The new European Series of Backgammon (ESOB) has announced the first of its regular big money cross-continent online championships with the launch of its website.

The ESOB anticipates a €15,000 prize pot and around 70 players to compete in its first online tournament, the final of which will take place on March 28. The ESOB will run four online championships a year, with hopes that it will quickly attract the world’s best players and total prize funds close to €100,000.

Alongside the quarterly online tournaments, the ESOB has brought together a number of the world’s biggest offline backgammon tournaments, including the Zakynthos Backgammon Festival, to establish an annual European tour. The website provides information on each of the tour’s tournaments, and will feature post-event reviews and galleries.

"We feel that the launch of the ESOB will open a great number of opportunities for the European backgammon community," said John Clark, ESOB chairman.