Gamesmanship

Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal) methods to win a game, such as golf or snooker. As opposed to sportsmanship, it may be inferred that the term derives from playing for the game (to win at any cost) as opposed to playing for sport. The term originates from Stephen Potter's 1947 book, "Gamesmanship: The Art of Winnings Games Without Actually Cheating."

Origins

Stephen Potter cites the origin of gamesmanship to be a tennis match between himself and the philosopher C. E. M. Joad against two younger and fitter men who were outplaying them fairly comfortably. On a serve to Joad, he hit the ball straight into the back-netting twelve feet behind the back-line. While the opponents were preparing for the next serve Joad queried whether the ball had landed in, or out. Being young, polite university students, their opponents offered to replay the point, but Joad declined. Because they were young and polite, the slight suggestion by Joad that their etiquette and sportsmanship was in question was extremely off-putting. Potter and Joad went on to win the match.

Techniques

The most common techniques of gamesmanship are the following.

Breaking the flow of an opponent's play.
Causing an opponent to take the game less seriously or to overthink his or her position.
Intentionally making a "mistake" which gains an advantage over an opponent.

While the first method is more common at higher levels of sports, the last two are more powerful in amateur games.

Breaking the flow

Examples of "flow-breaking" methods include:

Feigning injury to delay the game, or to imply you won't be playing at your best.
In billiards, intentionally standing in your opponent's line of sight, and then suddenly moving when you "realise" you're in the wrong place.

Causing your opponent to overthink

Examples of methods designed to cause your opponent to overthink or to not take the game seriously enough include:

Giving intentionally vague advice in the hope of making your opponent focus on his play.
Asking one's opponent advice for a (fictious) match the following day, against an implied stronger opponent.
Claiming that the game you are playing "just isn't my sport", or claiming less expertise than you actually possess (a mild form of hustling).
Indirectly impugning your opponent's sportsmanship.

Intentional "mistakes"

Examples of intentional "mistakes" designed to gain an advantage:

In bridge, intentionally misdealing and then engaging in chaotic bidding, knowing that the hand will be void anyway.
In poker, intentionally raising out of turn, to induce players to give you a free card.

All of the above are considered very close to cheating, and the abuser of gamesmanship techniques will find himself penalized in most serious sports and games tournaments, as well as being deemed (if caught) a "bad sport".

Football

In football, it is considered good sportsmanship to kick the ball out of play if a player on the opposing side is injured; when the ball is to be thrown in, it is also considered to be good sportsmanship in this situation to kick it (or throw it) back to the other team who kicked it out. Gamesmanship arrives in this situation when, rather than passing the ball back to the side who kicked the ball out, the injured player's teammates keep the ball after the throw in. Whilst not illegal or against the rules of the sport, it is heavily frowned upon. Feigning injury to cause the ball to be kicked out is another example of gamesmanship intended to break the flow of play. When a free kick is awarded, members of the defending team will often pick up the ball and drop it back behind them as they retreat. Whilst no throwing the ball away, which would be an infringement, the purpose is to prevent a swiftly taken free kick.

Usage outside of games

The term "gamesmanship" is also used for similar techniques used in non-game situations, such as negotiations and elections.

Each form is frequently used as a means of describing dubious methods of winning and/or psychological tricks used to intimidate or confuse one's opponent.

The term also appears in art theory to mean playfulness, as in "literary gamesmanship". ^*^*

Reference

The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship: The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating is a book by Stephen Potter, from which most of the above derives, although it must be emphasized that Potter was being humorous, and always suggested that one should be a good sportsman first and foremost.

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