Beautiful summer weather prevailed at the Désert Dessert 2026 open-air classic, held in the oasis, which, together with the wonders of Qatar, illuminated the 113th Smoking Cat tournament.
Vietnam’s Burning Cards—Blanche and Feddazz—didn’t want to miss this year’s card oasis, No Stresaran Santa Cruz was represented by Bloody Mary and Czermi; Anjelik came to fight for KK Bílá Hora; Cpt. Lady Sansar represented Majestic Crown; Cpt. Zhaf represented Cork McEima; Cdr. Riker; the home team, Doha SC, fielded only two players—Cpt. Osvald and Eddula; Dashinchilen even had three players on the roster: Cpt. Kocour, Paczessa, and the designated substitute Batbald, who rode his bike to support his beloved game without points and even brought along a reliable referee.
Due to the number of players, adjustments were made to the first two rounds; the word lengths were extended to six letters, and players were manually assigned to two tables of four and one table of five, with only one player from that table leaving with a bad badge.
The topic of DD2026 was export goods, and the most valuable item was, of course, up for grabs in the final. The tournament was overseen by the lovely referee Káťa, and the atmosphere in the oasis was supported by two local dogs, who cheered tirelessly throughout the game, spent all their time at or under the tables, and brought good luck according to their own preferences. There was certainly no shortage of Qatari miracles.
DUSIIK = NITROGEN
The 1st t round saw as many as nine consecutive double losses (three at each table) and even a three-letter streak that put Anjelik on the edge of the Word (E!) at the five-player Table 1. Anjelik, who didn’t receive his first letter until the 10th game (or, more precisely, his 8th game), narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of Dusiik in the decisive 21st game, which ended 15–15 in penalty points and, thanks only to the attentiveness of those present and the witnesses, ended fatally for Czermi, the holder of Hejma. Czermi thus became the last DUSIIK of the 1st round, however the bad badge was presented to him by Mr. Anjelik himself.
The fastest table in the 13 games was Table No. 2, where Qatari captain Osvald became the first DUSIIK. Statistically, the pressure of hosting the event continues to affect gameplay performance most significantly at the start of the tournament. Osvald, however, handled it with ease, as she knows full well how things work in Qatar and how their Supreme Leader has things arranged when it comes to cards.
Table No. 3 got underway with Bloody Mary and Lady Sansar—both dominating the game at first—facing off against Kocour and Feddazz. Then the round gradually evened out in a relaxed atmosphere, and there was even a discussion about the chairs—which, surprisingly, each player had to bring to the table themselves; that’s just how it goes in the oasis. On the other hand, the participants in Désert Dessert didn’t have to bring their own rugs—it’s already a modern tournament with all the trimmings. Bloody Mary reached the Edge of the Word as first, but Fedazz soon followed suit, and within two games, he became DUSIIK in the 18th game.
The top players in the 1st round were Zhaf, Blanche, Cdr. Riker and Kocour.
ROPAAK = OIL GOBBLER
The 2nd round, dominated by Ropaak, saw the same number of streaks as in the 1st round. Qatari Sheikh Eddula at Table No. 1 experienced a hattrick of losses, he did even add a double loss to his tally. Lady Sansar also suffered two double losses at this table; in the last one, in the 12th game, she couldn’t escape ROPAAK anymore. Kocour and Cdr. Riker thus scored nicely in the 2nd round.
Table No. 2 was teeming with doubles—a total of five two-letter losses. Anjelik didn’t get his first letter until the 10th game. However, the score evened out nicely toward the end, with everyone at 4 letters. In the end, the player with two doubles took a hit at this table as well—the final, fatal one coming in the 18th turn—and ROPAAK then literally sent the newcomer Czermi to the swinging bench. Well, Kočka sure knows how to teach a lesson—every player except the lucky champion Jooki probably went through that at the start.
Table No. 3, a five-player table with the advantage of timeouts, was fast-paced this time, although there was only one double loss—a fatal one, as well—in the 14th game. According to Qatari tradition, no one other than Osvald could take on the role of ROPAAK, nor could anyone else claim the consolation prize of dung, which she didn’t even have to carry anywhere. Here, Batbold and Zhaf were cheering with a single letter.
HLINÍK = ALUMINIUM
Three women and three men have advanced to the final table of Désert Dessert 2026: Kocour, Zhaf, Cdr. Riker, Batbold, Paczessa, and Blanche.
A fatal hattrick loss didn’t spare Paczessa, who—in a completely baffling move—ruined her chances with a needless throw, and the first HLINÍK was born. One woman after another then left the final table—first Zhaf, followed by Blanche, who experts considered the clear favorite. Despite finishing in 4th place, Désert Dessert has propelled Blanche to the top of the current season’s rankings.
The Mongolian duo proudly took their places on the winners’ podium: Batbold with the bronze and Kocour with the silver, who, in the final, basked in the affection of the dog Medina and came to believe in the miracles of the desert. Jumping onto the top step of the podium was the Californian matador Cdr. Riker of the San Diego Padres, winner of the gold cup, the legendary challenge sheikh’s plate, and luxurious macarons featuring motifs from *The Little Prince*. Cdr. Riker thus claims his second career title and his first victory in the classic tournament. The American celebrations are sure to be spectacular.
Last Stop on the Classic Tour
This year’s Classic Tour will conclude—as has become something of a tradition—with SeptemberFest, organized by KK Bílá Hora and SCh Dashinchilen. Come cheer on the riders and see for yourself how it all plays out and who will qualify for the World Series 2026 in October.
Glide and Schrott burned out. A first podium for Majestic Crown. African misery.
The first classic was hosted, in lovely if slightly cramped premises and at the last minute, by the Žižkov pub U sadu. River Cat classic traditionally draws the strongest line-up of players. It’s hard to say why that is so, since the material prizes here usually don’t stand out from the average and a classic played in May then means a long card-playing fast, but this year too, many experienced great guys and players in superb current form gathered here.
Glide the best player – Schrott fought to the last game – The return of Ondraldo
The jubilee tenth Team Championship moved after two seasons from Únětice to Prague, specifically to Úl, the hive in Ďáblice, which brought a higher turnout of teams than last year. And we could just about end the news there, because otherwise this year’s edition was quite similar to the last year’s.
Blanche celebrates her first title, Niti takes a sixth silver, the Mongolians shine, a lesson for a newcomer
The last National of the 2026 season—the Bolivian Fiesta Praga Olé!, again held at Cafe Míšeňská, albeit with a new organising team—carried only echoes of its first edition. The quality of the entrants, however, was fantastic.
Maczka silver for the third time - Vietnamese newcomers score - Weak standard of play
The seventh Copo do Monteiro, for the seventh time at the vegan burger joint Belzepub, opened the second half of the National Tour. The traditional technical problems are being minimised, and with the whole starting field rarely punctual, the tournament began practically without delay just after half past six, so it was due to finish reasonably comfortably a little after ten in the evening. Such was the tournament plan,…
The Africans return in grand style - a first final for Sir Diamond
The 8th AfroCat at Kladno Castle hit the first day of spring, and the traditionally best-funded tournament of the whole season drew delegations from Nepal, Mongolia and Great Britain, plus the Vinohrady player Schrott. The home side fielded a complete five-player squad, and the registered eleven was rounded out by Paczessa, playing with no claim to points.
A majestic misfire from the British Crown - Anjelik burned out in front of brilliant fans
The 17th season of Smoking Cat brought strong player competition to the pub Výdejna We right to the very first tournament—the legendary Mongolian Open.
