BMS : Rolling EP activated on 1 August 2016.

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Michel Lamote

The BMS(BE) Committee hereby announces the introduction of a Rolling EP in both the BMS Grading Table and the BPR Ranking Table.

We asked committee member Walter Meuwis for some clarification :

Walter explains Rolling EP.

Walter explains Rolling EP.

M : Walter, what exactly is Rolling EP ?

W : Simple : Rolling EP is an experience threshold, which will be used in the BMS and BPR tables. It will be implemented on 1 August 2016.

M : Why?

W : The effect of a Rolling EP is that players’ PRs will be represented more accurately. Without it, an Intermediate player who has progressed to Advanced level would for ever carry his intermediate PRs with him. Rolling EP allows him to shed these inferior PRs if he can solidify his progress.

M : What will the threshold be?

W : The threshold will be set at 500 EP for the BMS GT and at 300 EP for the BPR RT. The reason this threshold is different for both tables is that the BPR table consists mainly of shorter matches, 3-pointers to 7-pointers. A threshold of 300 represents around 45 matches. The BMS table contains predominantly longer matches, 9- to 15-pointers. A low threshold here would represent only around 25 matches, which in our opinion is too small a database for representing an accurate PR. Therefore, by setting the threshold for BMS at 500, the database will always represent about 45 matches.

M : How will that Rolling EP work?

W : Well, once a player’s experience (EP) exceeds the threshold, his (or her) oldest results will be removed. For  BPR this will always be by removing the oldest cluster. For example, if the oldest result is a cluster of 20 EP, then a total of at least 320 EP must be reached before the cluster is removed. For BMS it is a bit more complicated : in the case of a MS1 series, results will be removed match by match. In the case of a MS2 series, results will be removed by batch.

M : What with the BIC matches?

W : Since a BIC encounter always consists of two matches, both matches will be considered as a batch.

M : Will the removed results still be visible on the BMS and BPR tabels?

W : No. As the results are no longer part of the PR calculation, they will also be removed from the BMS and BPR table sheets. This is done to avoid endlessly long sheets with players’ results. However, all matches remain stored in the BMS(BE) archive.

M : So the biggest plus seems to be that by amassing experience (EP) players can leave bad PRs behind.

W : Indeed. Of course, for players who have already reached Master level, the influence will be small since it becomes progressively more difficult to improve. For Intermediate and Advanced players the effect will be clearer. They have more room for improvement and thanks to Rolling EP their current skill level will be more accurately represented. A good example is Robin Bilderbeek : when he appeared in the tables, he frequently played matches with PRs around 15 or so. Now he routinely plays around 8.  Once he reaches the EP threshold, his oldest results will be removed and his PR as mentioned in the tables will more accurately reflect his current skill level.

M : Sounds good. Thank you, Walter.

 

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Belgian colours fly over Rotterdam.

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Michel Lamote

At the monthly Supersunday in Rotterdam, Michel found a generous streak. By winning 4 matches in a row (3 x 11, 1 x 13) he became the winner.

Bert, after suffering elimination in the Main, was able to string 4 victories together (3 x 7, 1 x 9) to win the Consolation.

Bert and Michel at the recent Gent Open.

Bert and Michel at the recent Gent Open.

In the car, on the way back, quiet contentment became jubilant joy as Belgium triumphed over Hungary.

M

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European Backgammon Team Championship : candidacies (reminder).

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Michel Lamote

KnipselEBTC

I would like to remind all aspiring candidate players that the deadline for candidacies is 30 June 2016. Click on European Team Championship (under Tags (right) to find the Selection Procedure and Selection Criteria in the article Kopenhagen 2016 : BGFed.be plans to send strong team.  

M

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4 Cubes 2016 : update tournament book

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Johan

Tournament Book 4 Cubes 2016

Round 3 (out of 5) has been played last week. Having won their first three encounters, the Leuven Cubers II are already certain of winning the 4 Cubes 2016, even if they would lose to Brugge, winners of the 4 Cubes 2015, in November. Still, there are two more rounds to play, with some interesting encounters to come.

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Van Kerckhove/Van Gemert (NL) win 1st Consulting Doubles in Brugge.

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Michel Lamote

In Brugge, 10 of the best players in the Low Countries gathered to compete in a consulting doubles contest.  Each team played 4 matches (9 points) with generous time allotment : 15 seconds/move and 27 minutes in the time bank. Players had sufficient time  to discuss checker plays and consider cube actions.

Bert Van Kerckhove (left) and Rogier van Gemert (right), winners of the Brugge 2016 Double Consultation, both on result and on PR.

Bert Van Kerckhove (left) and Rogier van Gemert (right), winners of the Brugge 2016 Double Consultation, both on result and on PR.

At the end of the day, two teams had won 3 and lost 1 : Bert Van Kerckhove/Rogier Van Gemert (NL) were declared the tournament winners because they had beaten Johan Segers/Luc Palmans in their mutual duel. Congratulations to winner and runner-up.

Full result :

1. Bert Van Kerckhove/Rogier Van Gemert (winners) : 3/4

2. Johan Segers/Luc Palmans (runner-up) : 3/4

3. Paulus Van Rooijen/Paul Van Dijke : 2/4

4. Geert Van der Stricht/Johan Huyck : 2/4

5. Walter Meuwis/Michel Lamote : 0/4

In this tournament all matches were recorded live. A prize was also set apart for the team who put down the strongest performance. Half an hour after the last dice shake, XG delivered the verdict and, lo and behold, the winners appeared to also have played best : Bert and Rogier scored a world-class 3,48 PR. It was a close affair though, since the 2nd best performance was only 0,26 off : Walter Meuwis/Michel Lamote were only marginally outplayed with 3,74 PR. Ironically, they did not manage to win a single match (0/4). Geert Van der Stricht/Johan Huyck managed to end within one of the winners with a 4,41 PR.

Full result :

1. Bert Van Kerckhove/Rogier Van Gemert : 3,48 (!)

2. Walter Meuwis/Michel Lamote : 3,74

3. Geert Van der Stricht/Johan Huyck : 4,41

4. Paulus Van Rooijen (NL)/Paul Van Dijke (NL) : 6,01

5. Johan Segers/Luc Palmans : 6,16.

The tournament was an initiative of Paulus Van Rooijen set up in cooperation with Brugge BC. A special word of thanks to Robin Bilderbeek for handcrafting the trophies and transcribing 4 matches and to Walter Meuwis for processing the data and transferring the match files to all players. Thanks also to Mireille and Pol of the Hollandse Vismijn for providing the accommodation and the professional service.

Hopefully we can look forward to a second edition somewhere in the not too distant future.

M

 

 

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BMS(BE) : first Four Cubes cluster between Brugge and Gent.

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Michel Lamote

For the first time in Four Cubes history, an encounter between two teams was fully filmed and transcribed. Since both team  captains (Michel Lamote – Brugge BC, and Geert Van der Stricht – Gent BC)  agreed beforehand to have all PRs validated by BPR, the encounter became an official Four Cubes cluster.

A little more than 24 hours after the action, all players had received XG-files of all matches in their mail-box. They could find out whether certain checker plays were right or wrong, see whether they handled the cube well or not, and keep the files for further study.

An extra benefit of recording matches can be that the loser might gain some consolation from a fine performance. While Brugge BC had every reason to be doleful after losing the Four Cubes, some relief could be found in the idea that they put up a good fight or at least played according to their skill level. Here is how the current Four Cubes holders performed (9 matches to 7 points) :

PR Brugge BC

PR Brugge BC

As a corollary, however, the jubilant team might find its enthusiasm slightly dampened if their performance was not at par :

PR Gent BC

PR Gent BC

To illustrate this psychological effect further, here is how Paul Van Dijke (Brugge BC) performed in 3 matches to 7 (won 1, lost 2) :

Amazing PR by Paul Van Dijke

Amazing PR by Paul Van Dijke

This is a jaw-dropping performance of grandmaster level. While Paul experienced some extreme frustration on the night, he can surely derive satisfaction from these data. If his matches had not been recorded, he might have fallen subject to dejection or bouts of self-doubt. As it is, it looks like there is not much he could have done better or differently.

Same for me : as captain of the home team, I cannot afford to squander much equity. Having lost my 3 matches – horresco referens –  I managed to find relief in my better than average PR :

PR Michel Lamote

PR Michel Lamote

Here are the other PRs :

3. Geert Van der Stricht (Gent BC) :

PR Geert Van der Stricht

PR Geert Van der Stricht

4. Guy Van Middelem (Brugge BC) : 7,42

5. Bert Van Kerckhove (Gent BC) : 7,53

6. Robin Bilderbeek (Gent BC) : 9,60.

BMS(BE) would like to thank all players for their willingness to participate in this challenging format and their agreement to have these data made available to the BGFed.be backgammon community.

M

 

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Four Cubes : Brugge BC – Gent BC 3-6.

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Michel Lamote

The 4 Cubes

Through this loss, Brugge BC has to relinquish the Four Cubes.  Leuven 2 can win the coveted prize if they win at Brussels BC tonight, Friday 17 June. Admission free.

Bert Mr Four Cubes Van Kerckhove led the Gent team to victory with 3 wins. Captain Geert Little Karpov Van der Stricht won 2 encounters, and Robin Rain Bilderbeek won one.

M

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MS1 : Paul and Robin wrap up Zeeland Series (Paul wins 5-1).

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Michel Lamote
Paul at Brugge Backgammon Day last February

Paul at Brugge Backgammon Day last February (foto : Frank Viergever)

In the course of 6 weeks, Paul Van Dijke (Brugge BC) and Robin Bilderbeek (Gent BC – no picture available) played six 13-point matches. Robin filmed and transcribed the action so both players could study their errors and get a footing in the BMS Grading Table. Here is how they did :

Zeeland Series : Paul's PR

Zeeland Series : Paul’s PR

Paul routinely plays at Expert level, but appears to have missed an opportunity here to make a splash with a 5+ (or better) PR. Of course, in a MS1 series, players need to play solidly 6 matches in a row, which is quite demanding. With this result, Paul makes his entry in the BMS Grading Table and narrowly finds a M3 grading. He is thereby the 5th player in the country to post a Master grading. This grading is still provisionary, however,  since Paul has not reached the required 150 EP target.

Zeeland Series : Robin's PR

Zeeland Series : Robin’s PR

This is a more than respectable performance by Robin, who lives just across the border in Hulst. Not more than a year ago, Robin was one of many players who had obviously progressed from Beginner to Intermediate level, but showed no signs of  improving to Advanced level. In the past half year, however, Robin has devoted a lot of time to the game, recording and transcribing several matches every week. Playing in the Sandeman in Gent every Tuesday does not hurt either. In this MS1 series, Robin played 2 matches below 5, but overall his performance was too fickle to deserve the label Expert. It seems Robin is just one good performance away from an Expert grading.

Well done both players!

M

(The upgraded BMS Grading Table can be found by clicking on BMS(BE) in the black banner above)

 

 

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EUBGF Tournament rules : Dutch translation

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Johan

Met enige trots presenteren we bij deze graag de Nederlandse vertaling van de officiële EUBGF toernooiregels:

Tournament-Rules-EUBGF-2016-06_Dutch

De originele versie van de regels is te vinden op de EUBGF website. Het zijn deze Engelse regels die de officiële versie zijn. De Nederlandse versie is slechts een vertaling.

Dank aan Maurits voor de geduldige vertaling!

De regels zijn goed, maar niet perfect. Desalniettemin hebben we het bij een zo trouw mogelijke vertaling gehouden.

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Rating update finally done

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Johan

It seems I’ve forgotten to update the rating list in the weekend of April 23-24. Moreover, I’ve only done the update scheduled for this weekend this morning (Tuesday). I’m sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience.

— JS

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