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BGonline.org Forums
CA State Champion*/LA Calcutta {long, boring}
Posted By: Chiva Tafazzoli In Response To: CA State Champion*/LA Calcutta {long, boring} (Coolrey)
Date: Wednesday, 9 December 2009, at 3:44 p.m.
I noticed no hostilies when at some point, Ray had to play Joe at the US Open in DC. It was just a tense match and challenging, like competitive backgammon matches usually are and should be.
Backgammon tournaments, in my opinion, are also about socialzing and friendship, in spite of competition and race for money. This adds a challenge to a match which can be important and crucial at a certain stage of a tournament. One should have the ability to keep a balance regarding those factors.
Ray is a champ and his record speaks a clear language regardless of error rates and bot-style plays. His latest ABT title is not a coincidence and I have witnesses some of his decisions on his way to the European Doubles Champion title, which taught me more about the game than the basic error rate automatisms. It was also about analyzing your opponent and psychological moves regarding early/late cubes and foreseeing his opponentīs reaction...
Joe is a former World Champ himself and a bg regular, and certainly one of the top guy in the LA area. I have experienced him to be a non-impulsive player and cold-blooded during the DC tournament 2009.
No idea why some people would boycott Calcuttas. It is a critical source of income at the US tournaments. The expenses are high to run an event in the US and the profit is much lower than in Europe. This can only be harmful to the commercial aspect of tournament organization and might ultimately endanger some events to take place at all or be repeated. I personally am known for opening bids at every tournament I have attended where there was an auction (Novi, Vegas, etc.). I even auction some groups without really knowing them, for the pleasure of betting, and for the support of the organizers. They deserve it.
On a separate note, Iīd gladly pay for lessons from Ray. His explanations are accurate, extensive and very instructive. And I like to support in a way someone who supports the game genuinely and generously...
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