Hans Christian Mathiesen Wins Nordic Open

The first semi-final, between Parshami and Mathiesen which ended at the reasonable hour of a little past midnight was a strange and puzzling affair, due to the completely differing playing styles of the two men: the purity of Denmark, and the flamboyant, bamboozling, skull and crossbones style of Parshami's Middle Eastern play. Parshami won a freak gammon in game 2, which set the match up beautifully, and nullified the edge that Mathiesen started the match with. Mathiesen's insistance on playing his opponent and not the checkers and cube was not looking so brilliant; indeed his facial features, normally smiley, looked positively grim. Mathiesen duly entered, and swung his man round safely, to finally lock up the match.

2nd Semi-final was between Tassilo Rzymann from Austria versus Jan Jacobowitz from Germany. Here we go then with this 17-point match, semi-final number two, of this year's tremendously successful Nordic Open. 154 hopeful Gammoners are down to just three.

Austria's Rzymann goes in as something of an underdog when compared to the juggernaut that is Jacobowitz but starts early on with a tangy gammon for 5-1, quickly pulled back to 5-5 by Jacobowitz. When the score was 14-13 to Jacobowitz, Rzymann got his name into the final with a 4 point game 17-14.

So the final is between Tassilo Rzymann ("shee-mann", Austria [Hereafter known as TR] versus Hans Christien Mathiesen, Denmark [Hereafter known as HCM]

TR draws first blood for 1-0. Blows are traded in the next two games to give us 3-3. In Game 5 another early cube from TR is eagerly accepted. HCM swings the game and then erroneously cashes it when too good. 5-3 HCM. TR fires in a fine cube in Game 6 at 65-35%, and it's double whopper time (with a liberal sprinkling of bacon and gherkins), when HCM passes. 7-4.

TR's 1,5 defence in the next yields some real equity but not enough to take the cube when it comes. 4-8 now. TR's dice just have the greater firepower, and HCM on his last roll, needs 55 or 66 to nick it. He implores his fans to whistle. Out pops 21. Insufficient. 8-6 HCM.

Game 10 is ebb and flow before it swings big time to Austria. But where is that cube? TR is now being positively timid. And then he cashes when MILES too good. He's not going to win it like this – no way man. 8-7 HCM.

In Game 11 TR takes a big pass! Whoever said BG was easy? But then HCM fans with 66 on a 1-point board and it's all up for grabs again. Gammon. 12-7 HCM.

Game 13 gets gammonish for TR, he simply MUST get radical with that cube when so far behind. Instead he cashes, and one can't help feeling that he could have had an extra three points there with a little more bravery. HCM takes when nailed back on TR's deuce point behind TR's gorgeous 4 prime. 13-11 HCM. TR cubes late YET again before finally risking it when 16 pips up. 13-13, and we have a 4 point match.

A near instant pass by TR, and HCM has finally stopped the rot. 14-13 HCM.In the game 19 HCM 'comes under the gun' like a pure novice and is marmalized with a 22. He still may just be able to squeeze out a take but instead TR cashes next roll for 14-14.

The final two games goes very exciting and at the last roll Hans Christian Mathiesen has turned into an all-singing, all-dancing dice-throwing acrobat before our very eyes, celebrating his championship.

• 
• 
• Email to a friend
• Print