Bagchen Tournament in Rinchenling

Dear Vajra Family,

Last Sunday, October 20th, the first ever Tibetan game tournament of Bagchen took place at Rinchenling, Dzogchen Community of Moscow, Russia. This game, like many others, was taught by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu to his students, and for many years we have enjoyed this game both among ourselves and at the same table with Rinpoche.

Sources claim that bagchen (sbag chen) is an ancient Tibetan game, which is no more and no less than several thousand years old, and its origins go back to the non-human tribe of masang, who in ancient times inhabited Tibet along with people and taught them science and arts, including the art of divination. Tibetans believe that although the masangs have become invisible to people, they continue to patronize gambling and bring good luck to those whom they favor.

Baghchen is a game that is both gambling and intellectual; a lot in it depends on mathematical calculations and logic, but it’s better to keep your luck by the tail. Because you can have winning combinations, but instantly lose everything, stumbling on one move. As in business, the player here thinks through the strategy as a whole and each step separately.

14 players (12 main and 2 reserve) took part in our tournament. The atmosphere was very joyful and supportive.

Here are some of the participants’ reviews:

“…The first pancake was not a flop, and this is the result of good and correct preparation. The prizes that the winners received are beyond praise. Each person who received a prize was very happy and even, probably, received some kind of sign from life. Which only increases the value of the prizes. And for this, special thanks to Rinchenling as a sponsor of the prizes. I would also like to express my personal gratitude to all the participants! Thank you for taking the time to visit this tournament. Without you, it simply would not have happened!…”

“Excellent tournament! Thank you for organizing and thank you for the game! It was a pleasure!)”

“Thank you very much to the organizers. I hope that these tournaments will turn into a good tradition of Rinchenling, and they will be held regularly. It was fun, emotional and energetic ❤️”

Olga Mitiguz took first place, the second place was surprisingly shared between two people who scored the same number of points in the final game: Artiom Volk and Marina Belousova, Maria Tsymbal took the honorable third place.