World Mail Championship Macc Banks Champion v Tommy Canning

[tommyc]

Latest update in my challenge on Mac Banks as of today there are just two games remaining on the board with the other 22 drawn.

Whatever the result i want to thank Macc for giving me the opportunity to compete for his Title so soon after successfully defending it against Bill Carter of Canada.

We are currently playing on the Wyllie site which is just a superb way of holding this event and Roberto is to be congratulated!!

Tommy Canning Ireland

[Lindus Edwards]

A superb performance Tommy. The very best of luck in the two remaining games against the great Mac Banks.

[mday]

I've never understood the greatness of Mail-Play since the checker program era. What makes a Mail Player so great for using a program?

[tommyc]

You should get a programme ,enter a Mail play Ty.play 48 games simultainously..................and i wish you good luck!

[Lindus Edwards]

Playing postal (mail) checkers at the highest level is not simply a case of switching on a computer program. Using a computer program against a player such as Mac Banks would yield nothing other than perhaps eighteen draws in a match of twenty-four games. Mac is able, with the use of magnificent cooks, to destroy computer play at its best.
I could demonstrate this fact here by showing such cooks but I do not think Mac would thank me for doing so. I have given my word to Mac in this regard and I will not break it.
When I say that Mac Banks is "great" I mean it with all sincerity.
The games between Mac and Tommy are of a phenomenal standard and do not occur as a result of merely using a computer program.

[tommyc]

Thank you Lindus i couldnt have put it better meself.............so there you are Michael ...now just go out buy a prog enter a Mail Ty............play 48 games at the same time and.............and well you will need more than good luck!!

The great thing abt progs is,its only as good as the information thats put IN........by humans especially Mail players.

So is it the chicken or the EGG?

[mday]

A program like Kingsrow or Cake with an 8pc endgame on it's highest level could probably withstand a cook in a mailplay game.

[tommyc]

"Could probably"??........ and for everything else theres MASTERCARD?

[Lindus Edwards]

"Could probably" does not convince me one jot

[mday]

Well, whatever the case, I give more respect to a player winning middle of the pack in the B division of the TN state tournament, because the player used his mind 100% of the game(s) - You can become a ''Master" in this style of play easier than cracking some peanuts. Plugging some ''new'' moves into a program to see if it's an ''indiscovered cook"...?....yeah, cracking peanuts.

[Ingo_Zachos]

You can become a ''Master" in this style of play easier than cracking some peanuts. Plugging some ''new'' moves into a program to see if it's an ''indiscovered cook.

Try it Michael, and prove that your claim is right.
You can download both Kingsrow and Cake and the 8 ps database for free.
Enter a mail ty and show us your results.
Then we will see...
I predict that against masters in mailplay you will get some draws, but no win at all.
The point is: it is possible to use electronic aide (and books, and databases and , maybe most valueable, manuscripts and grandmasters and really strong crossboard players advice), but still some players score wins from time to time, some even fairly regularly.

How do you explain that ?

[tommyc]

Mail play may be percieved as the poor relation of checkers,but i dont think we would be playing these latest batch of new openings or the previous new openings but for Mail play players.

So Mail play has a very important function within the game its just a pity more respect isnt given to these players who spent long days and nights (not hours) "creating" new play.

I was lucky in the fact i was introduced to Mail play at a time when more new openings were being worked on like The Starship Enterprize and others (and when progs dint have the information) it was an exciting time to be involved and with 8 megs of RAM and a beat-up computer which was all i had ,it wasnt easy.

Mail or letter play as it was called then,( i much prefer the term computer play as corrospondence it now mostly online), sucked me into serious checkers as when i began Mail i was but an Intermediate player of no regard and to this end alone im thankful. I assume Michael you are in the same position as i was ,if you are a checker player at all? maybe my experience will help you or anyone else to grasp the nettle!!

Dont knock it till to try it.............or suck it n see!!

[Lindus Edwards]

Two years ago I entered the Welsh Postal Championship naively believing that I was certain to win it being in possession of several powerful computers loaded with the greatest programs in the world.
On the 10-14, 22-18, 12-16 against George Miller I used a program (still rated as the best in the world) and was soundly defeated. Apparently George knew of this weakness and exploited it fully.
Against Nigel Proffit I was again defeated soundly (or should I say my program was!) by two wins and four draws.
I have it on the best authority on mail play, Mac Banks, that computer programs can be defeated without the use of counter-program play. I will not expand on this as I have given my word that I would not reveal how this is achieved.
That was the first and last time I made use of programs in postal play!
Those of you who think you can achieve a high position in the postal ratings list by means of program play can think again.

[tommyc]

Having won the Welsh two years running in a field including Nigel and George i was unaware it had re-started again,is Nigel avoiding me or is he just a bad loser??grrrrrrrrrrrr

[mday]

Until this ''secret" is revealed, I will still consider mail-play a program vs program match with the aid of books and manuscripts. The winner just simply has the patience to search for a line to defeat his opponent - using a program to do this of course!

What could the secret be? Possibly the better mail-play players use multiple computers to have a MEGA CHECKERS PROGRAM!