BGFed.be

The 6th Merit Open International Backgammon Championship is a monster event in Cyprus (40.000€ added prize money) which starts on Wednesday 31 October. Johan Huyck will be the only BgFed.be member present. The strike by the luggage handlers in Zaventem forced him to make a costly detour to Warshau, but there is no doubt Johan will be well-rested and eager to perform when he appears at the board on Day 1 (Wednesday, 2 pm).

Johan has been making progress lately. Long stranded with a 6+ PR on the BMS GT, he is now slowly making his way to the 5,50 PR region. Over the past two months, Johan played two Master Series, assembling 188 EP in the process. Here is how he did in the first one, against Paul Van Dijke :

PR Johan MS1 0061 (6*13). Johan wins 4-2.

PR Paul MS1 0061 (6*13). Paul loses 2-4.

These PR’s are a clear indication that Johan is establishing a significant skill gap between himself and his his closest pursuer, Paul Van Dijke.

In the same period, Johan played another Master Series against Geert Van der Stricht, currently Belgium’s second-highest ranked player (PR 4,81).  This series consisted of ten 11-pointers:

PR Johan MS1 0063 (10*11). Johan draws 5-5.

PR Geert MS1 0063 (10*11). Geert draws 5-5.

Again the skill difference is clear. One PR point is close to indisputable in a Master Series of 110 EP. Johan again manages a below-6 PR and seems to have found some solidity in his performances. So has Geert, of course, who will surely dip below 4,50 PR in the months leading up to the European Team Championship in Montenegro next year (8-10 April 2019).

Johan is now firmly positioned on spot 4 on the BMS Grading Table with 5,60 PR.

On 15 and 16 September 2018, 26 players competed in a BMAB event in Nottingham. Typical for these BMAB events is that ALL matches are filmed by the tournament organization (i.c. Rick Janowski) and that the overall PR’s of all players are incorporated in the International BMAB list.

Eager to make progress on that list, Geert Van der Stricht and I made the trip. Geert took a Friday night flight and I went by ferry and car on Thursday. Afterwards we were both happy. Geert won the event with 5 victories out of 5 matches (Geert was tied first with Lawrence Powell, but won the 1-point decider for the trophy) and I shared 2nd prize in the PR contest with a morale-boosting performance. Also part of our satisfaction was the fact that the hotel is supremely located close to Midlands Airport, offers great rooms  for about 65€ (with English or continental breakfast) and is organized with strict adherence to the schedule.

Geert (r) and Lawrence (l) present their BMAB certificates.

The PR prize was won by GM Sebastian Wilkinson from England (aged 28) with a PR of 3,2 or thereabouts. For Geert, cube actions in lopsided scores against inferior opponents proved to be a delicate balancing act and this is reflected in his PR. As we can see from the Player’s Profile below, Geert’s cube play suffered greatly from the fact that he was mostly far ahead in matches against weaker players. Adjusting with the cube is the first thing you should consider if there is a significant skill disparity and you play to win, but if you play for PR at the same time, this can have a ruinous effect on your Cube PR. Also Geert’s Checker Play PR, while very strong, is slightly below what he is capable of :

PR Geert (5*13). Won 5/5.

In that respect, I had an easier task. I lost my first round match and could bury my hopes of winning the tournament. I could take the factor “winning” out of my decision-making process and focus solely on making the objectively optimal choices. This benefitted my PR greatly :

PR Michel (5*13).  Won 4/5.

After this event, Geert and I remain in close proximity on the BMS Grading Table. We are both about 0,4 PR point behind Belgium’s uncontested number 1, Marc Van Damme.

Nick De Ruyck and Paul Van Dijke played, recorded and transcribed six 13-point matches over the past months (MS1 0053). Here is how they performed :

PR Nick (6*13) loses 1-5

A great PR for Nick, who is currently ranked as an Intermediate player on the BMS GT. This corresponds to a 10+ PR. Scoring an Advanced PR of 8,64 in six 13-point matches can’t be coincidental. Nick has been filming and transcribing his matches for more than a year now and it is encourageing to see that all this hard work is paying off. If Nick can keep up this consistent dedication, he will surely join Belgium’s small group of Advanced players in the near future. And who knows where he will go from there…

Marc Van Damme (middle) gives Nick (left) a well-deserved thumbs up!

Nick’s opponent was Paul Van Dijke, ranked 6 on the BMS GT. Paul’s current overall PR is 6,25, which gives him Master Class 3 status :

PR Paul (6*13) wins 5-1

Not a bad PR, but probably slightly disappointing for an ambitious player who is determined to improve. Paul has already scheduled a couple of other Master Series, so we will know soon enough if he can make a step forward.

Paul in recreational mode at a BMS event in Brugge.

Geert Van der Stricht and I also wrapped up a 6*13 Master Series (MS1 0058) :

PR Geert (6*13) loses 2-4

Another top-notch PR for Geert, who keeps performing at World Class level. He has now tentatively established himself as Belgium’s number 2 on the BMS GT.

PR Michel (6*13) wins 4-2

Lackluster performance by me and a serious setback ( “for an ambitious player who is determined to improve”). I was hoping to consolidate my Master Class 1 status, but things are going the other way… Hopefully my next MS1 (10*13 against Robin Bilderbeek) will be better.

Johan Huyck and I played, recorded and transcribed ten 11-point matches over the past months. This is how we performed :

PR Johan (10*11). Johan loses 2-8.

Johan has nestled himself in pole-position to turn Belgium’s below-5 trio into a quartet. Some consistence will be required to achieve this, of course.

PR Michel (10*11). Michel wins 8-2.

As for me, I will have to keep putting in the dedicated practice if I want to continue making progress. Needless to say that this is true for all of you readers out there…

One of the best ways to learn and improve your game is to record your matches, transcribe them into XG and study your mistakes carefully. This is what the best players in Belgium have been doing for some years and the results are there for all to see.

Over the past month, Geert Van der Stricht (BMS GT : 4,67 PR, ranked number 2) and Johan Huyck (BMS GT : 5,67 PR, ranked number 4) played, recorded and transcribed six 19-point matches. This 56th Master Series ended in a 3-3 draw, but more important is how  both players performed :

PR Geert (6*19)

Geert’s dedication and hard work are bearing fruit. XG’s evaluation (“World Class”) is not just a flattering epithet. It is a reliable and accurate reflection of a player’s skill level. True, in a Master Series, there is not much at stake and players can approach the challenges on the board in a purely academic fashion, but have a look at how Geert did in Monte Carlo, during the most recent World Championships :

Geert’s overall PR at the World Championship in Monte Carlo 2018 (67 EP)

This is a pretty strong PR, bearing in mind that these matches were played under high-pressure conditions with the prestigious title of World Champion at stake. It was certainly not for lack of skill that Geert was eliminated in the early rounds of the Championship…

Also Johan Huyck excelled in this Master Series :

PR Johan (6*19)

After some months away from the game, Johan seems to have come back refreshed and eager to improve. This encourageing PR may well be the boost Johan needed to continue his progress towards the 5 PR boundary. Especially his Cube Play in these long matches is worth noting.