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BGonline.org Forums
I need a hero
Posted By: Jason Lee In Response To: I need a hero (Chase)
Date: Thursday, 11 March 2010, at 1:00 a.m.
I've got a bunch. Really, as has been mentioned before, there are WAY more good characters in BG than bad. I'll just mention a few -- if I don't mention you, it doesn't mean I think you're a jerk, just that these people are real heroes of backgammon AND have made an impression on me.
Art Benjamin does many things that I'm good at, but does those things so well as to really set the bar high for me. Art is a superstar BG player, but is also a highly accomplished mathematician. I can say that with some amount of expertise, as I have even a little bit of familiarity with his research. I've aspired to be good at backgammon and good at math, so Art is a guy I look up to in both of these areas.
Art is another one of these guys who never ever complains about bad dice. Maybe it's because he's one of the few people in the room who understands the weak law of large numbers. But Art is also known nationally for his contributions to teaching and learning mathematics and for trying to make math fun.
When you're at a tournament, Chuck Bower seems like just another backgammon guy, and won't get another look from most people... he's fairly well known, but isn't a loud voice. I got to know Chuck a little better at some tournaments in 2009, and we got to talking about how to study math, and a little bit about how to frame one's mind mentally to deal with distractions.
Chuck is also the ONLY person I have ever played who never, not once, ever budges one inch until you hit the clock, not ever, not even in a race.
He's no mythical figure (like Art Benjamin, Math/BG God) -- Chuck has admitted many weaknesses in his own game, but I've found myself listening carefully to the way Chuck handles backgammon and life. I've learned a lot in a short time in talking to Chuck.
Patrick Gibson *is* a commanding figure at backgammon tournaments, because whether he's directing or playing, he's the MFIC. Patrick once made the wrong ruling in a very important match I played. I'll never forget it. I'll never forget it because he owned up to it later... it was all over, and there wasn't any going back, but I accept the shortcomings of directors who aren't going to always make the right ruling, but Patrick has the integrity to stand by his decisions -- when he's right, and to admit when he made a mistake.
I feel very comfortable playing in one of Patrick's tournaments, because I know he's going to keep things moving, and he has the respect of the players. There are very few people in the USA who have done more for BG in the last few decades than Patrick. Now and then he has called on more for some technical advice regarding tournament structure/flow, which I am all too happy to provide.
Jake Jacobs is a guy that a lot of people would name, and there's little I can add about Jake... everybody knows him and his abilities and his jovial nature. Jake truly never complains about dice. We like to say that so-and-so never complains. I believe Jake takes that to another level, almost zen-like. Not to mention, Jake is a super nice guy... nobody doesn't like Jake.
Don Thompson, Sr. -- that's dad... his son is Don Thompson, Jr., also a terrific guy, but I wanted to mention Sr. Not many here might know Don Sr. -- he plays in beginner's sections. I really like talking about backgammon with Don. He has such a love for the game, but he's so bashful about what he knows. Unlike the other guys I've mentioned, Don is a weaker player than me, so he'll come ask me questions, and I can tell he is really trying hard and wants to learn backgammon for its own sake. I always prod Don to try to move up to the intermediate sections and challenge himself, but he's too worried he's not good enough... that's OK, he's fine where he is.
Don is a great gentleman of the game, who will be so easily forgotten because he plays in the beginners section. As people mention names, I thought I should mention guys like Don... because as you move from one division to the next, skill varies widely, but "niceguyness" doesn't.
Talking about Don and people who play in beginners sections... I discovered that when you offer some congratulations to somebody who cashes in a beginners tournament, they are really happy about hearing that from an open level player. I remember congratulating somebody once who had won a beginner's division, and they told me, "That's really nice of you to say that -- I know you're a great player, and it's nice to hear that from great players." Whoa... I was taken aback... I guess it's all relative. I never think of myself as a "great" player (even though I've won more ABT tournaments than Stick)... I always feel like among the open players, I tend to fall in the middle or slightly above the middle (on a good day)... but to a beginner, anybody in the open division looks like a superstar... ANYBODY!
So when you're at a tournament, and you look at the drawsheets... keep an eye on all of the drawsheets, and say "nice job" to the person who wins the beginners. They'll remember it, and that good feeling is what will bring them back, next time maybe to play in the intermediate!
JLee
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