Transition from On-line Play to Over-the-Board
Gregg Cattanach
competent player. (Currently have a 1825 rating at GamesGrid). I play
almost every night, 2-3 matches on average, and probably have about 11,000
experience points on all the servers I've used. The problem is that I found
the local club and started playing over-the-board, and have had terrible
results. I attended one local tournament, (~60 players), a couple chouette
nights, and a couple weekly tournaments (~16 players). I now have racked up
the impressive total of 3 match wins, 14 losses, and 20 points lost in 3
chouettes.... (YEOUCH!)
Is it all bad luck? Is everyone I play effectively a 1950 player? Is there
something about 'seeing' the 'real' board that's more difficult than seeing
it on the screen? Am I just intimidated, and make the wrong cube decisions
every time?
I'm sure only I can really answer these questions, but I'm wondering if
anyone else has had a similar experience, or if anyone has suggestions about
what might be different about playing OTB as opposed to on-line......
(Also, I just wanted to gripe about my bad luck out loud! LOL)
Comments, suggestions?
--
Gregg Cattanach
gcattana...@prodigy.net
Zox at GamesGrid, VOG
Chuck Bower
Gregg Cattanach <gcattana...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>I've been playing about 2 years on-line, and thought I'd become a reasonably
>competent player. (Currently have a 1825 rating at GamesGrid). I play
>almost every night, 2-3 matches on average, and probably have about 11,000
>experience points on all the servers I've used. The problem is that I found
>the local club and started playing over-the-board, and have had terrible
>results. I attended one local tournament, (~60 players), a couple chouette
>nights, and a couple weekly tournaments (~16 players). I now have racked up
>the impressive total of 3 match wins, 14 losses, and 20 points lost in 3
>chouettes.... (YEOUCH!)
You can say that again!
>
>Is it all bad luck? Is everyone I play effectively a 1950 player? Is there
>something about 'seeing' the 'real' board that's more difficult than seeing
>it on the screen?
Yes! I don't know if "more difficult" is an accurate description,
but it is different and if you don't adjust it will cost you. The same
thing can occur if a player gets accustomed to a small board, e.g. 1 inch
=2.5 cm size checkers and then goes to a tournament size--1.75 inch = 4.4 cm.
You MUST look as if through a wide-angle camera. If not you will miss
seeing some of the checkers (i.e. the ones you REALLY should be moving).
This is no joke. When I play a friend at work over lunch hour we use a
small board. Before I go to a weekend tournament, either I bring in my
tournament board OR I practice a game or two (against myself--that way
I can't lose :) before the tournament starts.
>Am I just intimidated, and make the wrong cube decisions every time?
This may be a factor as well. There is a REAL person across from
you who can see more than just the board. Concentration is different when
playing face-to-face. And what about when some spectators show up?
Frank Frigo and I were discussing this on the phone last night--how
some players are used to a gallery of observers and others aren't.
Advantage to the person accustomed to the surroundings.
>
>I'm sure only I can really answer these questions, but I'm wondering if
>anyone else has had a similar experience, or if anyone has suggestions about
>what might be different about playing OTB as opposed to on-line......
>(Also, I just wanted to gripe about my bad luck out loud! LOL)
Another thing which some people (like me) aren't good at doing is
switching from match play to money play quickly--as in you finish a
match, are waiting for another opponent so you jump into a chouette.
You lose an (unlucky) 4-game in the box, start licking your wounds and
then have a match to play. I never play for money at tournaments. For
me the two games have different mindsets and I haven't learned to make
the transition in a short time scale.
But don't forget, it may just be statistics of small samples
(that is, the dreaded 'dice'). A big advantage in online play is the
ability to record and replay (especially with a bot) your match later.
Then you can more easily separate luck from skill (and find your mistakes
for correction in the future). Unless you want to hire a human recorder,
or happen to make the finals against a top player which someone else will
want to record, you don't get such valuable feedback.
The likely answer to your question is that MANY factors are conspiring
against you and that probably results in lost confidence, feeding the
losing streak even more. Experienced players are less likely to be
affected by these subtlties because they have seen it all many times before,
but in the case of an online player switching to face-to-face play, there
is not doubt in my mind that it will take some getting used to.
Now, which club did you say you were playing at? I need to come over
and kick you while you're still down. ;)
Chuck
bo...@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu
c_ray on FIBS
Richard P. Reasin
Gregg Cattanach wrote:
>
>
> Is it all bad luck? Is everyone I play effectively a 1950 player? Is there
> something about 'seeing' the 'real' board that's more difficult than seeing
> it on the screen? Am I just intimidated, and make the wrong cube decisions
> every time?
>
> I'm sure only I can really answer these questions, but I'm wondering if
> anyone else has had a similar experience,
>
>
>
Gregg--It does take some getting used to. I had a player get up and leave a
tournament, because he got tired of telling me it was my turn to roll the dice.
You get use to the luxuries of the servers. And when it comes time to evaluate
a race, and I have to do a pip count, I find my mind is out of order. I
believe the items we take for granted on-line, cause our over the board game to
weaken, do to lack of practice in those areas. The old use it or loose it rule
seems to apply.
Rich Reasin
DiceGod on GG
Gregg Cattanach
McIntosh who sent helpful personal e-mails. I'll just keep on plugging
away, and not get discouraged... Thanks again :-))
--
Gregg Cattanach
gcattana...@prodigy.net
Zox at GamesGrid, VOG
Chuck Bower <bo...@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu> wrote in message
news:7l0ajb$6tj$1...@jetsam.uits.indiana.edu...
>(snip)
| The likely answer to your question is that MANY factors are
conspiring
| against you and that probably results in lost confidence, feeding the
| losing streak even more. Experienced players are less likely to be
| affected by these subtlties because they have seen it all many times
before,
| but in the case of an online player switching to face-to-face play, there
| is not doubt in my mind that it will take some getting used to.
| Chuck
| bo...@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu
| c_ray on FIBS
>(snip)
Daniel Murphy
<gcattana...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>I've been playing about 2 years on-line, and thought I'd become a reasonably
>competent player. (Currently have a 1825 rating at GamesGrid).
....
>I now have racked up
>the impressive total of 3 match wins, 14 losses, and 20 points lost in 3
>chouettes.... (YEOUCH!)
>
>Is it all bad luck? Is everyone I play effectively a 1950 player? Is there
>something about 'seeing' the 'real' board that's more difficult than seeing
>it on the screen? Am I just intimidated, and make the wrong cube decisions
>every time?
>
>Comments, suggestions?
Sleeves. Long, loose-fitting sleeves. Don't wear them. Starting a game
nicely with a 53 and a 11 but leaving this position:
|
|
|
X |
X X | X
O O X X X | X
1 2 3 4 5 6 | 7 8
creates some interesting complications. That would never happen to me
(again).
When you are bearing off, avoid putting your borne-off checkers on the
bar. It makes your bearoff a little longer.
In a major tournament match this spring, a player considered doubling
and then ... hit his clock. I don't know if he got confused, thinking
he was hitting the "roll" button, but who knows.
Pips. Count them. Online. All by yourself. Turn the pip counter off.
In two weeks you'll be able to count any position in 15 seconds or
less (but you won't turn it off, nah :).
Expand your field of vision. A backgammon board is larger than a
computer screen. Make sure you're seeing the whole board and all 30
checkers.
Backgammon boards are beautiful, or can be. Appreciate the way the
checkers slide across felt or leather, settle together. Develop an
elegant and fluid style of rolling, moving, picking up the dice,
waiting for your opponent to pick up his. Be one with the board :)
Pay attention to your mannerisms and facial expressions. Is the look
on your face telling your opponent that you're going to drop if he
doubles?
Finally, Gregg, I don't know where you play, but there are lots of
good players out there, and they don't all play online. If your club
attracts a decent crowd, I can tell you that players who hover around
1780-1820 on GamesGrid or FIBS are not the ones who are winning most
of the club tournaments.
________________________________________________
Daniel Murphy www.cityraccoon.com/
Humlebæk Backgammon Klub www.hbgk.dk/
Raccoon on FIBS www.fibs.com/
Raccoon on GamesGrid too
John Graas
1) Missing moves. It's harder to "see" the entire board. While
on-line I find it easier to catch missed moves out of the corner of my
mind. This can be fixed by more over-the-board play and systematic
examination of all four quadrents of the board.
2) Speed of pip counting. While on-line, the pip count is always
there. It's easy to make sure that you are not making a stategic
mistake (running while behind, etc.). Over-the-board counting is much
more tedious, and I tend to skip it except for critical positions. If
I count too often, I feel like I'm slowing down the game. BIG
mistake. I feel that you need to be constantly aware of the count,
otherwise you'll miss doubles.
jdg
"Gregg Cattanach" <gcattana...@prodigy.net> wrote:
>I've been playing about 2 years on-line, and thought I'd become a reasonably
>competent player. (Currently have a 1825 rating at GamesGrid). I play
>almost every night, 2-3 matches on average, and probably have about 11,000
>experience points on all the servers I've used. The problem is that I found
>the local club and started playing over-the-board, and have had terrible
>results. I attended one local tournament, (~60 players), a couple chouette
>nights, and a couple weekly tournaments (~16 players). I now have racked up
>the impressive total of 3 match wins, 14 losses, and 20 points lost in 3
>chouettes.... (YEOUCH!)
>
>Is it all bad luck? Is everyone I play effectively a 1950 player? Is there
>something about 'seeing' the 'real' board that's more difficult than seeing
>it on the screen? Am I just intimidated, and make the wrong cube decisions
>every time?
>
>I'm sure only I can really answer these questions, but I'm wondering if
>anyone else has had a similar experience, or if anyone has suggestions about
>what might be different about playing OTB as opposed to on-line......
>(Also, I just wanted to gripe about my bad luck out loud! LOL)
>
>Comments, suggestions?
>
>--
>Gregg Cattanach
>gcattana...@prodigy.net
>Zox at GamesGrid, VOG
>
>
>
**** Remove _spamme_ from e-mail address to respond. ****
John Graas
>snip>
>
>Pips. Count them. Online. All by yourself. Turn the pip counter off.
>In two weeks you'll be able to count any position in 15 seconds or
>less (but you won't turn it off, nah :).
>
<snip>
>________________________________________________
>Daniel Murphy www.cityraccoon.com/
>Humlebæk Backgammon Klub www.hbgk.dk/
>Raccoon on FIBS www.fibs.com/
>Raccoon on GamesGrid too
The problem here is that on-line players won't put up with this. They
want fast games, and playing slow makes people suspicious that you are
using a computer "buddy."
jdg
Morten Wang
| Backgammon boards are beautiful, or can be. Appreciate the way the
| checkers slide across felt or leather, settle together. Develop an
| elegant and fluid style of rolling, moving, picking up the dice,
| waiting for your opponent to pick up his. Be one with the board :)
I'm just waiting for you to say
Use the force, Luke, use the force.
;)
Morten!
--
"God does not deduct from our alloted life span
the time spent playing backgammon."
--> Morty on FIBS
--> Backgammon homepage: http://home.sol.no/~warnckew/gammon/
Jeff Schwarz
Over the board, however, if you make a mistake, your opponent will correct you only when it's to his or her benefit. I learned this lesson the hard way (playing for money) <G>.
John Graas wrote:
Alan Webb
Morten Wang schrieb in Nachricht ...
>* Daniel Murphy
>| Backgammon boards are beautiful, or can be. Appreciate the way the
>| checkers slide across felt or leather, settle together. Develop an
>| elegant and fluid style of rolling, moving, picking up the dice,
>| waiting for your opponent to pick up his. Be one with the board :)
>
>I'm just waiting for you to say
>
> Use the force, Luke, use the force.
>
>
>;)
Or tell us its also great in bed lol.