Learning

Forum Archive : Learning

 
Missing candidate plays

From:   Klaus Evers
Address:   k.evers@gmx.de
Date:   23 April 2009
Subject:   Please, cure this disease
Forum:   BGonline.org Forums

One of my biggest problems is overlooking a good candidate move.  Kit
already wrote an article about it. The biggest errors come from not looking
at the right candidate at all.  What can I do against these occasional
lacks of concentration?

Here is the whopper from one of my latest matches:

      24  23  22  21  20  19      18  17  16  15  14  13
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |     O       O   O   O |   |                       |
     |     O       O   O   O |   |                       |
     |             O   O   O |   |                       |
     |                 O   O |   |                       |
     |                 O     |   |                       |
     |                       |   |                       |  X rolls 2-1
  X  |                       |   |                       |
  X  |                       |   |                       |
 XX  |         X             |   |                       |
 XX  | X       X   X         |   |                       |
 XX  | X   O   X   X         |   |                       |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
       1   2   3   4   5   6       7   8   9  10  11  12

I didn't want to get hit or leave a shot. I tried to clear the 4, but that
didn't work.

4/2*/1 ... blot.

4/2*, 4/3 ... blot

3/1/off ... safe!

The whole process took 2 sec at most. I just never looked at playing the
ace first.   His last roll was 6-6, which made a nice escape from my 2
point.  That roll gave me a big disappointment, probably affecting my
concentration on this 2-1 move.

Sam Pottle  writes:

It's very easy to overlook plays after a big swing. You may be emotional,
and the nature of the position is likely to have changed. Whenever you or
your opponent has just rolled a joker or anti-joker, slow down. Take a deep
breath and a few extra seconds to look at the position that's in front of
you now, instead of the position you had for the last few turns.

Richard Munitz  writes:

This is a big problem for me too. I describe this as a blind spot. I find
that this problem is most often not due to a lack of concentration, but
rather a preconception of what you are hoping to accomplish. You have a
blot you are hoping to safety and you can and so you do when meanwhile you
could make a point. Get those goals out of yourhead before you consider
your legal moves. Easier said than done, I know.
 
Did you find the information in this article useful?          

Do you have any comments you'd like to add?     

 

Learning

Advancing beyond intermediate  (James Eibisch, July 1998) 
Beginners' mistakes  (Alan Webb+, Nov 1999)  [Long message] [Recommended reading]
Best way for a beginner to learn  (Koyunbaba+, July 2007)  [Long message]
Committing to memory  (RobertFontaine+, Feb 2011) 
Getting better than "awful"  (Morph+, May 2004) 
How to excel in backgammon  (Max Levenstein+, Aug 2011) 
How to improve  (N Merrigan, Jan 2007) 
How to improve  (Albert Steg, Feb 1996) 
How to improve cube handling  (RealNick+, Jan 2011) 
How to learn and improve  (Hristov, Aug 2005) 
Lowering your error rate  (Stick Rice+, Apr 2009) 
Maintaining your game  (Robert-Jan Veldhuizen, Apr 2005)  [GammOnLine forum]
Matchqiz and Jellyfish  (Gilles Baudrillard, May 1997) 
Missing candidate plays  (Klaus Evers+, Apr 2009) 
Most efficient way to learn  (Stick+, May 2007)  [Long message]
Practice and preparation  (Ian Shaw+, Mar 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Practice/study plan  (Marcus Brooks+, Nov 1995) 
Reference positions  (Chuck Bower, July 1999) 
Study Methodology  (Phil Simborg, Dec 2012) 
Study method  (Jason Lee+, Jan 2012) 
Study plan  (Tenland+, Nov 2012) 
Taking your game up a level  (CW+, Aug 2002) 
Taking your game up a level  (Ron Karr, Aug 1996) 
The backgammon cake  (Daniel Murphy, Nov 1997) 
The best way to learn  (Chuck Bower+, Oct 2003)  [GammOnLine forum] [Long message]
Three steps to better play  (David Montgomery, July 1998) 
Using Jellyfish tutor  (Stephen Hubbard, Sept 1997) 
What more can I do?  (Alison Wylie+, Apr 2000) 
Zen in the art of backgammon  (Robban+, Aug 2009) 

[GammOnLine forum]  From GammOnLine       [Long message]  Long message       [Recommended reading]  Recommended reading       [Recent addition]  Recent addition
 

  Book Suggestions
Books
Cheating
Chouettes
Computer Dice
Cube Handling
Cube Handling in Races
Equipment
Etiquette
Extreme Gammon
Fun and frustration
GNU Backgammon
History
Jellyfish
Learning
Luck versus Skill
Magazines & E-zines
Match Archives
Match Equities
Match Play
Match Play at 2-away/2-away
Miscellaneous
Opening Rolls
Pip Counting
Play Sites
Probability and Statistics
Programming
Propositions
Puzzles
Ratings
Rollouts
Rules
Rulings
Snowie
Software
Source Code
Strategy--Backgames
Strategy--Bearing Off
Strategy--Checker play
Terminology
Theory
Tournaments
Uncategorized
Variations

 

Return to:  Backgammon Galore : Forum Archive Main Page