Unique Possibility

[Jakob Garal]

 

     ChicagoPoint proposes its users sometimes very interesting questions and the answers on them are very important for correct investigations of tournament rules for this game competition.

I’d like to discuss about follow poll results: 

POLL#3 (Total votes 219): My favorite major tournament format is:

33% - swiss movement (or modified swiss)

32% - double elimination with Consolation Flight

 

POLL#5 (Total votes 251): What most inspires you to attend a backgammon tournament?

38% - big cash prizes preferably including added money

20% - social reasons, I want to have fun over the weekend

 

POLL#11 (Total votes 184): When you cash in ABT event, which is more important for you?

62% - money over master points by a lot

10% - money over master points by a little

15% - I value both money and master points

 

POLL#27 (Total votes 188): BG directors should strive to make their events as skilful as possible –eg. long matches, Swiss system, clocks – so the best players win more often.

28% - I agree. When the same experts regularly cash, it helps to prove that backgammon is a game of skill.

42% - Within reason. Open entry fees are expensive. You don’t want to make winning effectively impossible for below average players.

30% - I disagree. Don’t go overboard with the skill thing. It’s great for backgammon when non-expert win.

 

If we collect all these answers together then we can find that the most part of BG-community prefer play in the tournament:

- for money (58% in poll#5 and 87% in poll#11 – I suppose that 15% of players, who answered that they value both money and master points, are likely  immediately to choose money in case you ask them extra about “what do you prefer to receive: only money or master points?” J);

- more matches: Swiss system (33% recipients) and double elimination with consolation flight (32%).

 

The last Poll#27 brings us very interesting results: opinions were shared practically in three parts. Only 1 of 3 recipients (28%) has understood how important for BG-community to have their experts and other good players in the top of the rating table. Why? Because in the reality we have some kind of expert’s opinions who decide about the BG-giants every two years and offer us their estimations in form of 32 BG-Giants list of the World, and we have World Backgammon Championship in Monte Carlo the winner of which could be NOBODY! In the last 2009 list there were only two World Champions between 32 giants: Mochy (place 1 – he won in 2009 WC) and double World Champion Bill Robertie (place 26). There are no other World Champions between 32 Giants!

 

Is it normal? Is it OK for this game? Have we no possibility to find any specific format for the competition that allow us to promote the tournaments in fair form, where the best players have the possibility to show their full features and everybody can use his chance of luck in the same form as it happens in this game usually? Should we really need experts to decide who the best one is? Have we no chance to find another criterion instead of subjective opinions of experts? How can we accept the wishes of players and what should be changed in the tournament formats to make them more attractive for players and more profitable for tournament organizers? Is it possible generally? 

It looks may be strange, but “yes” it is possible. For these purposes we have to implement the tournament with prize fund sharing, that first time was found in Kharkov, Ukraine in 2009 and used now on all events in Kharkov Federation of Nard and Backgammon and in other backgammon events in Ukraine too. How it works?