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BGonline.org Forums
My clock+time experiences in Peoria
Posted By: Chuck Bower In Response To: Peoria tourney thoughts (neilkaz)
Date: Wednesday, 15 October 2008, at 5:21 p.m.
I brought my three clocks but didn't bother with them on Friday (afternoon "Prairie Classic" bracket of 32, 7-point matches with consolation, 5-point matches; then doubles that evening).
I decided to do a 'Koca' and ask all Open match opponents if they'd like to use a clock. My first opp not only politely declined, but then said "if clocks become required then they've seen the last of me". I replied "so you've had some negative experience with clocks?" Turns out he's never even tried them. After I politely suggested that he was being closed minded (of course I didn't use those words, I save them for political discussions here :) he started backpedaling. He asked if I thought intermediates would be clocked and when I said (eventually, but that will probably happen later) he said he'd play intermediate.
TIMEOUT. Let me give you a bit of background on this player. He lives in a rather remote location WRT backgammon -- far away from clubs and not close to weekend Ty's. He only plays one or two events per year, and says he signed up for the intermediate, partly out of rust, but was (for the reason I can't remember) urged to move up to Open.
As we continued to play, he would occasionally ask questions. For example "do you think I would be hindered by a clock?" I told him "well, you're playing faster than I am and I don't feel hindered by them". Later "how many matches have you played in where the clock expired?" I said about 3 in 100, and two of those were due to the losing player not paying attention to his clock(!).
Ironically (or maybe not) we were the LAST first round match to finish in the open, including those matches where both players got first round byes, which I believe that means last to finish out of 21 matches. (I lose, BTW.) By this time he has softened his stance and says he would consider trying out a clock when there is no pressure (i.e. not in the Open event). Maybe a small bit of progress....
Second round (now consolation since I lost) was against Tak Morioka. I asked him if he'd like to play with a clock and he seemed a bit surprised, then said something like "as much as I'd like to take advantage of you feeling clock pressure, I think we will move along pretty quicky without one". Of course he was needling me for my 'deliberate' style of play, but that's OK. I know Tak and he's an easy-going sort who knows I can handle some kidding. Our 9-point match reached 4-8C (I think there was one 4-point game), then 5-8, then 7-8, before finally finishing (he never chose to exercise his free drop) we still finished in somewhere around 75 minutes by my estimation. (Another loss; I'm out of the Open until Sunday AM's Last Chance.)
Sunday: My first opp (after we both got byes) is Chris Knapp. Before I could ask him if he'd like to use a clock, he asked me! (Progress is slow, but I see progress!) Of course, so as he goes to get his clock I stop him since mine is with my board (which we use). five point match so ten bonus minutes each and 12 free seconds per move. We use almost identical amounts of bonus time (~3 minutes each) in a match of four games (if memory serves me), him winning a 4-pointer at 3-away all (see cube position I posted here a couple days ago) to finish my Open experience for this weekend.
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