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BGonline.org Forums
Adjusting AtO--Just the opposite for me
Posted By: Bill Riles In Response To: Adjusting AtO--Just the opposite for me (Phil Simborg)
Date: Monday, 27 March 2017, at 3:18 p.m.
Be it Phil's techniques against stronger players -- which we probably all employ to varying degrees; or Stick's techniques of adjusting to an opponent based on 'reads' or circumstances, etc. it is part of the beauty of the game.
I've often used the terms "best players in the game" and "best players of the game" to differentiate between two fundamental styles.
There are a number of players, in my opinion, that get much better performance from their games than their PR levels alone might predict. Similarly, there are others who do not.
I think Phil is right in that Mochy, Michy, Victor, Falafel, and others adjust their games little if any for opponents -- they just play their best possible games. And their best possible game is more often than not sufficient to win most matches.
Others must dig deeper into their bag of tricks and attempt to recognize and take advantage of the emotions, psychology, and circumstances of the game. Those that know this and are best at this better outperform their skills than others.
Watching the contrasting style provide, in my opinion, some of the most entertaining backgammon.
A best read of this nature is the article "A Tip of the Ten-Gallon Hat to Mochy" by Ray Fogerlund in the March/April 2014 PrimeTime Backgammon magazine. It chronicles the 2014 Dual-Duel final in San Antonio between Mochy and Ray. As I said at the time, it pitted the best player in the game versus the best player of the game. It is a truly remarkable and entertaining article.
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