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Article from June 2010 Chicago Point by Larry Leibster
Posted By: Stick
Date: Friday, 30 July 2010, at 12:12 a.m.
BG Peeves
By Larry Liebster
Octogeneraian
I am an octogenarian.
It has its benefits. In some cities the buses have special seats for us. The movies let us in for less money. There are senior discounts at certain stores. It's like they are saying, "We know you are slowing down and having difficulty moving around, so we will try to make it easier for you to be here. We appreciate and respect you."
Not so in backgammon these days. The powers that be want to "improve" our game -- speed it up at any cost. They have introduced clocks and made them mandatory in a number of divisions including mine.
Clocks change many aspects of backgammon including the handling of dice. I am used to picking them up to end my turn. I have my own dice in money games (which I play a lot of), but in clocked matches, one pair of dice is shared and you end your turn by pushing a button. So I am required to switch back and forth. You say this is easy to learn and do? For younger players, maybe. But I've been doing the same thing for decades, so it is much harder for me.
I have had speedy players request a clock with me, probably to gain an advantage. Sometimes they complicate their movement of checkers to distract me and use up time. I do not mean complicated games. I mean picking both checkers up, holding them, and then positioning and repositioning them. So now I have to shift my concentration away from strategy, pip count, and clock use to remember where the checkers started and see if they were placed correctly.
Clock use fosters abuse like this. I guess as we move up the skill ladder, we'll all have to accept this if we want to continue to play tournament backgammon.
I have dined with tournament directors and they all express the same concern: where are the new players going to come from? In my opinion, they should be making it easier to play the game, not more complex.
Sir, what's that you say? You don't know what an octogenarian is? Your mother tongue is different and this is not in your vocabulary? I commend you for trying to survive in this world, but the powers that be do not want you. English is the official language of backgammon. They have limited access to the game for foreigners, and now they're going after the slower-moving individuals.
In my lifetime, I have seen purification tried before in Nazi Germany. Their goal was the creation of a blond, blue-eyed master race. To reach this end, they eliminated those considered to be the negative parts of their society. Now it's starting in backgammon.
You say, "Why are you making such a fuss?"
At three different tournaments, I have lost matches on time. I have traveled a long distance and paid substantial money only to be disqualified. I have had trouble handling the clocks (there are at least three different types in use, usually requiring a director to set up), picking up (sometimes dropping) both dice, not hitting the clock, and just thinking about my moves.
I am doing my best to adjust; but I also wonder about new players entering the Championship. Will they stay with backgammon, or go to a game that is more accommodating?
I only have about twenty years left to play, and I want tournaments to exist until I leave. With clock use expanding, I'm beginning to have my doubts that the game can draw enough new players to remain viable in the years to come.--Larry Liebster
Discuss - Stick
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