because a league performer could challenge you for the belt at any time. Then you have to defend the belt, with all your cussing and guile.

Here’s Ed Jenkins after winning the belt from me. I can’t remember if he deserved to win but he probably didn’t.

Tournament time

Now, due to demand, we are opening out the backgammon tournament to the wider External Relations division. Time will tell if this was a good idea.

Email me (a.imms@sussex.ac.uk) if you are interested and we will aim to get a tournament going in early December and conclude it before Christmas.

The winner can keep the belt on their desk – but they’re obliged to enter the next tournament. You can’t just sit on it for months, Amie.

Spectators are welcome. If interest is what we think it will be, the Amex can hold up to 30,000 people…