The Fan, Bryanston

Monday, March 7, 2005

Service: * *
Food: N/A
Ambience: * * *
Babe Count: * * * 1/2

I've made an arrangement with Tony Moutzouris, the best backgammon player in our club, to arrive late. This is because Damon Berry has invited me to an industry-only screening of the promo for a film he was involved in workshopping.

The British director came to South Africa to do an extensive workshop with local actors. It's a local story, and, judging from the promo, it's going to be a tear-jerker deluxe. An important film. I'm really glad I was there.

Now I'm facing Tony across a crowded backgammon board. He offers me the cube, and I mull over it for a while. Tony Patz wanders over. "Have you decided yet?" he asks. I say no. And he pulls out a little card with a miniature backgammon board printed on it. "Write down the position, and I'll analyse it later in Snowy," he says.

This is something all good backgammon players do. Whenever they come across a position that they're not certain about, they make a note and mull over it later using software, and chatting to experts online. I haven't been doing this. Mainly cos I'm not the very best player. But I'm good enough to want to get to the next level. So I write the position down and hand Tony Patz his card.

I turn down the cube.

Tony Patz says, "That was an EASY take. But I'll analyse it tonight."

Tony Moutzouris agrees. "It's important to know how you'll react to the cube," he says.

In the end, I lose 21--13, which isn't bloody bad. I somehow got 13 points off a dude who can't make an incorrect move. Wow!

And I decide to design a card to print on my lazer printer. From now on, I'm going to start improving my game.