[ MAUKA-MAKAI ]

GEORGE F. LEE / STAR-BULLETIN
Backgammon player Harry Tanouye ponders his next move
as George Quillin, a player for 20 years, looks on.

Balance strategy,
luck in friendly game

---

By Nancy Arcayna
Star-Bulletin

EVERY GAME has its boosters, even when it's as unglamorous as backgammon.

"It would take a team of psychiatrists to say why people get so held by the game of backgammon, but part of it has to do with the combination of skill and luck, unlike chess, where the better player should win all the time," said Paul Lyons, a member of the Aloha State Backgammon Club and a fan of the game for 20 years.

Although the club was formed only a couple of years ago, "most of the players go way back," said George Quillin, who also has been playing for 20 years.

ALOHA STATE BACKGAMMON CLUB Tournaments: 6:30 p.m. first Friday of each month Place: Elks Club, 2933 Kalakaua Ave. Cost: $20 entry fee; free lessons at 5:30 p.m. Also: Informal meetings 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Elks Club; and 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Coffee Talk in Kaimuki. Free. Call: George Quillin, 922-2674

"The club has a friendly atmosphere, with a premium of humor," said Lyons.

Members meet informally a couple times a week to get their backgammon fix. "People come from diverse backgrounds and professions and form new kinds of relations based on the compulsion to play backgammon," said Lyons. "We don't need a referee ... players are fair people and know the rules quite well."

"It's been over six months since there was a dispute," said Quillin.

"There is a lot of math involved. One needs to calculate how many steps are needed to win the race," said Fred Collins, a backgammon player for 23 years. "Then you can decide whether to run like hell or wait and pounce on him at the end. These strategies distinguish the difference from guys who know how to play from the ones who just shuffle checkers around."

"Challenges arise and one always needs to be ready for contingency. It's not like a card game where an opponent's hand is not in view," he added.

"Non-tournament games are played for fun, but it's the type of environment where we don't want to play against stronger players. It's like having smaller fish playing in the same pool with sharks," Collins said.

Tournament entry fees create the prize pool and the top winners receive the split, he said. "At tournaments, participants can't lose anything but their entry fee."

COVER STORY

Click for online
calendars and events.