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BGonline.org Forums
Advice for a virgin
Posted By: Mike Main In Response To: Advice for a virgin (6425)
Date: Tuesday, 14 October 2008, at 1:11 p.m.
If you have never played live before there are some procedures that you would do well to practice before you go. Get hold of a real backgammon board to practice on and find a real opponent to play against. This is best done in a local Backgammon Club where things are generally more relaxed and friendly rather than at a National Tournament where people are really playing to win. In particular:
A) Be comfortable. If your chair is too low for you, get another. Most tournament room chairs stack and it is not unusual for players to sit on two. This will give you more of an aerial view of the board which is what your eyes are used to in online play.
B) Have a drink with you. Live play usually takes longer than online play but you don’t want to be dry mouthed during a match.
C) Empty your bladder before a match. Sounds simple but it’s just not comfortable if your body is sending you un-required messages to your brain while it is working.
D) Be in good time for your matches. If you are staying in another hotel do not leave it to the last minute to get to the tournament venue. Penalty points apply to late arrivals because the Tournament Director has a duty to all players to keep to the schedule. The most frequent offences are on day 2 or day 3 first matches. Take an alarm clock with you and do not trust a hotel to give you an alarm call no matter how much you are paying for your hotel room.
E) Do some physical exercise before you play. If your hotel has a swimming pool then use it. You need your body and mind to be at one with each other.
F) Be able to play equally well both ways round (clockwise and anticlockwise.) A favourite trick in real play is for your already though to next round opponent to come and watch your match. There’s nothing illegal with this. S/he may observe which way round you are playing this match and set up the match with you the other way round. I’ve seen this seemingly simple thing fluster an online player who never bothers to swap directions into playing badly live. Don’t let it happen to you.
G) Tradition says you should “play towards the light.” I.E. to whichever is the brighter side of the room you are playing in. However this is not always observed and it is as common for the player whose board it is not to choose the direction of play. I think US rules state (somebody please correct me if I’m wrong) that if this cannot be determined by mutual agreement then a roll of the dice decides it.
H) Do not let yourself be bullied in any way, shape or form by your opponent. Face to face backgammon is far more physiological than online backgammon. If your opponent learns that you are a “virgin real life player” s/he might try to take advantage of this. Stand up for yourself and take no rubbish. If there's something you're not sure about, do not hesitate to ask the Tournament Director. There is no shame in thinking one way, but finding out otherwise. And shame on anybody who bullies the newbies.
I) It’s traditional to shake hands with your opponent before a match starts. Get used to this routine by actually doing it.
J) Get used to setting up the board. Again as an online player this is done for you by the computer so you might not be as able as a practiced real life player to do this simple task as smoothly as you might. Setting up the board includes re-centring the doubling cube.
K) Get used to actually rolling the dice rather than clicking your mouse.
L) You’re going to have to use dice cups in a tournament so use these too.
M) Always roll on the right hand side of the board and learn how to roll without repeatedly rolling cocked dice.
N) A real life board has no point numbers on it. Turn off the points numbers on your online board now and get used visualizing numbers and learn how to pip count in your head. Written aides are not permitted in live play so please don’t starting learning to do a pip count by writing it down – this is a job you must be able to do in your head (with the aid of your fingers and toes.)
O) Get used to moving your checkers with just one hand. Using both hands is illegal because it increases the chances of illegal moves.
P) Do not be too hasty to roll and thus make a pre-mature roll. Again this is another thing you cannot do in online play but can happen in live play. Do it and it could well cost you a game or the match.
Q) During a game do not reach for or touch the doubling cube unless you really mean to. If you do it can be interpreted as a double and a Tournament Director is highly likely to rule that you have doubled. Be very careful in this matter.
R) You and your opponent should both keep the score of the match on written scorecards. Do not leave it to your opponent alone to do this. In the case of a match score dispute the Tournament Director is going to have to favour the player that did keep the score. Apart from that writing the score down is going to imprint it upon your mind more firmly. When a game finishes concur with your opponent that you both have the same score written down.
S) Watch your opponents play. S/he might make an illegal move. If they have be ready to gently take a hold of their arm before they pick up their dice and hence prevent him/her from taking away the evidence of the true roll. I’m not saying live players are cheaters; by far the vast majority are not because they know they would be run put of backgammon but wishful thinking sometimes “informs” a player that they threw a better roll than they actually did.
T) I’d advise a “virgin live player” to keep chat over the board before and during a match to the minimum because every time you open your mouth your opponent has another opportunity to know you’re new to this type of backgammon and hence you are giving him/her a psychological and actual advantage.
U) Reserve your chat with your opponent until after your match. Then, sure, chat away for a little while.
V) However don’t delay too long in reporting your match to the Tournament Director. You will probably have another match to play and you don’t want to time out or delay the schedule.
W) Remember that the T.D. is your friend. S/he wants you there because you represent a player that has “come over from the other side” and s/he might be earning from laying the event on. As such you should be encouraged rather than discouraged. Don’t be so in awe of things that you feel you cannot ask questions or for a ruling should you feel one is required.
X) Read the rules of play: http://www.chicagopoint.com/usrules.html You do not have to learn them verbatim but have a good working knowledge of them.
Y) Enjoy yourself. You’re going out for a good time. Contrary to some peoples opinion most people do not play well when drunk but most people enjoy one or two drinks while playing.
Z) Get some zzzzzzzzzzzs in. Don’t be tired when you play.
Ok – I hope I haven’t freaked you out so much into deciding that live play is not for you by giving you this long list of “to dos” and “not do dos.” In reality they are all very normal procedures and nothing really to worry over once they become second nature to you which they will if you give them the chance to do so. In my opinion live backgammon is a far more interesting experience than online backgammon.
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