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BGonline.org Forums
Ed O'Laughlin 2016 Streak
Posted By: Bill Riles In Response To: Ed O'Laughlin 2016 Streak (Stick)
Date: Tuesday, 14 June 2016, at 5:03 a.m.
Yesterday I heard another variation of an oft-repeated statement regarding team sports -- something like "it's not the team with the best players, it's the team that plays the best".
PR is a significant indicator of backgammon skill; however, I think most players will also concede there is more to the game. Many intangibles of various sorts contribute to overall success.
I made a statement several years ago in the preface of the PrimeTime Backgammon article on the 2014 Texas Backgammon Championships Dual-Duel Final between Mochy and Ray. I suggested it was a great match of contrasts pitting the best player in the game against the best player of the game. I think the match illustrated the point.
Few will argue that Ray, Malcolm Davis, Akiko, Stefan, many others, and, yes, even Ed O'Laughlin, are among the elite PR technicians of backgammon; however, they each have enjoyed considerable results success over periods of years -- none of them are necessarily just a flash in the pan resulting from a short period of good fortune.
Similarly, there are a number of unquestionably elite PR technicians of backgammon who have comparatively few results to substantiate their technical prowess. I don't question their greatness or their skill, I do note their lack of results.
So, when contemplating my Giants ballot every two years I try to balance the versatility of PR history and results. One or the other alone may not necessarily land someone on my ballot; a strong combination of the two definitely will.
I applaud those who can play like XG and who possess or have developed insights to many of the subtleties and intricacies of the game. I appreciate the math and the mathematical rigor understood and applied by a few in the game. I don't fully appreciate those that use PR's to diminish their lack of results and to deprecate the successes of others.
So, we have our individual perspectives; and that is a good thing. It keeps it interesting and it stimulates discussion and disagreement. I don't think PRs are the Holy Grail; I don't think tournament results are the definitive measure of skill. Greatness lies somewhere in between.
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