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BGonline.org Forums
Kocagammon backgammon variant
Posted By: Nack Ballard In Response To: Kocagammon backgammon variant (Bob Koca)
Date: Tuesday, 10 September 2024, at 12:30 a.m.
Terminology: The term "interlocking" normally applies to two (or more) chouettes played simultaneously and some or all players are involved in both. The term I've heard for the variation where checkers are moved back and forth from one board to another (or pieces in chess from one board to another) is "bughouse." You might want to come up with a term other than "interlocking" that is more intuitive to you for Kocagammon.
What exact rules are "better" may be in the eye of the beholder, but for now, at least, you're the main beholder as well as the decision-maker.
As I understand it, you stated that the drawback of Kocagammon being played on three boards is that it would be relatively too attractive to play on the same board twice in a row. Okay. In that case, the three-board rule could be that you can play on the same board a maximum of only two or even one (instead of three) time/s in a row, or there could be a different adjustment (many possibilities). Of course, maybe you don't want to require the extra space and equipment, or you'd prefer getting used to two boards first, or you have some other reason for not wanting to play with three.
In modern times, online grandmaster chess matches are typically played with two or four rapid games, and if there is a tie then two blitz games, and if still tied two more, and if still tied then there is one final "Armageddon" game where Black receives draw odds but gives time odds (in order to solve chess's draw conundrum), so that the tie is finally broken by force.
It was in this spirit that I thought a series of successively shorter contests (e.g., after some number of Kocagammon games, you play Kocahypergammon and/or Koca-one-checker gammon) might seem like an interesting or exciting option. (If you haven't yet tried Kocahyper or Koca-one, it might be premature to conclude it would be uninteresting.) Regardless, at some juncture, a one-game contest, Armageddon-like or otherwise (or other tie-breaking mechanism) will be necessary unless there is no objection to playing indefinitely.
That stated, it's hard to argue with option "a," not necessarily in exclusion of other tweaks, as it allows you to play a continuous N-point Kocamatch.
It occurs to me (if I'm imagining this right) that an N-point Kocamatch will sometimes culminate in two final DMP games, where each player is winning one, and whoever can legitimately claim gin first wins the match. I guess the reason is that you wouldn't want gin-first to be the deciding rule in a single (two-board) Kocagammon game is that it removes the art of strategic resignation.
Earlier, I implied, but didn't state clearly, that a greater or lesser incentive could be offered in compensation for resigning quickly. It depends on what you want to see happen.
Nack
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