Cannes WSOB Championship Final

The Cannes WSOB Final Match between Koca and Frederick Andrieu kicked off at 3:02am, with a large crowd that was wide awake (despite the late start) and transfixed by the drama and the jeopardy.

With Koca on FA's 4 point and FA on Koca's bar point, Fred ships in a spicy cube. Koca takes and he has to crunch. The prime in front of his back men shrinks to three, which encourages Koca to tentatively step into the outfield. He is violently attacked. After a bad fan he is closed out and a huge favourite to get gammoned. But FA can't pick up the second blot and a very late 66 from Koca not only saves gammon but the match.

Then there is one more game of backgammon with 60,000 euros riding on it. Both players fight to secure the golden anchor and both succeed. Who will be squeezed off first? The answer is Koca. FA hits with a beauty of a 44 for the 5-point board with four-point slotted. Koca misses, FA lifts the blot. Koca enters. FA can hit him but has to leave the blot there. He chooses to leave Koca alone as FA is bossing the race. FA has two on his 5 point, two on his 6 point, and 3 on the bar. He rolls an amazing 65 to leave Koca the match-winning 3-shot! Koca takes a deep breath – and flunks with a 51. It turns into an excruciating race. Koca is only a roll behind. Where's the big double for King Koca the Dane-Killer? It's not there and Frederick Andrieu is WSOB Champion 2008! He roars once, twice, three times like an angry gorilla. He qualified for the final-table 16 in a live super-satellite, and has played with real nerve and poise all day – And, it's been a long day. Error rates for the final: 3.9 Andrieu, 3.8 Koca.

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