Alastair Macbeath won the Sterling Asset Management's Second Annual Kingston International Backgammon Tournament last weekend, beating lawyer Bruce Levy in the final to take home the $300,000 prize.

This was Macbeath's third time in winners' row having won tournaments at Strawberry Hill in 2007 and 2009. Macbeath eclipsed the two favourites — Mike Hirst, 2010 and 2011 winner at Strawberry Hill and William 'Sensei' Mahfood.

Hirst did not make it out of the first round this year, while Mahfood made it to the knockout stage but was beaten by Mitta Rousseau in the quarter-finals.

The semi-finals were even more nail-biting than the final, with the winners scraping through by one game each. Macbeath beat Ryan Lowe and Bruce Levy beat Mitta Rousseau.

Pam Chin in her first entry in a tournament won the Lost Souls group for those players who are knocked out of the first round. She beat Roger Malek.

Thirty-two players competed in this years' competition held annually at the Spanish Court Hotel. Organisers Andrew Issa and Knolly Moses were pleased with the competition claiming it was a huge success.

Sterling Asset Management's CEO Charles Ross stated that his company was delighted to be the tournament's title sponsor. "It has helped raise the profile of the game in Jamaica," he said. The company also sponsors Mike Hirst.

Other sponsors for the tournament were Rainforest Seafoods, Supreme Ventures, Spanish Court Hotel, Wata, Haagen Dazs, Coldwell Banker and Panmedia. It was held under the patronage of Angella Brown Burke, Mayor of Kingston and St Andrew.

A victorious Alastair Macbeath raises his hands in victory after collecting his trophy and symbolic winnner's cheque from Sterling's Assets Mangement's Dian Blackwood (left) and Pamela Lewis last weekend.