QUIZ 33 - QUESTIONS

by Chris Bray

Independent Christmas Quiz 2009



Saturday Magazine

(Published in conjunction with The Independent on Saturday 19th December 2008)

 

Welcome once again to the Independent Christmas Quiz kindly hosted by Mike Main at Backgammon in London. This should provide you with the ideal excuse to hide in your study, avoid the washing-up duties and possibly get you away from playing lesser board games with annoying aunts and uncles.

This quiz should see you through the Christmas holiday and hopefully beyond as it’s not that easy. I was impressed when last year’s quiz produced three perfectly correct results. My old maths master, Hywel Morgan, always used to say that no-one should ever score 100% in his tests and I feel the same way about my backgammon quizzes. I have a feeling that I won’t succeed but I will keep trying.

There are twelve questions to match the twelve days of Christmas. There are 30 points for each question and therefore a perfect score would be 360 points (actually 370 because there is a bonus question). Even if you can’t answer all the questions it could well be worth sending in your entry as non-perfect scores could well take the prizes.

Answers must be submitted to me at chris.bray@btconnect.com no later than Saturday 2nd January 2010 with winners being announced the following week.

There are three prizes each of which can be taken in one of four ways:

1) A copy of my new book “Wind Assisted” which will be published in February or March 2010
2) As a £25 credit at Chris Ternel’s excellent www.bgshop.com
3) As a £25 credit towards Backgammon Live in London 2010 entry fees
4) As a 90 minute backgammon lesson with myself.

As with all competitions the judge’s decision is final. The only clue I will give you before you set out is that it helps to be well-read in terms of backgammon bibliography and if you have attended my seminars and read my books over the years that might prove useful as well.
 

Question 1 (30 Points)

A position from backgammon history: black is on roll. Who were the players? What was the score and what happened next?
 

Question 2 (30 Points)

Question 3 (30 Points)

Name the player. Who are these three players (10 points each)?
 

B)

C)
 

Question 4 (30 Points)

Name the book which contains the first mention of the concept of beavering.
 

Question 5 (30 Points)

Question 6 (30 Points)

Name a 1968 song and the band that performed it that contains the word “backgammon”.
 

Question 7 (40 Points)

Name the Celebrity. Who are these celebrities either playing or connected in some way to our favourite game (10 points each)?
 

Question 8 (30 Points)

During 2009 SS & VL played a game of backgammon for the highest recorded stakes. What were the players’ full names and what was the outcome?
 

Question 9 (30 Points)

Who said of doubling: “As an added caution concerning premature doubles, it should be noted that as a game of Backgammon progresses, the chances for a decisive shift in luck grow slighter. Therefore a player who redoubles because he has gained the advantageous position runs less chance of a disastrous turning of the tables than the player who doubles early in the game.”
 

Question 10 (30 Points)

“Good evening, Holmes. You always pride yourself on estimating winning chances in unusual positions. I had this position as black against Professor Moriarty at The Diogenes last night. What do you think my winning chances are?”

“Unusual, if not to say unique, my dear Watson. I would say that black’s winning chances are about X%, give or take a percentage point.”

“Remarkably accurate, Holmes.”

“But I see the Professor has been up to his old tricks again. Actually I think your winning chances should have been nearer to Y%.”

“Good Lord, Holmes – I do believe you’re right.”

What had Homes spotted and what are the values of X and Y?
 

Question 11 (30 Points)

A second position from history: Black is on roll. Who were the players, what was the match score and what happened next?
 

Question 12 (30 Points)

Name the painting. What are the names of both the painting and the painter of these famous backgammon pictures (10 points each)?