The '64-player draw' will be made up of the seven players who have already qualified from the WSOB tour this year and up to 41 other players, who can either buy into the round of 64 for $7,500 or buy into the round of 32 for $15,000 per seat; otherwise, players can make the grade during a series of online qualifiers running on the WSOB backgammon platform, starting in January 2010.

“Some of the game’s biggest names, including World Number One Matvey "Falafel" Natanzon, Sander Lylloff (Gus Hansen’s pick as World Number One) and World Champion Masayuki "Mochy" Mochizuki will all be there,” commented Will Cockerell, WSOB Championship Tournament Director. “We are expecting the cream of the crop to qualify and buy in to this event, which offers the biggest prize pool in today’s game.”

Players who have already qualified for the shoot-out hold seats worth $15,000 as they will enter the action in round 2 in a 64 draw event. All other qualifiers will take the hot seat in Round One to stand a chance of finishing in the last eight, all of which will win a share of the prize pool. The prize pool is underwritten by Will Cockerell’s own company, WVLC Productions*.

“We’re expecting strong interest from local clubs around the world who might be interested in running satellites for their members to win a seat at this prestigious event,” said Andy Bell, WSOB founder and originator. “Our aim is to make this a shootout to remember and to provide a high quality, high impact finale to the season 3 tour.”

Event Details:

The shootout will take place on 6th and 7th of February 2010, at the Adam Street private members’ club, just off The Strand in Central London (see full details on this event further down in this article).

The event will include live online video streaming of some of the key matches, supported by expert commentary.

Players interested in securing a seat at this exclusive event or clubs wanting to run satellites should email:

Ends