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Favorable Review of Rob Maier's Pittsburgh Tournament
Posted By: Paul Weaver
Date: Monday, 21 February 2011, at 1:13 a.m.
Rob Maier and his staff did an outstanding job running the tournament February 17-20 in Pittsburgh. He was assisted by Jeb and Robin Horton (the most happily married couple in the history of the universe) and Jeff Sutker.
The total number of participants was 150, with 64 in the championship division of the main event. For several years, Pittsburgh has been one of the largest tournaments in the USA. There were several Canadians present, from Toronto and Montreal. Tobias Hellweg from Germany also attended.
Petko beat me in the finals of the Masters Jackpot. I thought Petko played very well, better than I did. Congratulations to Petko for his well-deserved win. Although the match was not recorded, I took some photos of positions. Perhaps later in the week I will post some of them.
Ray Fogerlund beat Dennis Culpepper in the finals. The other semifinalists were Bill Calton and Al Mamlet.
If you are interested in more complete results, go to www.chicagopoint.com, where they will be posted in a day or two. Sorry, but it is not my objective here to list all of those who cashed.
The format in the main event was similar to, but not exactly the same as, the Swiss format used in Madison. The matches were 9pts, all clocked, and it was triple elimination. Those who kept winning played seven matches Saturday, starting at 11 AM. I believe the latest anyone played in the singles event was 1 AM Sunday. Sixteen people qualified for the playoffs. I believe there were four people with records of either 6-1 or 7-0, and these were placed into the round of eight. The other twelve had to win either one or two matches to reach the round of eight.
As far as I know, the tournament ran smoothly, but there was one glitch. There were supposed to be three matches played in the doubles event on Friday night, but a very few teams only played two. Consequently, one of the doubles matches ran until 3:45 AM Sunday morning. Rob acknowledged that he made a mistake in not making sure that everyone in the event played three matches Friday night.
By my count, there were nine Backgammon Big Shots in attendance: Carol Cole, Bill Davis, Bob Koca, Ed O’Laughlin, Rob Maier, Al Mamlet, Rich Munich, Petko and Kit Woolsey. If anyone thinks he is a Backgammon Big Shot but was not mentioned above, then let me know, and for a reasonable fee (payable in advance, of course), I will kindly explain to you the reason I feel you did not qualify. Please understand that I had to draw an arbitrary line somewhere.
I made an effort to get a quote from each of the Big Shots about the tournament. Only Ed escaped before I could corner him for a comment.
Carol Cole is a Big Shot because (1) she runs a marvelous tournament every July in Michigan, (2) she runs weekly tournaments, (3) she publishes a newsletter, (4) she sells a lot of stuff and (5) she is #44 on the Giant-32 List. Carol said, “Love the tournament, innovative, unlimited food, excellent staff, great that he draws such a big crowd.”
Bill Davis is a Big Shot because (1) he runs an annual tournament in or near Chicago, (2) he runs weekly tournaments, (3) he publishes a newsletter and (4) he is the founder and director of the ABT, American Backgammon Tour. Bill presided over the ABT awards ceremony Saturday morning. When asked for a comment about the tournament, Bill originally stated, “I refuse to comment,” but a couple of minutes later, he came back and mentioned to me that some people had to play until 3:45 AM Sunday morning, even though clocks were used.
Dr. Bob Koca, who has a doubling cube with no numbers on it, is a Big Shot because he wins tournaments (most recently, Santa Fe), he is a Giant and he gives seminars. Bob said, “The hospitality was top notch and the events ran smoothly.”
Rob Maier is a Big Shot because he does such a great job running a major tournament. He must be doing something right if so many people keep attending year after year. Rob said, “I was happy that so many people seemed to enjoy themselves.”
Al Mamlet, of Potomac, Maryland, is a Big Shot because he is a strong player with a low PR and he is also on the board of the USBGF. Al said, “I like the format. You get to play a lot of backgammon.”
Rich Munitz is a Big Shot because he is a strong player with a low PR, he is a Giant, he won the ABT one year and he is on the board of the USBGF. Not sure, but Rich may hold the world record for most ABT points won per tournament played. Redshirt Racquetball Rich said, “I really think Rob did a great job running everything like clockwork; like the format.”
Petko (some people are so famous they need only one name) is a Big Shot because he is a strong player with a low PR, he is a Giant, he is one of South Carolina’s top fifty players, he is a very nice guy and a classy dresser. Petko said, “It was very well run, as always.”
Last but not least, Kit Woolsey was probably the strongest player at the tournament. He won the 2010 ABT. He is also recognized as one of the very best bridge players in the universe. A man of few words, Kit's only comment was, "Good tournament.”
Thanks to Rob, Jeff, Jeb and Robin for their hard work and great job in giving us something to do for the weekend. Hope to return next year!
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