14th Lions Cup – Backgammon, Summer Weather,
and a Great Atmosphere in Bad Dürkheim
At the beginning of September, the Lions Cup once again drew the backgammon community to Bad Dürkheim. With perfect weather, a fantastic atmosphere, and exciting games, the first weekend in September was once again a true highlight of the tournament calendar.
For the 11th time, the Casino and the Kurpark Hotel Bad Dürkheim not only hosted the tournament but also provided crucial support. The Casino once again contributed an additional €2,000 in prize money. The Kurpark Hotel ensured everyone felt comfortable both on and off the board by offering discounted room rates for tournament participants, a three-night hotel voucher, and a welcome cocktail.
This year, a total of 121 participants made their way to Bad Dürkheim. 71 players competed in the Championship, and another 50 played in the Intermediate division.
The new tournament format marked a premiere: For the first time, the Lions Cup was played using the 3-Life system. This new format brought some exciting changes and was overwhelmingly well-received by the participants. The experiences gained this year will certainly inform the planning of our future tournaments.
Backgammon and Bad Dürkheim: A perfect combination
Besides the games on the board, the setting was once again perfect. The weather was glorious, the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming, and familiar faces from the backgammon scene were everywhere.
A particular highlight this year was the Kurpark dinner on Saturday evening – for many, just as enjoyable a part of the weekend as the exciting matches.
Bad Dürkheim has once again demonstrated why the trip to the Lions Cup is worthwhile: good backgammon, friendly people, a special atmosphere, and a venue that is simply perfect for our tournament.
Mark your calendars now for 2027!
... After the tournament comes the next tournament: We'll see you again in Bad Dürkheim next year. The next Lions Cup will once again take place on the first weekend of September.
All the winners of the 2026 Lions Cup are listed on our results page. Anyone who wants to review the individual matches can also find all the score sheets on GGArena. The tournament live streams can be viewed on the Backgammon Germany YouTube channel.
We're already looking forward to seeing you again in Bad Dürkheim!
70 Participants in the Championship Flight – Josefin Bichler Wins the Lions Cup
Seventy players teed off in this year's Championship Flight. After a total of 13 rounds, the two finalists were determined: Josefin Bichler from Berlin and Marc van Damme from Belgium.
In the 7-point final, Marc got off to a better start and took a 1-0 lead. But Josefin wasn't fazed, scoring point after point and gradually taking control of the match. In the end, she left no doubt about the outcome and won the final without dropping another game.
This victory gave Josefin Bichler revenge for the final two years ago: Back then, she had to settle for second place, but this time she was able to lift the winner's trophy. Congratulations to Josefin on her tournament win – and of course to both finalists for a strong tournament!
Michael Higatsberger secured third place, followed by Marcel Büker in fourth. Fifth place was shared by Stefan Blancke, Tomas Levy, and Stephan Hartmann.
The Last Chance round was also fiercely contested, with Ralf Koch from Bad Soden emerging victorious. Benjamine Poschenrieder from Munich took second place.
51 Participants in the Intermediate Flight – Ralf Sonnleitner Triumphs
The Intermediate Flight also boasted a strong field of 51 players. After twelve rounds, the winner was determined: Ralf Sonnleitner from Ebersbach prevailed in a thrilling final against Dragos Ciornei from Oberhausen, securing the tournament victory.
Michael Roth and Michael Weidner shared third place. Fifth place was tied with three players: Jochen Böff, Jürgen Lange, and Richard Menger.
In the Last Chance round, Wolfgang Kunkel from Maintal emerged victorious. He defeated Rainer Neumann from Cologne in the final, thus claiming the consolation round title.
32 teams in the doubles competition – international final
The doubles competition kicked off on Thursday. A total of 32 teams took part, delivering exciting matches and plenty of team spirit right from the start.
Michael Larsen & Johan Huck and Ralf Sonnleitner & Roger Hoffmann both advanced to the semifinals.
The final saw two internationally diverse teams face off. The German-Romanian duo of Tihomir Zinic & Nicolae Plugaru ultimately fell short of victory, losing to the doubles specialists Matt Reklaitis & Mislav Kovacic, who traveled from the USA and Croatia.
Thus, the doubles title went to the international duo from the USA and Croatia.
Congratulations to the winners and, of course, to all the teams who made the doubles competition another highlight of the Lions Cup!
Super and Limited Jackpots
We had 43 participants in the Super Jackpot – as always, the most popular side event. Laila Leonhardt from Denmark and Georges Grünbaum from Switzerland were eliminated in the semifinals.
The Super Jackpot final was also the last match of the tournament. This was thanks to Josefin Bichler, who advanced to the final of this competition as well. There, however, Thomas Kazemieh from Hamburg was rewarded for his patience: He managed to inflict one of Josefin's few defeats of the weekend and thus secure the Super Jackpot.
36 participants tried their luck in the Limited Jackpot. Andreas Kohlschmidt and Oliver Hauk made it to the semifinals and thus into the prize-winning ranks.
The final was contested between Walter Busato from Italy and Ulrich Zöller from Seligenstadt. Ulrich emerged victorious and won this year's Limited Jackpot.
128-Player Speed Gammon Tournament
The fastest thinker among the 128 participants in this rebuy tournament was Pooria Saeedi from Düsseldorf. Pooria prevailed in the final against Tomas Levy from Australia, securing the Speed Gammon victory.
Nicole Edinger from Lampertheim and Norbert Wiebusch from Hamburg also made it into the prize-winning ranks, sharing third place.
Ladies- und Lions-King-Cup
Sixteen participants competed in the Ladies' Cup. Jutta Lange from Berlin and Asuman Evin Catal from Ludwigshafen made it to the final.
There, Asuman prevailed, crowning herself the Ladies' Cup champion. Congratulations!
Thirty-two participants registered for the Lions King Cup – the last chance to win one of the coveted lions.
Jürgen Schettler from Bonn, President of the German Backgammon Federation, secured the victory. He won the final against Stefan Wagner from Rüsselsheim and was thus awarded one of the coveted lions.
Surprise Tournament
And last but not least, our ever-popular Surprise Tournament – the only competition this weekend that requires no special skills. This year, the players didn't have to lift a finger: we determined the winner digitally using an online lottery.
The lucky winner received a three-night hotel voucher at the Kurpark Hotel.
This time, the grand prize goes to Johan Huyck from Belgium – certainly a well-deserved winner!
