Herb
gurlands in November
gurland
\ˈgər(-ə)l-ənd\
intransitive
verb
1.
To win five matches in a row taking first place in a backgammon tournament
Reigning
NEBC Champion, Herb Gurland, won his first tournament of this season by
defeating Howard Rosenthal in the finals of 22 player November bonus points
tournament. Semi-finalists were Anne Bidner and Roger Rondeau, last month's
runner-up. Alex Zamanian, in what's becoming habit, took first place in the
consolation round when he defeated Eric Wicklund.
December
Tournament
Our
next tournament is Saturday, December 10th at 12:00. Entry fees are $60 for
Expert and $30 for Intermediate/Novice. As always, entering for
Intermediate/Novice means you get half the normal prize money should you cash
in the tournament.
Please
show up before 12:00 noon to register. If you're going to be a little late, you
can call my mobile 781-354-6466 to reserve a spot. If for some reason I don't
pick up, leave a message. I'll be sure to check my messages before we begin the
draw.
A
$5 food credit is given with tournament entry. Before you leave, pay the
tournament director for any food you ordered less $5.
Schedule
We've
scheduled the next few tournaments with the Dockside.
Saturday,
January 14
Saturday,
February 11
Saturday,
March 10
The
April, May, and June tournaments are TBD.
Points
Race
With
his big win in the November tournament, Herb Gurland takes a small lead over
second place competitor, Alex Zamanian. Joe LaRochelle, Howard Rosenthal, Gints
Aldins, Roger Rondeau, and Anne Bidner round out the top 7. At the end of the
season, the top 7 points earners play in a playoff tournament for the title of
NEBC Champion and prize money provided by the club.
November
Problem Solution
Score
tied 1-1 in a 9 point match
Black
to play 4-3
There
appear to be three candidate plays here, all very different -- B/22 6/2, B/22
7/3* and B/18.
The
only good thing that can be said for B/22 6/2 is that it’s completely safe. Red
is left with no crushing rolls, so Black will survive for the time being and
maybe he can roll something constructive next turn. On the other hand, there’s
some big downsides to the play. The nice builder on the 6 point is moved to a
much worse spot, and Black is left with Too Many Points -- where 14 of his 15
checkers are wrapped up in 7 points. Sometimes this isn’t a big deal -- when a
player can easily break a point without destroying his position-- but here,
there’s no flexibility in Blacks structure, a very dangerous situation.
B/22
7/3* is an attempt to be the attacker rather than the attacked, usually a
winning proposition. Here, however, the attack is a little feeble. Black gives
up a valuable point and leaves Red even money to hit back. Meanwhile Black’s
back men are still stuck behind Red nice structure. Even if Red misses on the
first turn, Black will need to both shore up his front position and bring the
back men around, kind of a tall order.
The
final candidate, B/18, attempts to solve Black’s flexibility problems and get
the back men moving. It’s pretty dangerous to forgo the 22 point anchor and
give Red several great pointing numbers, though Black is not completely dead
after being pointed on. Note the lack of other Black blots lying around.
Despite
the risk, B/18 is the correct play. It’s largely a matter of playing with a
winning game plan in mind. B/22 6/2 is what I like call “playing for second
place” -- it’s a move that deteriorates Black’s position all for the purpose of
not getting blown off the board immediately. B/22 7/3* could work out OK and
it's not wrong by much, but it leaves Black with too many problems to solve
even when things go well on the next exchange. B/18 does one very good thing
that is part of a winning game plan, and the risk involved is not enough to
counteract that important fact.