Tactics

[Charlie Reams]

If you were right proper good, wouldn't it be sensible to conceal it in the audition so as to increase your chance of playing someone else good in the heats, thus knocking them out before the finals?

[Gavin Chipper]

If you were right proper good, wouldn't it be sensible to conceal it in the audition so as to increase your chance of playing someone else good in the heats, thus knocking them out before the finals?

No. Because if you're scared of facing them in the finals, you'd be scared of facing them in the heats. Surely?

[Kirk Bevins]

If you were right proper good, wouldn't it be sensible to conceal it in the audition so as to increase your chance of playing someone else good in the heats, thus knocking them out before the finals?

No. Ross Mackenzie, for example, got knocked out in the heats (although whether he is "right proper good" is arguable). Surely you'd want to make sure you get to the finals to at least pick up the glassware and a potential £1000.

[Steve Durney]

If you were right proper good, wouldn't it be sensible to conceal it in the audition so as to increase your chance of playing someone else good in the heats, thus knocking them out before the finals?

What would you rather: lose to Junaid in your first match, or in the final and had achieved octochamp status, series runner-up status, plus a cheque for a grand? (Not that i'm saying you'd have lost to Junaid!)

[Michael Wallace]

If you were right proper good, wouldn't it be sensible to conceal it in the audition so as to increase your chance of playing someone else good in the heats, thus knocking them out before the finals?

What would you rather: lose to Junaid in your first match, or in the final and had achieved octochamp status, series runner-up status, plus a cheque for a grand? (Not that i'm saying you'd have lost to Junaid!)

Except it's fairly well known that Junaid took the time between becoming an octochamp and playing in the finals to practise like mad.

[Marc Meakin]

With the eye of Apterous watching you, it would be difficult to conceal how good you are.
Unless you use a fake name.

[Marc Meakin]

If you were right proper good, wouldn't it be sensible to conceal it in the audition so as to increase your chance of playing someone else good in the heats, thus knocking them out before the finals?

Is there a hidden agenda?

[Matthew Green]

With the eye of Apterous watching you, it would be difficult to conceal how good you are.
Unless you use a fake name.

So it's easy to conceal then?

[Charlie Reams]

Except it's fairly well known that Junaid took the time between becoming an octochamp and playing in the finals to practise like mad.

Right, exactly. Same with Craig Beevers, who was no slouch in the heats but totally unstoppable by the finals. Likewise Stewart Holden etc etc.

I'd say almost everyone is most beatable in their first appearance; you've got the nerves, the unfamiliarity, and nothing much to play for yet.

Obviously once you get sufficiently good then it hardly matters who you play, but there is some point at which maybe this would be a good strategy. Would be hard to test, obviously, but just putting it out there.

[Karen Pearson]

Would you rather be Karen Pearson or Ross Allatt - both of whom lost to Richard Heald. Not that I'm saying I'd have beaten as many people as Ross did (because I'm sure I wouldn't) but I'm sure he's glad he didn't come up against Richard in the heats.

[Jon Corby]

Nah, I'd say the opposite of the OP.

I'd say almost everyone is most beatable in their first appearance; you've got the nerves, the unfamiliarity, and nothing much to play for yet.

Equally likely of course that "your" first game is gonna be against "them", "them" having already won 5 on the bounce with century scores. You'd have to be one mega-mega confident motherfucker to try it.

[Charlie Reams]

Would you rather be Karen Pearson or Ross Allatt - both of whom lost to Richard Heald. Not that I'm saying I'd have beaten as many people as Ross did (because I'm sure I wouldn't) but I'm sure he's glad he didn't come up against Richard in the heats.

I was thinking more like Kirk-standard players who are applying with the intention of winning the series. Most players are not going to be good enough in the audition to earn "separation" anyway.

Nah, I'd say the opposite of the OP.

I'd say almost everyone is most beatable in their first appearance; you've got the nerves, the unfamiliarity, and nothing much to play for yet.

Equally likely of course that "your" first game is gonna be against "them", "them" having already won 5 on the bounce with century scores. You'd have to be one mega-mega confident motherfucker to try it.

Yep, true. I just wonder if there's some particular range in the scale of "goodness" (whatever that means) where it does become a viable tactic, but maybe there isn't.

[Gavin Chipper]

I see your point now but added to all that is the difficulty of doing worse than you can in the audition but making sure you pass (though I suppose you can just keep retrying with the audition until you get it right).

And then of course there's all the other people who are right proper good in your series that have just read this thread...

[David O'Donnell]

Seems like a ridiculously cocky strategy to me, is it Kirk's?

[Kirk Bevins]

Seems like a ridiculously cocky strategy to me, is it Kirk's?

Piss off.

[David O'Donnell]

Seems like a ridiculously cocky strategy to me, is it Kirk's?

Piss off.

Tetchy! I just mean you are one of the few who could actually pull if off so-to-speak.

[Kirk Bevins]

Tetchy! I just mean you are one of the few who could actually pull if off so-to-speak.

I think you're just trying to call me cocky. I will not participate in such tactics and will try to beat the man (or woman) put before me.

[Oliver Garner]

When I figured that Mark Goodliffe was a good player coupled with the fact I would probably make it to the finals with 7 wins, I thought that I could knock a potential finalist out which would (will?) be advantageous come the series finals.

[Craig Beevers]

This would surely be more of a gambling tactic rather than one a favourite would employ. it would make more sense for example if you were a solid 800 type octochamp and you knew there was going to be an uber-player coming on. If you got 'lucky' you could draw the uber-player on your nth game (where n = 2 or greater) and play them on their first appearance. If n was large enough you could have two shots at knocking them out.

[David Williams]

When I figured that Mark Goodliffe was a good player coupled with the fact I would probably make it to the finals with 7 wins, I thought that I could knock a potential finalist out which would (will?) be advantageous come the series finals.

Alternatively, if you knew someone who you thought was better than you (or even just very good) was coming on in the following week, you could deliberately lose. You're almost certainly in the finals anyway, and only one of them can join you. I don't think anyone would think this desirable or advisable, but it could marginally increase your chances, unlike every other suggestion in this thread.

[Gavin Chipper]

When I figured that Mark Goodliffe was a good player coupled with the fact I would probably make it to the finals with 7 wins, I thought that I could knock a potential finalist out which would (will?) be advantageous come the series finals.

Alternatively, if you knew someone who you thought was better than you (or even just very good) was coming on in the following week, you could deliberately lose. You're almost certainly in the finals anyway, and only one of them can join you. I don't think anyone would think this desirable or advisable, but it could marginally increase your chances, unlike every other suggestion in this thread.

But this involves a situation where you've won seven, know the eighth player is good as well as another player coming up after your eighth. It's an unlikely scenario!

A good time to lose is when your run is at the end of a series with a below average standard and you've already qualified for the quarters but would go into the following series if you went all the way. (This of course is extremely likely. )