This year’s U25 summer camp for young gammon players was held in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture from August 14th to 18th. On the 4th day of the camp, the Ashikaga Open was held with feverish excitement.
バックギャモン足利オープンいよいよ開幕。初戦の相手は日本（世界？）最強の中学生。 pic.twitter.com/1cSOJg4pLO
— Nishiken66 (@Nishiken66) August 17, 2019
On the first day of the camp, a challenge to the “9th Backgammon Proficiency Test” was imposed on the applicants as part of the skill enhancement menu. The tests are used as teaching materials every year at the U25 camp, and this is the sixth consecutive year. In this way, the Japanese Backgammon League (JBL) young support program “U25” includes training camps, hosting U25 championships and hot new players’ tournaments, support for dispatching to overseas tournaments, and international student championships. They perform a wide range of activities such as support. For the U25 program, please see the following links.
As a result, Meijo, who got 39 points last year (#7 overall in the world), got 38 points this year! This score is currently ranked 3rd out of 88 players, and it has become one of the world’s top results by surpassing the scores of many famous players. However, it is no longer surprising to those who know his abilities.
The scores for the eight examinees were as follows.
| Rank | Total score | Total errors | Name |
| 1 | 38 | 1437 | Kentaro Meijo  |
| 2 | 33 | 2302 | H. K. |
| 3 | 23 | 3546 | Shoichi Tsunetsugu |
| 4 | 22 | 3457 | Yui Osaki |
| 4 | 22 | 3872 | (Anonymous) |
| 6 | 21 | 4282 | Yamato Takahashi |
| 7 | 16 | 4989 | M. K. |
| 8 | 15 | 4328 | (Anonymous) |
| Total 8 | Ave. 23.8 | Ave. 3527 |
You can see the results for all 88 people here.