Well, I just have to have a backgammon party whether we really need one or not! And what better way to start off the New Year than to have a party? Since I couldn't think of a better way, on Saturday night Jan. 14th I hosted The Great 2006 New Years Backgammon Tournament And 3 Fire Chili Party!

As I wrote in my invitation letter about having a 3 Fire Chili:

"...you know the drill on this one: It will burn going in. It will burn going down. And it will burn… So this will be a great excuse for all L-O-S-E-R-S to whine about the fire in your tummy that seared your game."

But it wasn't that hot. Really. Very good though. I spent 3 hours Friday night making it and then I let it cook for 4 hours until I went to bed. Then Saturday evening I turned it back on at 5:50pm and let it slowly come up to temperature and simmer gently for another couple of hours. I served it in some neat "El Passo" taco shells that were shaped like bowls; it was great!

I also offered the following antagonizing statments in the letter to get everyone fired up:

"We will count won matches as a percentage of matches played to determine the championship blood match. To win a match, you must win 2 points - either by playing one game with the cube at 2, or by playing 2 or 3 single games to accumulate the necessary 2 points. The championship match will be to 3 points; no tears. There will be a cheap prize for first place; there are no prizes for 2nd place - well, that's what it says in the movie Top Gun..."

So, we had some pretty animated play though the night. David Shaw of York, ME finished up in 1st place and won the coveted cheap travel coffee mug. We never played a championship match because everyone was interested in tuning into the Patriots/Broncos division playoff that started at 8:00pm. Though a pretty good game, the Pats lost 27 to 13.