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Tourney resistance to computer improvements

Posted By: Stanley E. Richards
Date: Sunday, 1 June 2008, at 6:00 p.m.

In Response To: Tourney resistance to computer improvements (Bob Koca)

I agree with the responders more than we disagree. By describing pip counting as "bean counting", I have given people the false impression that I do not consider pip counting to be a skill. Bill has noted that some players are too lazy to learn to count pips. Personally, I have been an online player with very little tourney experience. However, before entering my few tourneys, I followed Daniel's advice and practiced counting pips with GNU and Snowie with the pip counter off. I do not use cluster counting but developed my own method that I documented in my backgammon library. I was comfortable counting pips at live tourneys. I, personally am not seeking the easy way out. I am questioning the advantages and disadvantages of auto pip counting.

The first attempts at unassisted pip counting may be very tedious. But it's really not very hard to do.

Daniel's above assessment of pip counting is quite accurate. However, you cannot say that checker play or cube decisions are not very hard. Counting shots is easy but it is not very time consuming. MET take points, MET doubling windows, EPC, or other race methods are more complex than pip counting, but are not as difficult as checker/cube decisions. However, MET's and races are more to the heart of the strategy of backgammon. They are not included in online play, nor do I suggest that they be added.

Pip counting is a relatively simple, yet time consuming skill. Thus, one should ponder rather this time would be best applied to scheduling more matches and shortening existing matches. Is the skill of pip counting so interesting to justify its time? Or is backgammon so rich with other more interesting strategy aspects that eliminating manual pip counting would not be much of a loss? Simply put, do we want to spend our time counting pips or would we prefer shorter matches and more matches?

Hopefully, the future will force us to use computers for our live tourney matches. This will be necessary if tourney attendance increases by a factor of three or four. Backgammon is such a great game that I believe that its potential popularity is untapped.

Stanley

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