My Comments – APCA Tournament 2008

The APCA Tournament 2008 was, in my opinion, the best ever. Never mind that my record of just 42 points was not only unimpressive but to me uninspiring as well. While it did get me a tie for 8^th place which was manly due to the fact that the field was so weak and the number of Top Masters competing was only thirteen. But the field did include four APCA all time greats Calvin Monroe, Al Lambert, Elton Williams, and George Robinson. And, so be it.

The two main cogs in this drama was our own defending champion Al Lambert and the former five times APCA champion, Calvin Monroe. As fate would dictate, it just so happened that the two combatants would meet on the final day in the final match. It was indeed an epic battle. Mr. Lambert was entering the match with a slight advantage - needing only to draw the final two games to retain his title.

Perhaps it wasn’t to be though. Even after having drawn the first game, Mr. Lambert was fortunate that Mr. Monroe chose a very dubious response to his 11-15 opening with a 21-17 move. It was obvious he was going for the win that he (Mr. Monroe had to have in order to regain the title). Playing a very precarious second game where he seemed to be on the defensive, especially in the final stages, Mr. Lambert moved passed what many thought would have been a stronger move when he chose a three-for-three exchange where a simple 9-14 move would have solidified his forces. After having made that choice, he was then forced to succumb to Mr. Monroe’s strong play in the end. Of course, had he taken his strongest move earlier in the game, he could have possibly still been our champion. Hindsight is 20-20.

In finality though, even after having taken not his strongest move in the initial stages of the game, Mr. Lambert still had, it was determined, a very ‘thin’ draw in the later stages of the game. Unfortunately, for our Club and for him, he missed it as well. It was the All-time Great, Elton Williams who showed the critical point where Mr. Lambert had made his final and fatal mistake.

It was a match to be remembered.

Long live the new Top Masters champion, Mr. Calvin Monroe, and best wishes to the Club’s own Al Lambert. We know that there will be other chances.

Here is a little known fact that has not been talked about! When the match concluded, I think there was only 8 minutes left before the 2 PM deadline for the tournament to end..

This is a what if? scenario. What if Mr. Lambert had stalled for that eight minutes -pretending he was looking for the best move-even though he was in seemingly a losing position? (Of course he is too much of a gentleman to even have thought of such a thing). But, let’s just for a moment assume that he did take that course. I know some players, from the past and even the present who would have seriously considered it.

Interestingly enough, I had talked to the tournament director. Mr. Lockheart, about this very possibility since the final match didn’t began until well after 10 AM even though tournament play was to start at 9 AM. The director was very firm in his conversation with me that the tournament would terminate at exactly 2 PM, no matter the circumstances and the game would be declared a draw. If that had been the case, Mr. Lambert would still be our champion.

Here is another interesting tid-bit. Even though tournament play began at 9 AM (It didn’t say that the players had to start playing at 9 AM). Consequently, there was one player there ready to play at the beginning time, the other player didn’t arrive until the previously mentioned time of -well after 10 A.M. And by the way there was nothing to stop him from arriving well after 1 P.M if he had wanted to. Having said that, he was after all the champion, and if the draws were to be declared at 2 P.M., what was to stop him from taking that course of action? At his point, I will quote my good friend, “Moochie,” ‘It just some food for thought.’ But, it is something that we should seriously be concerned about!

This tournament though was not just about the Top Masters; it was also about the other four divisions. Congratulations are offered to Mr. Arthur “Moochie” McCarr, for winning the Masters Division. In recent years, “Moochie,” as he is famously known, has contributed as much as anyone to the game of American Pool Checkers. His annual Birthday Party-with upwards of 80 or more players attending and his work with the youths in his area are contributions that must be acknowledged by all of us. Thanks for your good play and your good works “Moochie.”

A new young lion in Mr. Kim Williams won the Jr. Masters Division. We know that the young Mr. Williams will be a force to be reckoned with in future tournaments. Congats are offered to you Mr. Williams. In some of the more important Top Masters’ matches, he would often pull me aside to inquire, question me about, or to offer suggestions on a dubious move that some of the best players in the house should have made. More often than not, some of his suggestions was right on time. We say continue the growth Mr. Williams for we know pretty soon you will be commanding center stage in the highest division.

The Gold Bar Division was won by our own General Owens. Thanks General for your fine showing. The Club is proud of you because you are the only champion it now has. Continue the good work; it’s good to see that some of those Kaplan books are finally paying off.

And finally the Blue Ribbon Division was won by Mr. Joe Davis of the Bull City Club. Congrats to you as well Mr. Davis, for we know that you and your club (the new kid on the block) will do well in future tournaments. And congrats to all the runners-ups in all of the divisions for they also finished “in the money.” And while we are at it, let’s offer thanks to the ladies who played on Thursdays and contributed so much to the tournament. And finally thanks are offered to the tournament officials – (APCA President, Dr, Smith, HSPCCC President, Mr. Stoney Burke, Tournament Director Mr. Wayne Lockheart, Piedmont Club President, Mr. Jacob Carter, and Memphis Club President, Mr. Othnel Totten). You all did a great job.

I also want to take this time to discuss some of the issues with respect to how the tournament was conducted. This is especially true with respect to how ties were determined.

These fine points were discussed and recorded way back in the eighties, in Mr. William C. Johnson’s (who was secretary at the time) Minutes.

The APCA Rules clearly stated, at the time, that with respect to ties, players competition against each other, within a division, would determine who will get the (Plus - +). If one player, totaled more than his opponent in head-to-head competition, he would, of course get the (Plus-+). If the two players obtained equal points against each other, then each players’ totals against the highest player(s) (in descending order) in the division would be used to determine who would get the (Plus-+). Unfortunately, what I have just said cannot be found in written form anymore. Consequently, those are just my words against anyone else’s. So be it. But in the early years, those agreements were in the organization’s secretary’s Minutes. Of course, the secretary and his minutes are not with us anymore. The president’s (Dr Smith) comments to some of the e-mail inquisitors were correct in that part. But, I have to wonder about the part about where the ‘number of wins’ would determine something? I don’t recall ever seeing that written anywhere. It certainly had not been approved of in any of the meetings I have attended.

Back to the (Plus-+)-what is the it anyway?, one might ask. The (Plus-+) was a technique that was used to determine which player got the trophy for a particular place when there was a tie, or ties. Since only one trophy had been purchased for each place in each division, it was essential that we come up with a mechanism to rectify the problem of the tournament organizers having to mail trophies all over the countries to players who had finished in a tie for some place but didn’t have their trophy to show for it. For the record, it stated, “Players would retain their tie status, and that the (Plus-+) was used only for trophy determinations.”

Some history:

I recall, in 1983, in Chicago, we were faced with that problem and I was faced with the responsibility (as local host club director) of having to mail at least nine trophies to players throughout the country. My response to that experience, was to introduce a Rule at the next tournament (1984) that would alleviate this problem. The Rule I alluded to above was agreed upon, approved, and adopted. As long a Mr. Johnson was living, it was followed, and was to be written into the next Rules Book that was to be published. New Rules Books were supposed to have been written every five to ten years. Of course, a new Rules Book has not been written in nearly 35 years. Therein lays one travesty. Even after the passing of Mr. Johnson in later years, and with Mr. Leach becoming the tournament director, it was still implemented. There was little or on controversy about ties.

The unfortunate thing about this sad matter is that in all these years since the passing of Mr. W.C. Johnson, nothing has been done to address, in writing, this very pressing issue. In all the years that I have attended tournaments this same issue arises year-in and year-out, and yet nothing, in writing, that I know of has appeared. It’s amazing and it’s unfortunate!

“Pecan”