Backgammon Online

25-Nov-2013
21:27 PST

I have a moral dilemma. I have won a ticket to the next round of a tournament. I have one game left. If I win it I definitely go on to the next level with 6 wins and one guy with 5 wins and another with 4 wins do not go on. I have one last game with the guy with 4 wins. If I lose it all three of us go on to the next round. I am far ahead but could easily intentionally lose or even resign the game so all three of us could go on with 5 wins each.

The rules that I have seen say nothing about intentional losses so I could be "Mr Nice Guy" and lose on purpose or resign. I have nothing to gain by winning this last game that I am aware of. I do not think it would hurt anyone else in the tourney if I let these other guys go on to the next level.

But I am really competitive and hate to lose any game for any reason.

What would you do?

By the time someone reads this I will probably have made my decision. I will post it here since I do not think losing the game on purpose is illegal on this site.

25-Nov-2013
23:52 PST

Dear MH,

I belong to both ZooEscape and Gameknot. I remember reading, in one site or another, that you are supposed to give it your best and that people who fix games will be punished. I haven't got the time to check which site forbids match-fixing but the principle is clear: you're supposed to be competitive.

PS. Next time you think of something under-handed and sneaky, keep it to yourself!  

26-Nov-2013
06:31 PST

I would hv decided upon my opponents...
Definitely i like few players so my decision would hv been biases,But in every case i would not put up that in any public forum or in any personal msg  

26-Nov-2013
09:26 PST

The correct thing to do is obviously to win the game - if you can, sometimes the dice decide otherwise when you seem home and dry!

There are always other tournaments to play in, and in any case progress in a tournament that is not earned by your own genuine efforts is completely meaningless. Not only that, you might well have to play and knock them out in the next round anyway. What would be the point?

I wouldn't want to be the recipient of this, and can't really understand why you would want to do it.

Regards

Andy

26-Nov-2013
09:29 PST

It would hurt others in the tourney that had fought hard to progress if they lose to one of these 2 players in the next round.

Morally, always playing to the best of your ability is the only way to ensure these tourneys have any meaning at all.

26-Nov-2013
15:48 PST

I contacted the other two players involved and they said, as I would have, "play on" which I was inclined to do anyways. So I am playing to win it. The only problem is the other player is not cooperating and making some good rolls and I can't seem to be able to hit his blots so I may lose it after all.  

It was just a weird situation given the 5-3, 5-4, and 4-4 standings and just one game between the 5-3 and 4-4 guys left to play. If the 5-3 guy loses they all are 5-4. Probably will never happen again.

End of story. Back to the games.