Backgammon News

May 27, 2010

The Italian Connection

European Backgammon Championships 2010

By Robert Wachtel

Although the European backgammon tournament scene has been percolating of late, it is still not easy for foreigners (like me) to find events that are scheduled close enough together (both in space and time) to organize a simple trip around them. I enjoy sightseeing and visiting friends as much as the next person; but the logistics involved in organizing side trips to fill in the gaps between tournaments (as well as the schlepping around of one's body and belongings) can be distracting.

I was therefore pleased to discover that the Worldwide Backgammon Federation (WBF) was holding its annual tournament in Velden, Austria, just two days after the end of the Nordic Open. An absurdly charming village nestled next to a beautiful mountain lake (the Worthersee) near Austria's southern (Slovenian) border, Velden is about 500 miles due south of Copenhagen (a.k.a the North Pole). That was definitely the direction I wanted to follow; and after a two-day rest stop in Vienna, I arrived in the lakeside hamlet ready for action. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and the spring flowers in bloom. My allergies began blooming as well. But at least it was warm.

World Backgammon Federation

The WBF is a cozy little backgammon federation, whose tournaments are held in picturesque resort towns and run by the personable Italian, Marco Fornasair. "Aha," said Mr. Fornasir when I arrived in the tournament hall, "Robert Wachtel! You have not come to one of my tournaments since 1992, when you won the Venice Olympiad."

No one could accuse Marco of having a short memory. Not that I am certain it was all that accurate, for I'm pretty sure I've played in one or two of his events since that ancient epic. What I did not bring up -- for some dogs are best left sleeping in the dim past -- was that (in 1992) the WBF had paid me in Italian lira. Millions of them. But within days the lira was sharply devalued. I lost 25% of my winnings. In a fury, I bought British pounds (I was living in London that year) with my remaining lira. But it was only a few months before the pound too crashed, losing 25% of its value. That was the year that George Soros made 2 billion (with a 'b') dollars shorting the pound. It was all rosy for him, but my fortunes tracked his inversely. By the time his coup had been perpetrated, my tournament winnings were at about half of their original value. So I remembered Marco as the man who had made me an involuntary (and very inept) currency trader.

No matter. Austria (unlike Denmark, where the populace voted to keep their beloved kroner) is on the euro standard. If I were somehow to win something, I'd be paid in a respectable currency.

Backgammon Tournament with no Danes

And unlike the Nordic, this tournament did look winnable. There were only 40 entrants (at 700 euros apiece) in the "Master flight", and none of them were Danes! Instead, the playing room (a strangely illuminated ballroom in the local casino) was filled with an excitable, Mediterranean mix of Italians, Greeks and Romanians, with a few Austrians, Germans, Japanese and Israelis acting as ballast.

1st Round: Wachtel vs. Ruthless Romanian

My first round opponent was a ruthless Romanian. He neither spoke nor smiled, and paralyzed my dice with his piercing blue eyes. He lost no time in doubling me in the first game of our 13-point match.

A very easy take (the bots say "no double"), though I must admit that as I glanced up at my opponent's implacable features, I had a sense that no good could come of it.
I took, and he rolled 2-2, which he played 13/11 (2), 11/9, 24/22. I rolled a 5-2.

Come out like a man? Or hide? After a great deal of soul-searching, I chose the chicken play (it's right!). My opponent shot a 3-1, making the 8 point, and now I rolled a 5-1.

I could hide no longer. Nothing to think about: out and hit … 23/18, 4/3* And then the lights went out. The grim reaper rolled a double ace, and when I woke up the score was 0-4. I fought back to 4-4, when this instructive position came up:

The double three is a nice shot, and it really looks like you cannot go wrong with it. I jumped out to my opponent's bar point with both back checkers: 24/18 (2).

But then the lights went out again. The grim reaper shot a double deuce, making the four point and hitting me loose, and I fanned. He doubled.

This is very borderline. It may be a (thin) take, but I was discouraged. I passed. But let's go back. Was what happened to me really just bad luck?

Not entirely, for my "obvious" play with the double threes was a blunder! Correct is 24/21 (2), 9/6, 8/5, for three reasons: (1) I am down in the race, so staying further back is logical; (2) less blots, and (3) with my deuce point already made, there is little motivation to try to make my bar point. Therefore, my builders belong not on the 9 and 8 points but on the 6 and 5 points, where they can both make inner board points or attack White's blot.
This is how the right play would look:

I struggled on for another hour or so, but to no avail. And so it was off to the consolation event, where I managed to win a couple of matches. But then, in the third round, I drew world #2 Falafel.

Wachtel vs. Falafel Backgammon Match

Falafel and I have played some nice backgammon matches in the past, but this was not one of them. He crushed me, and after a while, it seemed as if nothing I did mattered. If one position served as a metaphor for the match, it was this one:

Down 2-0 owning the cube, I was trying to time an ace point game by starting lots of points in my board. But Falafel was watching. When he rolled a 6-4, he alertly broke his bar point, volunteering a shot. And I "hit" it. How should Black play 65?

You guessed it. Instead of 7/2, 7/1 (which I played, as would any human) the bots say that it is right to hit and cover the ace point. This crazy-looking play gets you gammoned only 8% more while giving you 7% more wins -- and I can just imagine how ugly some of those wins must be. Oh well, next time I'll know -- and probably still won't make the right play. Another pitfall awaited me later in the match. Down 7-0, I finally achieved a really strong position.

I doubled. This is an easy take for money, but when you are up 7-0 to 13...? Computer rollouts say that it is very close. Nothing that White could do would be far off; but Falafel was rolling well and brimming with confidence. He took without hesitation.

Now I rolled 6-3. Of course, I can just run with this number, 22/13, but it seemed to me that the situation called for bolder measures. After all, I am way down in the match. I have very little to lose, and might as well die with my boots on. So, I went for the gold and gammon with 13/10, 13/7. Unfortunately, Falafel shot a 5-2, coming in from the bar and hitting, and followed that (after I failed to enter) with a 3-3. He switched points, 6/3 (3), played his remaining 3 somewhere, and once again I experienced that familiar "lights out" sensation. He proceeded to gammon me, and went on, after that, to win the entire consolation flight.

Yes, again, I was unlucky, but again my judgment was off. The tactics of this position are not affected nearly as much by the score as I imagined. Gammons are almost as valuable to my opponent as they are to me, and the simple and sound 22/13 is the best play by a substantial margin.

Last Chance Backgammon Tournament

I did much better in the last chance tournament (5 point matches with a 7 point final, open to all the tournament entrants who had not placed in the main or consolation flights). I got all the way to the final, where I faced my old friend, Kazuhiro Shino, the winner of the World Series of Backgammon (WSOB) finale in London this last February. Curiously enough, it had been Mr. Shino whom I had barely vanquished (25-24) in that 1992 WBF tournament that director Fornasair had reminded me of. I missed a few doubles in one of the early backgammon games in this match, but at 3-3 to 7 I saw my chance.

This is one of those tricky backgammon positions that is a clear take for money, but is a pass at all scores where the trailer is 4 away or 3 away. It is also a big pass at this match score (4 away - 4 away), where gammons are so valuable. But this one fooled a few of the top players to whom I showed it. They guessed that it was a take. Maybe Shino knew the score, and maybe he didn't; but he took. 'I feel like gambling', he announced.

So did I, but to my consternation, all I was able to come up with was a roll that hardly satisfied my gammon lust. I shot a feeble 2-1.

There is only one right play here: the safe 9/6., but I just wasn't able to change gears that quickly. Still wanting to attack, I played the flexible, aggressive (but wrong) 6/3. I reasoned that Shino could hardly risk hitting me from his 18 point. The gammon risk was too high. So all I really had to worry about were the sevens: 6-1, 5-2 and 4-3 -- and even then I'd have lots of blots to shoot back at.

Alas, I'd hardly given a thought to White's best roll: 3-2! That is what Shino came up with. He hit me and covered his five point, and I danced. He redoubled:

I dropped (correctly) and Mr. Shino won the next game for a 7-3 victory.

European Backgammon Championship Results

The main event was won by Falafel's old friend and traveling companion, Eli Roymi (Israel), who beat 2008 Nordic Open champion Tassilo Rzymann (Austria) in a close and thrilling final match. The consulting doubles event was won by Yiorgos Kleitsas and Manos Mastorakis of Greece.

The Velden backgammon tournament ended with a lovely dinner and closing ceremony award presentation, in which Mr. Fornasir managed to award a prize of some sort to almost every contestant. I cannot say that I will treasure my last chance runner-up trophy quite as much as that 1992 Olympiad one, but I do like friendly structures like this one that spread the wealth (and glory) around a bit. The poker world has chosen a different, top-heavy model, which results in huge (and highly publicizeable) first prizes. Yes, the big jackpots encourage the masses to chase the rainbow, but most everyone comes away with nothing.

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