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BGonline.org Forums
Posting Matches
Posted By: Dmitriy Obukhov
Date: Monday, 14 October 2013, at 7:33 a.m.
Bill Calton recently raised some questions/concerns about posing matches. I figured I would take a minute to answer to him and to others.
First of all, I think PR of someone who plays on GridGammon is hardly a secret. Even if someone doesn't know exactly what your level of play is, I think most of your opponents who have played you multiple times have a pretty good idea. Moreover, it sounds strange to me that you would tell on your blog – which is excellent by the way – what your PR were in matches discuses, but still saying it is not anyone's business.
Personally, I believe there should be no refusing of making matches available to public. I remember looking at matches of masters when I started learning backgammon. Let me tell you, they made a difference in my understanding of the game. Many of us have benefited from publically avalable information, let's not deprive others from same opportunities. There were also raised some comparison with chess. I believe here, on BGO, are several chess players. How many would prefer looking at games of Fritz vs. Rybka instead of Kasparov Vs. Karpov? Perhaps there are someone, but it isn't me. Same in backgammon – matches of XGR++ Vs. XGR+ are of little interest to me – I am more interested in human play. Just as Bill Phips, I believe that if someone pretends to be a Giant, he should not try to hide his matches from the public.
With that said, if you (universal) don't want your matches be publicized, no problem. I have several matches between Bill Calton and I, which I will not post. He doesn't want public to see them, and I don't feel like I have the right to do what I feel like, and at the same time, disregard what he feels like. If match is recorded, but not broadcasted, I will ask beforehand if my opponent doesn't want it to be posted. I may forget to ask, so let me know if I do. If someone asks me not to post it after the match, most likely the answer will be "NO". There is a reason for this. Last year I witnesses a match being recorded. And, when the player recording the match faced many tough decisions in a complex backgame, he stopped recording it saying "my PR will blow". Hiding one's bad matches from others while allowing public to see better ones is a form of deception. If someone wants to do it, I will not help him to do so.
I sometimes get matches which were recorded, but I have no way of knowing if any arrangements about posting were made. Often I ask players if I can post. I have never got a "NO". However, if I do get a "No", and if i feel like player doesn't want it to be posted because he played poorly, there is a good chance I will not post his recorded 9not broadcasted0 matches in the future. If match is broadcasted, I don't feel I have to ask. With that said, if you (universal) have your match broadcasted but don't want it to be posted, just say so before it started. Saying "I don't want my broadcasted matches to be posted, ever." is also fine. No need to ask not to post after the broadcasted match was played – I won't listen.
Will there ever be a Dmitriy's PR list? I don't know. I was thinking about making one. Maybe I will do it one day – not sure. It takes many matches for PR's to be meaningfull, and with limited availability it is troublesome. Also, I don't trust in some players matches because... – you figure.
And lastly, to respond to Bill Phips, I don't cherry pick anyone's matches. I simply make everything I have available to everyone. I know, I forgot to post a few in the past. Performances of one, or both of the players have nothing to do with it. I may simply forget to do it.
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