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BGonline.org Forums
Great exposure for backgammon
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Great exposure for backgammon (Bill Riles)
Date: Friday, 10 May 2013, at 2:34 a.m.
1. The writer was not interested in presented backgammon to the world in a fair, balanced way. He could care less about that. He was interested in writing an interesting article about an interesting and unique person. He accomplished that very well. I believe many people who don't play backgammon will find this Falafel guy to be quite a character and will remember him, or at least that there is some amazing backgammon player that has led a most fascinating life.
2. For us to say whether the article is good or bad for the game is not easy. It certainly lets people know that backgammon is still alive and being played, both for big money and in tournaments, and that there is world-wide interest in the game. This is good for the game. Of course Falafel's life and experience is not typical of your average backgammon player, but tell me how many articles have you read about an average chess player, or an average anything? Would you read such an article yourself?
3. Of course I am sorry to see that most of the world may get the impression that backgammon is all about hustling and money. Of course I wish the author had said more about the amazing skill and study it takes to be a player of Falafel's level, and how the game is every bit as intellectual and challenging as Chess. Of course I would love to have seen Rafi portray some of the thrill and excitement of waiting for the dice to settle to see if the player hit or rolled doubles to win. Yes, it would have been great if the article gave out my phone number and told people that they could call Phil Simborg if they would like to learn how to play well. But I didn't write that article and neither did any of us, and that was not the author's purpose, and if one of us had written it that way, IT NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED in The New Yorker.
Having said all of the above, I am thrilled to see backgammon mentioned and happy for Falafel that he is even more of a celebrity...he's a nice guy and fun to have around and he is generous with his ideas and opinions, and we all agree that he is a great player and deserves to be because he sacrificed much of his life to become that great player. He worked his ass off and paid his dues and made it to the top (according to his peers) and its nice to see him become somewhat of a celebrity outside of just our small world of backgammon, and that can only be good for the game in the long run.
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