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fast play experiment

Posted By: Phil Simborg
Date: Sunday, 7 February 2010, at 11:16 a.m.

In Response To: fast play experiment (Bob Koca)

I did this same experiment with Snowie, 3 point matches, 10 years ago, 15 matches fast and 15 taking my time, and then put the results into an article (which I can't find!). As I recall, approximately 1/4 of the matches I player better when I played fast! Overall I did play better playing slow, but I do remember coming to two conclusions:

1. a lot of how you play depends on how difficult the decisions happen to be in a particular match, which I attribute more or less to luck; 2. often you gut reaction is right on checker plays, but cube decisions were significantly better (for me) when I took more time.

I think it is important to note that 10 years ago I was a far worse player than I am now with fewer reference positions, so it might well be that I would be a better fast player now than I was then. Logic tells me that more time should help anyone's game to some degree, overall, but it could be that there might be less of a difference between playing fast and slow for the better player than the worse player because of reference positions.

When I have time, I will do this again.

(I did the experiment originally to point out why it was so unfair not to have clocks and for people like Herb Roman to take so much time on each play. I was lobbying for clocks starting about 15 years ago.)

Messages In This Thread

• fast play experiment
  Bob Koca -- Sunday, 7 February 2010, at 12:50 a.m.
  • fast play experiment
    Phil Simborg -- Sunday, 7 February 2010, at 11:16 a.m.
  • fast play experiment
    Stick -- Sunday, 7 February 2010, at 12:26 p.m.
  • fast play experiment
    Stein Kulseth -- Sunday, 7 February 2010, at 1:39 p.m.