The World Challenge V
&
3rd Giant Jackpot

15. - 24. Januar 1999

The final on Saturday between Jerry Grandell and Leonid Riskin was telecasted to the big playing room and commented on by Nack Ballard.

Nack made the final an entertaining event for many spectators who got more and more amused by Nack´s humor the more the American tasted the Turkish wine.

The bookie gave 5 for 10 for Jerry Grandell and 14 for 10 in case of Leonid Riskin winning.

Because of the odds there was no wonder why almost nobody wanted to bet on the Swede´s win.

When Jerry Grandell was leading 18-13, Leonid Riskin failed to punish the Swede for a premature double. Jerry doubled the position shown in diagram 10 as the owner of the white pieces too early.

White´s position is strong enough to justify a money double from the middle but not a redouble. Black´s position is stable and White can win only few gammons. Leading 18-13 White has no double because Black´s takepoint is lower by about 2% than in a game for money. So Black can take a double at the actual match score with significantly less winning chances than in a game for money. Therefore White can wait with doubling for a better opportunity. This opportunity White gets for instance if Black can´t keep both defensive points any more.

Leonid (Black) had to play a 6-5 in the position displayed in diagram 11. The correct play is to hit and to leave the 6-point slotted. After a dance by White, Black is able to cash the game.

Leonid lifted the blot and Jerry entered after some dancers by a fly shot and easily won the game to get to a 20-13 lead.

In the following game Leonid Riskin (Black) had to play a 5-1 in the position shown in diagram 12. Black has to leave the anchor to get a shot if White rolls a two. Riskin stayed with two checkers on the 24-point and the Swede rolled twice a two without leaving a shot. When Jerry had two checkers on the 3-point, Leonid Riskin erroneously left the 24-point with one checker. Jerry scored a backgammon and 3 points to get a 23-13 lead. The Swede won the next two games and easily became the winner of the Giant Jackpot.

The World Cup Challenge V started on Tuesday only for the players who had no bye in the championship field of 103 players, because Abraham Eitan, the tournament director, planned to auction the last 64 players on Wednesday at the gala dinner.

So 25 players played their first match in the main tournament on Thursday. That day the matches late in the evening (or early in the morning) decided about the quarter finals´ participants.

Chris Ternel from Denmark and Phil Laak from the United States had an interesting match. Phil Laak sitting in his chair dressed like a member of the Ku-Klux-Klan, instead of white in green clothes, sent a 4-cube over to the Dane in the position shown in diagram 13. Chis Ternel seemed to be so puzzled by the American´s clothes that he passed the cube.

This is a position that doesn´t arise that often. Therefore a human player has to recall reference positions with the same character and a proven equity to evaluate the value of a problem position. A well known reference position for this kind of positions is that where one party has closed out two checkers of the other party, while the party with the two checkers on the bar has already borne off 11 checkers.

His two checkers remaining in the board are placed on the ace-point. This position is known as a marginal take for the party with the two checkers on the bar. If you know this reference position you only have to compare the reference position with the problem position. Is the problem position better or worse than the reference position for the party with the checkers on the bar?

Although Black´s checkers remaining in the board are not placed on the ace-point and there are not only two but five, because Black has borne off only 8 checkers yet, White has a lot of work to do to close out Black´s checkers.

White still has to make three points in his board to close Black out and most of White´s material is a long way from home!

All in all it is obvious that the problem position much weaker for White than the reference position.

Even if White succeeds in closing the 6- and the 5-point and Black only gets the 24-point, Black would still have a take after an offered double. Though the position isn´t a beaver for money, it´s worth only about 0.5 points if Black owns the 4-cube. If White keeps the 2-cube, he wins about 1 point per game. Therefore the correct cube action for the problem position is: No double – take!

Chris Ternel didn´t want to get involved in strange things against his disguised opponent, passed the cube and won the match.

At the next table Shahab Godsi and Jerry Grandell had a tough match and like in the match between the Dane and the American the 2-3 trailer doubled to 4.

In the position of diagram 14 Godsi (Black) had to play a three. The ownership of the bar-point can be valuable still, especially if White gets the 24-point.

But there is an additional reason for not maximizing builders by 7/4. After 7/4 Black has too many blots.

Beware of the positions with tmp (too many points) and tmb (too many blots)!

10/7 is best here. If White doesn´t hit, Black can make his 6-prime with fives and fours and he has only one blot in the outfield.

By playing 7/4 Black gives up almost 2% of the game winning chances.

Korrekte Dopplungsentscheidung: Doppel - Take.

Erstellt: akspiele OHG   Copyright by Harald Johanni, Nürnberg
Zuletzt geändert am: 08. Feb. 2000