Backgammon

Despite rules made in my name, my backgammon skills tend to be bellow par. Hours and hours of Internet backgammon charge me with of self confidence and false hope. There was a time when I questioned if I was playing against a person or computer. I have come to conclude that I have been playing against a consortium of inept Internet users, and backgammon "nubes".

Internet versions of the game prove to be nothing more than waste of time, a time waster. When I sit up at night with the curtains drawn and the door closed, gazing into the ever-bright light of my LCD screen, I think I am improving my play. In fact I am doing nothing but waiting, killing time, killing my skill ....and kill my vision.

James has been a worthy adversary. His bare handed rolls and long slow pulls of hookah smoke bring an enchanting romance to the table. Hitting the hookah for a moment to think, to pause, to play; boardgames and mind games. James and I have battled, tit for tat, for years. He wins, I win, he wins I win. These matches boost confidence in ways beyond the Internet . During virtual play my greatest accomplishments are victories over "expert" players in "Arabic" languages.

James has sought the teachings of great Arabic players. Spending many nights in crowded coffee shops. The combination of thick, dirty, coffee and the sweet hookah smoke tunes your brain. Caffeine and nicotine combine in nearly lethal doses, your mind shuts down..you become the dice, the board, the checkers,  you are the back. During each engagement I feel James, his power being channeled through stimulants and smoke.

I lite up the hookah, charging it with a few heavy pulls. The tobacco is from India, James smuggled it into the country in a brick of hash ... or perhaps the hash came in side the tobacco, regardless. The hookah is unstable, ashes float off into the air and settle in the corners of the board. The games is intense we are tied 2-2 in a  five game match. Its down to the wire, suddenly there is a drastic shift in my favor. James is on the back, several checkers are  teetering on the back. Backgammon seems so far away, I require back to back doubles.

The hookah smoke filling the room excites me. My hand feels light, the dice are enchanted. Doubles followed by Doubles. James falls victim to the Backgammon, for the first time (out side of the digital realm). We sit back , James in shock, I in awe  too busy to realize that I have won, the outcome is so amazing ,so unexpected, so devastating.

Comments

[jemp]

yes ladies and gentlemen it is true, but if I was to be backed by anyone I can't think of anyone I'd rather be backed by. That being said, I'd prefer not to have been backed at all. Anyone know what I mean?

[Nathan]

Wow, wow! Crawford does have a way with the dice.