Tag Archive for 'fortuna'

Expertise and fortune in backgammon

Backgammon is one of the oldest games and iy has originated more than 5,000 years ago in the current Iraq. Because of its ancient origin it’s easy to understand why they are been able to be born numerous legends about its authorship: Egypt, in the tomb of Tutankhamen were found tables with similar designs, Greece Sophocles recalling that during the Troy war the soldiers were playing to pass the time, the game is also mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. Game widespread in all social castes expands across Europe and it still endures today in many parts of the world. Curious and unusual to see such as backgammon has evolved in the Western world, where he found space as a sophisticated game and passtime, while in the Middle East remains a popular game. And even today, in Italy, among the refugees or during their long waits at border points, we see people improvise games of backgammon.

A game of backgammon can be a metaphor of life as it needs both skill and luck. A bit like in football where it only takes one shot on goal to win a game, even if the team loses that had shown to be  the best. So although it’s a game which requires the application of a strategy requiring intuition and creativity, it’s a game based on the probability and not on certainty that by acting in a certain way you will win the game. Of course, the fortune must be found with the training, because it’s true that the best players can lose a game but, if they does not lose confidence, in a series of matches the expertise will reward them with the success over opponents.

Those who are curious and want to know the backgammon if located in Rome from 11 to 13 September can go to the Old Shooting Club, where it will be held the 11th Tournament Roma Open Backgammon with the participation of the world best players.

Juventus new winning mind

Before the fury, then the technique. It seems to me that this is the evolution, in last years, has had the mentality of Juventus. Undisputed champions like Buffon and Pirlo, among others, had already won a lot and shown to have this approach to football, but a winning team is a lot more of their individual personalities and it had to prove that all possess and bring to the pitch this mentality. The work of Conte had the merit of bringing the fury in the game, that  physical and mental intensity coming before the technique, the team had to show for ninety minutes each game. Allegri has completed this team, which had won three consecutive Italian championships, changing the play ssystem and bringing more attention to the technical work, and on how necessary it’s to continually improve it. Today we talk about what it has been unexpectedly reached the final of the Champions League, but in sports there are no miracles. The team has, however, been shown to have exceeded the psychological limitations that prevented it from playing in order to achieve this goal. This results comes from a great training but also from a winning condition, at least in Italy, and on this confidence it has been possible to build, obstacle after obstacle, this willingness to go beyond the limits. Now everything is possible, because history teaches us that David beat Goliath. Juventus goes to Berlin with a joyful attitude, because they are months that it’s pursuing the dream that, day after day, with the hard work and dedication, it has become a reality and this is a significant psychological advantage to better address this last game. Barcelona, ​​super-favorite may run into a false start as Bolt did in the 100m final at the 2011 World Championships, resulting in disqualification. An example of superficial mind approach dictated by feel fated to win. Juventus will serve the enthusiasm accumulated in the last weeks combined with calm, that will enable it to enhance its play, the one taught by Allegri. Certainly Juventus, on its way in the Champions League, was also lucky and this has highlighted another characteristic, typical of the winning teams: to take advantage of favorable conditions. In fact, it won when it had to win and it’s not easy to get this result, because not confident teams often lose these games not thinking, losing their cool when the goal does not come immediately or if the opposing team is showing more difficult to overcome. In these cases, who should win become insecure, while the opponent gains confidence and can overturn the result in its favor, including the disbelief of the favorites. Commitment, total dedication and technique are the key to this success.

In soccer the teams have to earn fortune

According Oronzo Pugliese, football coach in the 70/80, the fortune of a team consisted in having the most talented players in the world. Brazil and Argentina won with the help of luck the two matches against Chile and Switzerland. In this case with a daring parallel with the thought of Machiavelli, it can be said that luck is the power exerted by the strongest. For this reason the fortune is not so blind as it is usual to say, the stronger catch it on themselves. But they must also to know how to earn it, not surprisingly Argentina did a lot more shots on goal than Switzerland and Brazil won at the penalties having a better goalkeeper. It’s also clear that luck occurs when the two teams did not demonstrate a clear superiority of either of the two. More than any other sport, in football the result is well suited to be influenced by luck because the score can be determined by a lightly, accomplished in a given time by the behavior of a single player. It’s ‘the case of Di Maria, one of the best in the pitch, he did a fault in a defensive action just a minute after scoring the opening goal for Argentina. From this lightness it has been developed the action that led to the pole hit by a Swiss player, punishable by a subsequent rebound on the leg that put the ball out of a few centimeters. In other words, the sin of an individual may fall heavily on the team. This is football, a sport in which you can win for the action of a single but just as easily a single behavior may lead to defeat. Therefore, in a game that is spread across many individual episodes, to attribute the result to the luck does not make sense; usually the match has won by the team that created most episodes to score, at the opponents remain the poles taken, emphasizing their competitiveness in the field but not the consitency in the pursuit of victory with the heart and the mind. Read it also on The Huffington Post.