Cyprus-Forum.com

[Pyrpolizer]

The Kazino Paradasise in the occupied part of Cyprus started getting worldwide attention by investing in guess what? The biggest Backgammon events worldwide. In fact the 4rth International tournament is coming up in a few days with added prize of e 30,000 which is perhaps the highest I 've ever heard.
http://www.igobackgammon.com/

These of course are not intended for the locals. In fact I doubt anyone in Cyprus ever played live using the doubling cube, let aside the fact that 99% of the people who know backgammon in Cyprus don't even know what the doubling cube is.

World known Giants like Masayuki Mochizuki of Japan, Felafel of Israel, Petko Konstandinov Bulgaria, Matt Cohn-Geier USA, plus sadly some BG Giants from Greece, and many many others will attend. Entry fee is as high as 3,000 Euros, imagine what an event that is. This year the Japanese guy will even do a seminar there, followed by a quiz on difficult positions.Shame on him... Unfortunately at top level even backgammon turned out to be a game for professional top level gamblers today.

The worst part of it is it's going to take place at the so called Merit hotel in Kyrenia, that is nothing else than the stolen Hotel of Zephyros, a 5 star hotel in 1974 still holddfing it's stars,exclussive ownership of a GC refugee.
http://www.cyprusembassy.net/home/index ... e&cid=1029

It seems they 've been organizing all sorts of backgammon events at the occupied for example here's another one that they called 3rd EGBT
http://backgammon.co.uk/3rd-cyprus-back ... sults.html

In every Backgammon discussion forum you enter they keep on talking for Cyprus's great tourneys.
Inthis forum for example (where most World Giants concentrate) the vent is already been discussed and I am sure there will be more coming up in mid March.
http://www.bgonline.org/forums/webbbs_c ... 770#174770

[bill cobbett]

A top prize of 30,000E you say Pyro... ???

Doesn't seem a lot by international sports standards.

[Pyrpolizer]

That's added prize.
Suppose there are 200 participants each paying 3,000 Euros to enter imagine what the total might be for the first place winner.
Leave aside the private matches they will play around at say 500 Euros per point. These are top world professional players AND gamblers.

[Get Real!]

How can anyone take a dice game seriously?

They might as well play snakes & ladders! It’s the same bullshit… the first one to reach something based on the throwing of dice!

[Pyrpolizer]

How can anyone take a dice game seriously?

They might as well play snakes & ladders! It’s the same bullshit… the first one to reach something based on the throwing of dice!

Everyone who understands mathematical probabilities and how skill factually creates luck. Snakes & ladders don't have the skill element.

However this is not the point of the discussion....

[kurupetos]

Never heard of these "giants". I could probably beat every one of them. I only need some luck.

[Paphitis]

Never heard of these "giants". I could probably beat every one of them. I only need some luck.

It's actually a very skillful game ideal for those who can calculation permutation probabilities and pip counts. It's also a psychological game where emotion moves can overcome lesser players. But luck can still turn the tables too.

Wanna play Kouroupoutaki?

[Pyrpolizer]

Never heard of these "giants". I could probably beat every one of them. I only need some luck.

Actually there are formulae with which you can calculate your winning chances (because of luck) depending on your strength.
The average Cypriot would hardly make it to more than 13% on a 17 point match, or 9% on a 23 pointer.
And that's the length of matches they play at such tourneys precisely to eliminate the luck factor as much as possible.
Furthermore it's not a knock-out tournament.
It's divided in rounds, and each round contains groups of usually 5-7 players.
So even if you win one match it's very very unlikely you will ever make it passed round 1.

[Lordo]

you call yourselves tavla players, you could not poke your eyes out if you tired. tavla is not a game of chance, it it skill and strategy.

guruberagulli it is not luck you need to win the game it is a brain which you lack i am afraid. you boys stay south of the border where all the other pretend players are.

[Paphitis]

Actually, luck does at times play a role but a good player will always increase their odds and lower the odds of Lady Luck being a factor. It is literally a numbers game. The moves are easy to learn and there are 3 strategies so the importance of the game is to adapt your strategy as you go along whilst playing to the probabilities at all times. At times you will need to offer a sacrifice, so you need to know when and where such as when your engaged in the battle of primes. So you may need to slow your pip count. Then there is the running game and the blocking game.

Also, you can use the doubling cube in a number of ways. When playing a lesser player who thinks he has the advantage you can easily throw them off by doubling.

It's a great game. I have played against some great players, even those who take it very seriously and gamble.

Oh the chances of an average player defeating a pro player by relying on Lady Luck over the course of a 23 pointer will be less than 5%. But yes, an average player can beat the most best of pro players on individuals points but you will only win a point or 2 if your lucky whilst the pro will play on your emotions a psyche you out in the long run.

They will even look at your style of game and adapt their strategy to circumvent and disrupt your game plan.

Sometimes even making non text book moves can throw a game on its head. They call this an a ambit move.