DIRECTOR FOUNDERS
Bill Lonergan
Shahrooz Moreh
CO-FOUNDERS
David Beyda
Brian Cohen
Ralph D’Onofrio
ABOUT US
We are backgammon enthusiasts who reside on Long Island, New York. We have been playing the game regularly, for more than four years, together with other local players at weekly meetups, as well as in national tournaments that are conducted under the auspices of the United States Backgammon Federation and the American Backgammon Tour.
ABOUT OUR CLUB
Our club, “Backgammon On Long Island,” is a backgammon club that sponsors backgammon play on a weekly basis. Our friends at the Cornerstone Bar & Grill in Mineola, New York, have graciously agreed to act as a host of our weekly events. As a premier sports bar, the Cornerstone carries a broad selection of beer (tap and bottles) and alcohol, and their restaurant menu includes a wide range of tasty food options. We welcome players of all skill levels, including both experienced players and players that are new to the game. We make it a priority to foster a playing environment that is welcoming, friendly and collegial in nature.
Beginning in early 2020, we were all faced with an unprecedented worldwide pandemic, which resulted in mandated shutdowns and restrictions on the activities of businesses throughout the state of New York. As the health, safety and well-being of our members has always been a paramount concern for us, we suspended live play for a period of fifteen months. During the shutdown, our members continued to stay in touch with one another over the phone and through regular email correspondence. We also conducted a weekly online backgammon tournament to provide our members with a recreational activity during this time, when entertainment options were very limited.
As a result of a rollout of effective vaccines, as well as a continuing decline in the spread of the Coronavirus, in May, 2021, New York State lifted most of their restrictions that had been imposed on businesses, including capacity limitations and curfews that were placed on bars and restaurants. With all of our club’s members having been vaccinated, live play in an indoor environment has become something that can be done safely and without health risk — we returned to playing live tournament events beginning in June, 2021. We hope that we have now truly turned the corner on this pandemic, with the light at the end of the tunnel being our newfound ability to play our favorite game with our close friends and colleagues in a live environment with friendly and cordial social interaction.
If you’re viewing this page, why not come and join us to play, eat, drink and have an entertaining evening? We’d love to meet you, and if you like backgammon, we’re confident that you’ll have a wonderful time interacting with our friendly and sociable group!
OUR TOURNAMENTS & GAME PLAY
Our weekly tournament typically consists of a single elimination main bracket, as well as a progressive consolation bracket. With this tournament structure everyone gets to play at least two matches. In addition to participating in the weekly tournaments, our players will often find time during our regular meetups to play friendly games amongst themselves, as well as start up the occasional chouette.
You can see details regarding our tournaments, as well as the weekly results, by clicking on the menu item, “Tournaments,” at the top of this page.