header_site_720-01

About

Welcome to the 5th Greek Grand Prix International Backgammon Championship, organized by Mind Sports Club of Cholargos (MSCC) and directed by Arda Findikoglu.
From February 26 to March 2, 2027, the heart of the global backgammon community beats in Athens, the historic birthplace of strategic thinking and culture.
This year, we are thrilled to host our prestigious event at the spectacular Royal Olympic Hotel. Located in the absolute center of the city, right in front of the majestic Temple of Olympian Zeus and under the shadow of the Acropolis, it offers an unmatched playing environment with breathtaking ancient views.
The Greek Grand Prix has established itself as a premier global tournament, combining high-level competition with a world-class travel experience.
We invite masters and enthusiasts to experience elite backgammon while discovering the timeless heritage, eternal beauty, and warm hospitality of Athens.

Download here the flyer

SPECIAL BMAB EVENT

Gammon Slam 2027

European Players Cup by BMAB
Date & Time: February 26th / 11:00 AM
Format: Win&Skill (5 rounds of Swiss)
Match Lengths: 7 point
Clock Settings: 14 minutes bank +12 seconds delay per move (mandatory)
Registration Fee: 100€ (includes match recording, transcribing and submitting to the BMAB)
Optional Side Pool: 200€ (95% return)

Results from the Master and Intermediate categories of this championship will count toward the Gammon Slam 2027 Annual Backgammon Tour rankings.
For full details, visit www.gammonslam.com

Ruling Committee: To be announced at the start of the tournament
Venue: Hotel Royal Olympic
Whatsapp: +90 532 232 9228, +30 693 652 4064
E-mail: info@greekbackgammon-grand-prix.opax.gr, afindikoglu@wbfturkey.com, stefharaklias@gmail.com

Our Team

Arda Findikoglu

Arda Findikoglu

Organizer & Director

Arda Findikoglu is one of the most prestigious names in the world of backgammon with his successfully completed more than 300 events national and international scale in his 23 years of career. Organizing and running more than 14 events every year, today, Arda Findikoglu is the head director of the most prestigious event of backgammon world, World Backgammon Championship which is held in Monte Carlo every year. He is also a board member of WBGF, World Backgammon Federation, which is the most well-respected backgammon association of the world last 4 years.

Stefanos Haraklias

Stefanos Haraklias

Producer

Stefanos Charaklias is the founder and chairman of Mind Sports Club of Cholargos since 2014. During these years his club has hosted and organized most of the big Backgammon events of Greece. The club is also active in the fields of Chess and Bridge. He was the president of the Greek Backgammon Federation (2021-2024)..

The Venue

For accommodation, we strongly recommend our venue Royal Olympic Hotel, a magnificent 5 stars facility, located in the heart of Athens centre, right in front of the ancient Temple of Zeus and within a walking distance from the Acropolis and Plaka.
Exquisite dining is offered at the rooop restaurant bar with a unique view of Athens’ greatest monuments.

For more information about the venue, follow this link.

Special Room Rates

Executive rooms

Get Started

* 130€ / single room / night
* 150€ / double room / night


+4€ / room / night / accommodation tax
 

Deluxe rooms

Get Started

* 170€ / single room / night
* 190€ / double room / night


+4€ / room / night / accommodation tax
 

Panorama rooms

Get Started

* 290€ / single room / night
* 310€ / double room / night


+4€ / room / night / accommodation tax
 

Triple rooms and suites upon availability

What’s included in your reservation:
Free use of swimming pool, gym, parking, wifi and VAT

Booking Inquiry

Accommodation

*Triple rooms and suites upon availability

Athens Walking Tours Information

Discover Athens Between Matches

Make the most of your tournament stay with our exclusive guided walking tours, designed to showcase the best of ancient and modern Athens. All excursions depart directly from the Royal Olympic Hotel and feature licensed expert guides and personal audio earsets for a seamless experience. For more information about the tours, prices and booking form, please follow the link:

Book Your Guided Tour Here!

How to get there?

Airport Transfers to Royal Olympic Hotel:

Metro (€9.00 / ~60 mins): Take Line 3 (Blue) to Syntagma, switch to Line 2 (Red) for one stop to Acropolis. The hotel is a 200-meter walk away.

Express Bus X95 (€5.50 / ~65 mins): Runs 24/7 directly to Syntagma Square. From there, it is a 12-minute walk, a 1-stop metro ride, or a 2-minute taxi.

Taxi (€40.00–€50.00 Day | €55.00–€65.00 Night / ~40 mins): Available 24/7 outside arrivals. Flat rate to center, subject to traffic.

Private Transfer (€55.00–€80.00 / ~40 mins): Pre-booked car service with a driver waiting for you at the arrivals hall.

Handcrafted Backgammon since 1970
previous arrow
next arrow
 

Programme*

Friday, February 26

All day – Registration at Hotel Royal Olympic
12:00 – Start of Mini Jackpots, Speedgammon, Seniors, Women’s & DMP Challenge (continuous entries)
19:00 – Last Registration for Main Flights & Dinner break
20:30 – Welcome Speech & Start of Undefeated Bracket (Master & Intermediate)

Saturday, February 27

13:00 – Start of Second Chance Bracket matches (Master & Intermediate)
19:00 – Dinner break
20:30 – Gameplay resumes

Sunday, February 28

13:00 – All categories resume
19:00 – Dinner break
20:30 – Start of Doubles Consultation

Monday, March 1

13:00 – All categories resume
15:00 – Start of Super & Limited Jackpots
19:00 – Dinner break
20:30 – Gameplay resumes

Tuesday, March 2

12:00 – Start of Last Chance Bracket (Master & Intermediate), all categories resume
15:00 – Championship Grand Finals
16:00 – Closing of Mini Jackpots
20:30 – Awarding Ceremony
* Organisers reserve the right to change the programme in any of its parts. Changes will be announced in advance and posted on the notice board.

Fees

* 100% of entry fees will be added into the prize pool.
* Registration fees include special design trophies & Awarding Ceremony.

Category Entry Fees (€) Registration Fees (€)
Master 300 100
Intermediate 150 50
Doubles Consultation (per team) 280 70
Super Jackpot 460 40
Limited Jackpot 225 25
Seniors (Age 50+) 40 10
Women’s 40 10
Speedgammon 40 10
DMP Challenge (2 lives) 16 4

Match Lengths

Category Match Length
Master Undefeated: 13 pts (Semi & Final 15)
2nd Chance: 9 pts (Semi & Final 11)
Grand Final: 17 pts
Last Chance: 5 pts (Final 7)
Intermediate Undefeated: 11 pts (Semi & Final 13)
2nd Chance: 7 pts (Semi & Final 9)
Grand Final: 15 pts
Last Chance: 5 pts (Final 7)
Doubles Consultation 7pts (Final 9)
Super Jackpot 11pts (incl. Final)
Limited Jackpot 9pts (incl. Final)
Seniors (Age 50+) 7 pts (incl. Final)
Women’s 7pts (incl. Final)
Speedgammon 5pts (incl. Final)
DMP Challenge 1 pt (incl. Final)

Prizes

100% of entry fees will be returned as money prize, organizers will donate an added value of €10.000 into the prize pool & the sum will be distributed as follows:

MASTER CATEGORY TITLES *
(Total Added Value Contribution: €5.000)		 PRIZE POOL
DISTRIBUTION (%)
Winner 40
Grand Finalist 18
2nd Chance Finalist (3rd) 9
2nd Chance Semi Finalists (4th & 5th) 4,5 each
2nd Chance Quarter Finalists (6th, 7th, 8th & 9th) 2 each
Undefeated Bracket Winner (bonus) 4
Undefeated Bracket Finalist (bonus) 2
Undefeated Bracket Semi Finalists (bonus) 1 each
Last Chance Winner 5,5
Last Chance Finalist 2,5
INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY TITLES *
(Total Added Value Contribution: € 1.000)		 PRIZE POOL
DISTRIBUTION (%)
Winner 44
Grand Finalist 20
2nd Chance Finalist (3rd) 10
2nd Chance Semi Finalists (4th & 5th) 5 each
Undefeated Bracket Winner (bonus) 5
Undefeated Bracket Finalist (bonus) 2,5
Last Chance Winner 6
Last Chance Finalist 2,5
DOUBLES CONSULTATION TITLES *
(Total Added Value Contribution: €2.000)		 PRIZE POOL
DISTRIBUTION (%)
Winner Team 50
Finalist Team 25
Semi Finalists Team 12,5 each

* Percentages might be reevaluated based on the number of participants

A share of €2.000 from the championship’s added money prize will be contributed to the Gammon Slam 2027 fund. For prize details, visit gammonslam.com

Important Notes

• WBGF Tournament Rules set will be the main guideline of the rules applied and any additional rules will be posted on the notice board prior to the start of the whole event. https://www.wbfturkey.com/doc/Tournament_Rules_WBGF.pdf
• Players who have recent Intermediate winner titles, or a BMAB ranking of “M” or better, or a recognized PR of 6,5 or below are NOT allowed to participate in Intermediate flight in principle, to be checked with the event director during registration phase. If a player who cashes in Intermediate is noticed as meeting one of these criteria, 30% of official prize is cut and distributed as a compensation to his & her opponents.
• The Tournament Director reserves the right to require the use of clocks in any round of any category.
• The draw is manual (not computerised), public and random.
• Tournament matches take precedence over all other forms of play.

• Only cash payments are accepted.
• The Tournament Committee reserves the right to refuse applications to play without giving any reasons, since the event is by OPAX invitation only.
• Should a player wish to leave the playing area during the tournament, he/she must inform the Tournament Director. Failure to do so may result in penalty points being assigned.
• The daily break for dinner is between 20:00 and 21:00.
• Smoking is not permitted in the event venue other than in designated areas.
• The tournament will be played on professional Tournament Boards. Our boards are regularly cleaned and disinfected.
• Dice service is provided by organization.
• All players are expected to be dressed appropriately.

.

Welcome to the 5th Greek Grand Prix, an International Backgammon Championship held in Greece

@2023-2027 Greek Grand Prix - International Backgammon Championship