Backgammon enthusiasts will be sharpening their skills ahead of the seventh staging of the Jamaica Inn Foundation Open Backgammon Tournament, which will take place from June 14-16 and is again being staged to raise awareness and funding for the White River Fish Sanctuary.

Organisers are hoping to raise close to the foundation’s US$20,000 ($3.1 million) yearly sponsorship — a contribution to the sanctuary’s overall $12 million a year budget.

Friday’s opening day of the event will see a lecture being presented by international backgammon luminaries Philip Simborg and Michihito Kageyama, a warm-up tournament for both casual and seeded players as well as the draw for the main tournament that takes place on the following day.

Belinda Collier-Morrow, co-chair of the White River Fish Sanctuary and a board member of the Jamaica Inn Foundation, underlined the importance of the sanctuary and value of fund-raising activities such as the foundation’s backgammon tournament, which help to offset costs associated with patrolling the 150 hectares, education and awareness exercises as well as restoration efforts.

“The sanctuary costs us about a million Jamaican a month so that’s $12 million a year and that’s really for the patrolling part of it and so we really rely on sponsorship for the outreach and so on but patrolling up and down, keeping the boat going — we actually patrol for 16 hours a day, so that is the most expensive part of it,” said Collier-Morrow.

“Jamaica Inn Foundation, what they like to do every year is contribute about US$20,000 towards the sanctuary and they do have a couple of fund-raiser, so if we can raise US$12,000 from this tournament that would be brilliant because that would get us a good way towards that. But we do have another fund-raiser in the autumn, and we have the Swim for the Sanctuary event, which also ties in, so if we can get funding from those two events to get us up to US$20,000 then we have contributed well towards the upkeep of the sanctuary,” she added.

Over 30 players are expected to compete in the main tournament which attracts an entry fee of US$250. Up to 60 individuals will pay the US$90 entry fee to feature in the warm-up competition.

Over $1 million in cash and prizes will be won, with the winner of the main tournament taking home US$2,500, a three-night stay at Jamaica Inn and a Club VIP red card, while the second-place finisher will win US$1,000, a two-night stay at the property as well as a Club VIP blue card. Third place will walk away with US$750 and a Club VIP bundle.

“We recognise the important work of the White River Fish Sanctuary. It’s of paramount importance to our local fishing communities, thriving tourism sector and indirectly the prosperity of the Jamaican economy. Our coast is lined with resorts, guest houses, hotels, all expounding on the beauty of our sandy beaches, delightful swimming, snorkelling, diving on the reefs; but what’s the connection between the fish sanctuary and that? We want our waters to be healthy, we want our beaches to be sandy and snorkelling, if there is no fish and corals then we would not have a tourism industry, so this is a great asset which needs protecting,” Collier-Morrow shared.

“We have seen numerous beaches disappear in Jamaica, Negril beach has gotten smaller, imagine the loss of income if all of our beaches disappear.”

Knolly Moses, director of Jamaica Backgammon Association, encouraged participation and spoke to the partnership between his organisation and the Jamaica Inn Foundation.

“The Jamaica Backgammon Association is really just a loose association of people who play and like the game and we have always supported backgammon tournaments wherever they are held. We made a relationship with Jamaica Inn some years ago and later on when the White River Fish Sanctuary was formed and they suggested that the proceeds of the tournaments that we were hosting would go towards the sanctuary, we loved the idea and we have been supporting since then,” said Moses.

Jamaica’s coral coverage has decreased by 85 per cent since 1975, which has had dire effects on the island’s marine ecosystem.

Arielle Oliver, brand manager at long-time sponsors, The Best Dressed Chicken, welcomed the partnership.

“We applaud the Jamaica Inn for putting on this tournament as well as those who have spearheaded the evolution of this casual gathering into what has become a vibrant blend of social camaraderie and competitive play. Our involvement in this year’s tournament underscores or commitment to the development of this sport within our local communities,” said Oliver.