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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Game of Dice – Season 5 – Episode 2 (trailer)

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Johan

A strong team or army is not judged on its many victories, but on its rare defeats. In rugby union, the New Zealand All Blacks played and won their first encounter in 1903. 113 years later they still cause havoc over their enemies. Are they unbeatable? No, in 1949 they had a bad season, appropriate named their “Black Year”. One of the reasons was that their Maori players were not welcome in South Africa, a nation ruled by Apartheid.

In his monumental The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records, John Griffiths gives the details: “Six Tests were played and all were lost, four to South Africa and two against Australia. Uniquely, the series ran parallel, the South African tour taking place at the same time as the home rubber with Australia, and the first Test against Australia was staged on the same day as the third Test in South Africa.”

One bad season in 113 years…

Splitting forces is seldom a good idea. And the signs were bleak when both teams of Leuven left the Brabant Highlands and travelled the long and dangerous road to Flanders’ Fields. Passing Waterloo was unavoidable, and the soldiers were fully aware that at this same spot one of the greatest generals that has ever lived, lost his final combat. But they didn’t leave unprepared: it was a wise decision to leave their mercenary from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège at home.

When the outskirts of Gent dawned at the horizon, both teams went their own way. One army headed for the nearby city; the second continued the hazardous journey to that other place of meticulous checker play and razor sharp cube decisions: the city of Brugge.

In both towns the fighters from Brabant were greeted in dark and small streets by hostile inhabitants. Suspicious eyes under long hats followed their footsteps, broad shoulders forced them to step in the mud, barking dogs made life difficult and danger loomed behind every window or corner. Unscathed they reached the local taverns, where they were confronted with some of the lowest PRs mankind has ever seen in these surroundings…

(See the 4 Cubes 2016 Tournament Book for all the details of the combats.)

– LP

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BMS : 6 players finish challenging Master Series.

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Michel Lamote

In an attempt to improve their BMS gradings, 6 players invested time and effort in a series of 15-point matches.  Here is how they did :

Walter Meuwis and Ronny Conaert played ten 15-point matches.  The score was 5-5.

Walter's performance rating

Walter’s performance rating

Ronny's performance rating

Ronny’s performance rating

Luc Palmans and Guy Van Middelem played six 15-point matches.  They  each won 3.

Luc's performance rating

Luc’s performance rating

Guy's performance rating

Guy’s performance rating

Michel Lamote and Johan Huyck also played six 15-pointers.  Johan won 4-2.

Michel's performance rating

Michel’s performance rating

Johan's performance rating

Johan’s performance rating

The general sentiment among all 6 players was that they can do better.  Unfortunately, reality proves that there is a significant gap between potential ability and actual performance.  Still, these  players should be applauded for their respectable performances and their willingness to compete in the public arena.  Hopefully, they will find the time to study their errors and learn from them.

These results have been incorporated in the BMS Grading Table (click on BMS(BE) in the black banner to find the complete table).  There is fierce jockeying going on for a top-4 spot, which will probably guarantee a place in the team which will represent Belgium in the upcoming European Backgammon Team Championships in Denmark (October 2016).

M

 

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Rating list : new feature

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Johan

A new feature has been added to the rating list. For each player, summary statistics can now be shown in two different ways: either grouped per match length or grouped per opponent.

These statistics put the ratings in some perspective. They show, for instance, how Michel Lamote arrived at his impressive lead and who were his victims.

On behalf of the BGFed.be rating commission,
— JS

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