Great Games 1: Horan versus Sylvester

Bill Robertie << read more about this coach >>

Published on Dec 05, 10

In this first episode, I’ll take a look at an amazing game from the final match of the fourth World Cup between Billy Horan and Joe Sylvester. Each was a previous World Cup winner; Sylvester had won World Cup I in 1988, and Horan had won World Cup II in 1990. This match would produce the first repeat winner of the World Cup and settle bragging rights. I’ll show the second game of the match, where Sylvester, leading 2-0 in the match, launched a strong blitz and was poised to take a 6-0 lead. We’ll watch as Horan fights back and tries to turn the tables with some ingenious priming play. Pay special attention to some of Sylvester’s early plays, which were considered state-of-the-art and very aggressive at the time, but which have now been replaced by more solid alternatives.

Backgammon

BG

Stakes: N/A