vpFREE2 Forums

What would you do?

#1

This happened last week in the Las Vegas Backgammon Open in which I was
participating. I was not one of the participants.

You don't need to know backgammon to answer this.

Situation:

Match is to 11 points

Score is 9 (P1) to 4 (P2)

P1 has the doubling cube which means the game is worth 2 points to the
winner so P2 will have 6 pts if he wins. If P1 wins, he will have 11 pts & the
match. He does not need to double to win the match but for some reason he
absentmindedly picks up the cube & quickly puts it back down. P2 says, "I take"
(the cube). This means the game is now worth 4 pts & then he immediately
redoubles when it's his turn which means the game is worth 8 pts & whoever wins,
wins the match. (Due to his superior position, P1 accepted the double.)

To make it very plain, the game changed from being a match where the
superior play of P1 was reduced to a one-game match due to an absentminded mistake.

The tournament director was called to make a decision. Should the
absentminded pickup by P1 be enforced even though it was clear that there was no
logical reason for him to do it?

The prize at stake was worth several thousand dollars.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#2

On the understanding and belief that P1 and P2 knew the game well
enough to be participating at the tourney level, I think it should be
treated similarly to the touch-move rule in Chess:

Article 7: The Touched Piece
7.1
Provided that he first expresses his intention (e.g. by saying
"j'adoube"), the player having the move may adjust one or more pieces
on their squares.
[If a player's opponent is absent from the chessboard, it is best to
inform one of his team-mates, or some other witness.]
7.2
Except for the above case, if the player having the move deliberately
touches on the board:

(a)
    one or more pieces of the same colour, he must move or capture the
first piece he touched that can be moved or captured; or
(b)
    one of his own pieces and one of his opponent's pieces, he must
capture his opponent's piece with his own piece; or, if this is
illegal, move or capture the first piece he touched that can be moved
or captured. If it is impossible to establish which piece was touched
first, the player's piece shall be considered the touched piece.

This happened last week in the Las Vegas Backgammon Open in which I

was

participating. I was not one of the participants.

...

He does not need to double to win the match but for some reason he
absentmindedly picks up the cube & quickly puts it back down. P2
says, "I take"

...

To make it very plain, the game changed from being a match where the
superior play of P1 was reduced to a one-game match due to an

absentminded mistake.

The tournament director was called to make a decision. Should the
absentminded pickup by P1 be enforced even though it was clear that

there was no

···

--- In vpFREE_Reno@yahoogroups.com, TedChee@... wrote:

logical reason for him to do it?

#3

I would point out yonder shouting "LOOK...FULL PAY DOLLAR DEUCES !". As he turned his head in earnest saying where ??? where ??? I'd set the dice to 6's and say - hey - look at my lucky roll I win !

···

----- Original Message ----- From: <TedChee@aol.com>
To: <vpmail2@yahoogroups.com>; <vpFREE_Reno@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006 2:57 AM
Subject: [vpFREE_Reno] What would you do?

This happened last week in the Las Vegas Backgammon Open in which I was
participating. I was not one of the participants.

You don't need to know backgammon to answer this.

Situation:

Match is to 11 points

Score is 9 (P1) to 4 (P2)

P1 has the doubling cube which means the game is worth 2 points to the
winner so P2 will have 6 pts if he wins. If P1 wins, he will have 11 pts & the
match. He does not need to double to win the match but for some reason he
absentmindedly picks up the cube & quickly puts it back down. P2 says, "I take"
(the cube). This means the game is now worth 4 pts & then he immediately
redoubles when it's his turn which means the game is worth 8 pts & whoever wins,
wins the match. (Due to his superior position, P1 accepted the double.)

To make it very plain, the game changed from being a match where the
superior play of P1 was reduced to a one-game match due to an absentminded mistake.

The tournament director was called to make a decision. Should the
absentminded pickup by P1 be enforced even though it was clear that there was no
logical reason for him to do it?

The prize at stake was worth several thousand dollars.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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