I like going to these BMS (UK) tournaments in Nottingham. A plane can take you there in an hour or so and the Best Western is only a short cab drive from the airport. Moreover, the format is right up my alley : three 11-pointers on Saturday (between 11:30am and 6:00pm) and three on Sunday (between 10:30am and 5:00pm). All matches are filmed by Rick Janowski and his team. Participants can either transcribe 3 matches themselves or pay 30£ transcription fee and let others do the work. Entry into the tournament is also democratic : 30£.
In these BMS events, my approach is more academic than competitive. I aim to make the most optimal decisions, regardless of the strength of my opponents. I care less about the victory than about the performance. After all, it is the PRs that are significant (they are skill-based and incorporated in the BMAB World Ranking), not the number of match wins (corrupted by luck and, thus, trivial).
Here is how I did :
BMS (UK) December 2016 : PR Michel (wins 4/6)
This result will not win me the PR prize, but it is not depressing either. It brings me to 4,93 on the BMS GT (click in the black banner above for current standings). Question I ask myself now is : how much time and effort is needed to improve from 4,93 to 4,00 PR? Is it even possible? Can a year of dedicated practice and sustained study bridge that 0,93 point gap? I doubt it, but I’ll give it a go in 2017.
How about you?
M