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BGonline.org Forums
More drama!
Posted By: Henrik Bukkjaer In Response To: More drama! (mtuhtan)
Date: Thursday, 12 July 2012, at 10:23 a.m.
Mthutan, regarding the number of redoubles. You claimed that in the "best of x short matches", you have more DMP games, more GS/GG games, more post Crawford play. You will naturally also have more "cube-DMP" games going on, where the cube end up dead in the ditch of one player.
Consider all that, and then rethink your claim that there will not be more redoubles in a 25 point match than there will in a 5 point match (per game).
Furthermore, you have a time aspect to consider. You cannot play best of 3 to 11 or best of 5 to 7, instead of one 25 pointer! In your original post you mentioned 5 or 7 points. Now in your last post you go for 7, 9 and 11 points... There's a BIG difference between 5 and 11 points!
I won't take this long match preference to extremes though. If there is plenty of time available, I would probably prefer best of 3 to 13, rather than 1 to 45 points!
In short, I feel that comparing short to long matches, you simply pick out a subset of the backgammon match skill-set needed to be a master, and enhance that. Big recube vigs, high cube values, odd scores (trail or lead without dead cubes), adjustment for player strength, etc. all go more or less out the window in short matches. But you get a much higher percentage of the total result from DMP and post-crawford games - thus the "checker-play only" games.
The "fun" match-scores in a short match, are not really that odd or difficult for expert players. I mean, for sure cubes are handled differently at -2/-4 or -2/-3, and even -3/-3 compared to -5/-5. But that's common knowledge amongst experts, and situations you come across so often, they don't really pose a big challenge for guys like the ones playing in the WC finals. On the other hand, a 4-cube at -7/-15 just to pick a random score, could really be difficult to play.
Here's an example from a 25-pointer just played in a Danish tournament last week.
The players are Steen Gronbech (who you know as a very capable player/Giant) vs. Patrick Toxvaerd, a Danish "2nd division" recreational player, who's last 3 17-pointers live matches was recorded at 6.06, 4.07 and 5.81 on XGR++ 250-300 decisions per match.
Steen is the favorite, but his opponent (as seen from the numbers above), is not a bad player, even though he might not be as consistent at his game.
(To translate from Danish: It's Blue leading 9 to 3 in a 25 pointer).
Trivial? I don't think so.
Decisions you come by every day? I don't.
Something you would have experienced in a short match? Never.
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