Game Boy

As a kid, I was a sponge for games. Card games. Board games. Dice games. I recall daylong battles of War at Pierre Berton’s house with his son, Paul, and various others that would pass through the Berton home. With my neighbours we would carry Monopoly games on for weeks at a time.

I considered myself a master at checkers, as few could beat me, once I learned some unconventional initial offensive moves. I was good at chess but I never got caught up in it, as some do. To this day, I couldn’t tell you why chess does not appeal to me.

I grew up watching my father whip all comers at cribbage. He had an uncanny ability to know what the cards were. He conscripted me to work in his drug store when I turned fifteen. There was a constant parade of other business owners in the mall that would take a break and play crib with my father and myself. Ron, from the IGA, plus Manfred, who owned the Deli, and Oscar, the shoe store guy, were the regulars. Plus, the occasional cameo of my future (little did I know at the time) father-in-law, Chuck. Few ever won against my father and Chuck always accused my father of stacking the deck or using marked cards.
My mother has a classic picture of my oldest friend, Greg, and I at the table our father’s would play crib, at a Muskoka resort. This was circa 1962. We have such earnest faces on but we didn’t have a clue how to play the game – we were just trying to emulate our fathers.

Then there was poker. I was very good at it. But, when I started to watch my friends blow their weekly pay cheques, I realized that this was a dangerous addiction and quit the game at 15. I haven’t played since.

I taught my daughter my favourites and, unfortunately for my ego, she quickly picked up on the refinements of the games and has generally beaten me soundly. Monopoly, Rummy, Rummoli, Life, Cribbage, Backgammon and even, gulp, mini-putt. She has taught me several new card games, all of which she thoroughly thumps me. After cutting me some small slack for the first few rounds. She is merciless!

Backgammon – now there’s a game. I was introduced to it by a good friend, when I was about 19. I was entranced by the nuances of defensive and offensive maneuvers within the framework of the odds of the dice.

Whenever I’ve gravitated to a sport or game, I would try to play against someone better than myself. To maybe pick up some of their tactics or style and massage it to make it mine. Like playing crib against my father and his friends.

With backgammon, I became an addict. For years, I’d ask new acquaintances if they played. If they knew the game I was in heaven, as I’d learn their methodologies.

Just when I was starting to get cocky with my knowledge of the game, I got my legs kicked out from me. I was taking a ski instructor’s course in Austria. It was a very intense three weeks, which taught me why they are the world’s best skiers. One of my fellow students was Austria’s Junior Backgammon Champion. I had a little magnetic board that we would use in the lineups for the gondola lifts at the ski hills.

His moves absolutely blew me away! At the time, they were totally unorthodox to me. And, there I was, thinking that I was a “seasoned player” of only a mere four years. I quickly made his moves part of my repertoire and started to blow others away.

For the past 25 years, I’ve been happy as a teacher of the game. There have been a few that have picked up on my aggressive stance, after my patient tutelage, and have cleaned my clock. But I have not had that thrill of playing against someone several degrees better than I than that time in Austria.

Until I was introduced to zone.com.

A young friend, whom I had taught the game, showed me how I could play against people around the world on the Internet. I was skeptical at first. Until he showed me how simple it was.

He was laughing at me, as I would get quite vocal and emotional in my battles with competitors from England, Spain or Turkey. “Oh, you lucky bastard!” “Take that, you swine!” “Aargghh, not doubles again!” “Hah, enjoy your stay on the bar and watch me work my magic!”

I felt like Toad in the story “Wind in the Willows”. “He has a new addiction!” New opponents!

I finally got my home computer to connect to this portal of fun and frustration. But, I very quickly was able to determine that there are a small number of players and they have gotten to know the “Intermediate from Canada”.

As soon as “Expert from France” recognizes my sign-on he leaves the game before starting. We’ve had some battles. Or there is “Intermediate from Portugal”, who bales before we get to roll the dice.

I do enjoy “Beginner from England” as he is definitely a beginner but he doesn’t give up and is ready to go for another game after losing. I sometimes do some stupid moves, to hopefully teach him and, maybe, allow him to beat me. I guess that’s the teacher in me.

Anyone wanna play a game?