BGonline.org Forums

Thanks for the encouragement

Posted By: scotty
Date: Tuesday, 29 April 2014, at 4:26 a.m.

In Response To: End of my one-month commitment (Timothy Chow)

Thanks for encouraging newbies such as myself. You are dead on the money in regards to people like myself being reluctant to err on a public forum. You are also correct about it being a valuable exercise to take a stab at these problems. I have seen my ELO slowly creep up over the last month since i began reading the posts here. And I have also corrected a few misconceptions as well. I'll participate more, and hope that it might help others like me to improve their game as well. I hope everyone will bear with me, as i stumble along.

A few more thoughts....I have read a few discussions here about the desire to popularize backgammon, and i support the idea, even considering starting a backgammon club here in Hamilton, Canada, with the hopes of bringing like minded people together and encouraging young people to take up the game, as well.

I can't think of any game, sport, or form of entertainment where the top people are so accessible to ordinary people, as here in the game of backgammon. I can watch top players online, they respond to my posts with helpful information, and i can readily learn from them through their posts. It's incredible to have such access to many of the top people. This is surely something which will help the development of our game.

However, there are a few things in our online backgammon community which i feel might tend to discourage some people, and slow the growth of the game. I'm new here, been active, online, for the last year and a half, so please bear with me. First, is that reference to the 'fencepost'. Ten more ELO points, and i'll be a fencepost! You can imagine what i think about that! Actual fact is, i score very well on IQ tests inspite of having two separate language disabilities. I'm not Mensa material, but quite possibly higher than the gentleman who perhaps regrets making such a statement. Years after having stated such a proposition, it continues to resonate among many of the players in our backgammon community.

Second, is the use of the term donkey. I'm sure it might seem condescending and possibly discouraging to many of the people to whom it refers. I would suggest that we can grow our backgammon community faster without the drag that things of this nature put on our efforts.

Thank you, Timothy Chow for your encouragement directed at the average player. All the best to you, Scotty

Messages In This Thread

• End of my one-month commitment
  Timothy Chow -- Tuesday, 29 April 2014, at 12:42 a.m.
  • End of my one-month commitment
    Fatboy -- Tuesday, 29 April 2014, at 3:16 a.m.
  • Thanks for the encouragement
    scotty -- Tuesday, 29 April 2014, at 4:26 a.m.
    • +1
      Klaus Evers -- Tuesday, 29 April 2014, at 9:12 a.m.