NEWS I am very pleased that most of you find Piphit to be at the very least interesting. Thank you for all the feedback. Keep it coming! David Dunkley,who must be very old because he seems to be very wise, said   "Imagine two kids opening a new backgammon board. They have never played the game before. Inside they see instructions on how to play Piphit and how to play backgammon. They may very well prefer to play Piphit with its zapping of rolls, more shots and blots and excitement. These are the future players of Piphit. The game should be directed at them and not so much at your highly skilled traditional backgammon players." Wow! Respect! Aristotle lives again! David's insight takes us to the very heart of Piphit. The aim is to open up backgammon, to bring in a wave of new players.To have it playable online is certainly part of this. Online backgammon providers have been burnt with   Hypergammon   and Nackgammon.   They need to see that   there is a market for Piphit before they put it online. Therefore, your promotion of the game by passing on the word, by playing it and entering Piphit tournaments, by putting the Piphit name out there is very important. (The Piphit name is trade marked. If you want to use it send an email. In most cases approval   will be given speedily and with best wishes.) I am very grateful to Michael Crane at The British Isles Backgammon Association for his promotion of Piphit. I wrote an article on Piphit which he published in the May Bibafax. You can read the full article which is posted on his site at http://www.backgammon-biba.co.uk/Piphit.htm   In the article I   give a description of the game, which you have probably already read on the Play Piphit page and then go on to say :- "Bob Koca has said he finds the claim of more luck and less skill for Piphit dubious. He believes backgammon players will carry over their skills. On the other hand, there is too much luck in the game for David Dunkley. He would prefer a more skilful variant. I think that Piphit is a chameleon. Right now it will have backgammon players going back to basics; coming up with probability tables and working out strategies on how to play the game from there. It must be taking away a lot of the expert player’s skill if they are doing that. But as it develops it will become more skillful than backgammon. How can it be otherwise for a game that has over twelve hundred dice rolls compared with backgammons thirty six? May be it is time for the big bellies at Biba to get in on the action and come up with some conclusions on Piphit. I would love to be a big belly but unfortunately find that I am firmly in the dazed facial expressions camp when it comes to advanced backgammon theory. It would be “I think I have something” and then fainting if I tried. If a few of the big bellies at Biba would kindly volunteer to spend some time on Piphit; Play it a bit and come up with some findings in time for the next Bibafax then we would be some way down the road to discovering whether Piphit is a passing curiosity or is as high wide and handsome as I think it is." I am sure Michael will share with us any findings the Biba players come up with. If you want to publish this article I will email you the full copy.   Please credit it, both David Mcnair and I worked on this. Michael is also having a Piphit knockout at the Keren Di Bona Memorial Trophy Tournament on   the 5th July. Maybe the Piphit Gang, David McNair, Pippa and I will attend. First I have to make an apology to Pippa. Let me tell you a story:- To lay the scene for you -   After all this time, there she is sitting outside the supermarket with a dog. I have come to a halt with a pleased/surprised look a few yards away. Breathlessly I rush over full of smiles, nods and winks. I   wink a lot when excited. "Pippa my treasure, my delight, my only one," wink."I have a site its reason for being is because of you." wink wink."Is it a lurve site?" she says - multiple winks. My enthusiasm must be making me sound dippy!   "It's a game. You must visit my sweet," wink "let me know what you think. The name is easy to remember Piphit. Pip for you, hit for you hitting on me,"   wink. She gives me a look - wink wink - says she will but must go and leaves.   I feel it went remarkably well and dart away with my happy thoughts. Yes we can post a few words from Pippa possibly photos too.   Yes, yes!   the thoughts get bigger and bigger.   With Pippa on board,   next summer   we can have a Piphit World Championship. Pippa can do the draw. This is wonderful! We can tie it in with the village fete. Fair for all, no doubling cube with low entry fee and re-buys. . Matches -   best of five, seven,   and nine.   Yes, yes we can get a gaming company   to boost the prize money! Vicar won't like that have to work him round.   World Championships; Las Vegas; Monte Carlo; Nassau; Rottingdean. Hot damn! It has a ring! I buy a packet of   Werther's Original   to celebrate. Three weeks and not a peep from Pippa. What did I do wrong? Was I too forward? Or does she think I am some sort of weird old tease who leads girls on and then leaves them flat?   What to do, what to do?   Clearly a sincere   well worded apology is called for. Pippa, my candid manner at our meeting may have led you to believe that I was very interested in gnikcuf. This is not so my intentions were honourable. Yet, nevertheless, in a strange very deep kind of way, without my realizing it at the time, from the moment I first saw you until you left I was overwhelmed with gnikcuf thoughts. Hopefully these few humble words will clear up any misunderstanding between us. Sent with a bright smile and a chipper wave. David So back to the World Piphit Championships. David McNair (game co-creator) will be there as, I think we can now safely say, will Pippa   (very important person) and me. But what about you? This could be your best chance ever of being a world champion and to be the first! In years to come it might not be so easy. If you are interested use feedback and send an email saying just that interested. We may have to hold them in London a lot depends on the vicars response. Just thinking about it makes me very excited,   wink wink. There we are in the wink of an eye we covered an apology, Rottingdean Village Fete and The piphit World Championship - amazing. I am sure that Pippa will make contact and we can say the Piphit Gang will be there at the tournament on the 5th July. In mid August there will be another update with all the latest news. Make sure you come back! David Markwick May 08 tell a friend

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