Backgammon Books

The concept of positional play was something I hadn't dealt with until this book. Although tough for me to get through, the 200 problems illustrating the concepts Robertie postulates were helpful enough to raise my FIBs rating over 200 points. When you get serious about winning, you'll read this book.

The volume covers a great number of problems that give players difficulty. Robertie's approach is systematic and his writing is lucid. A "must-have" for serious players.

This book outlines advanced strategies for opening and mid-position moves. It is the next step after Robertie's 'Backgammon for Winners' and 'Backgammon for Serious players'. If you have read and disgested these first two books and are looking for the next level then this is a must have. There are over 200 situations covered. Details include reasons for the right move along with alernative plays. Both moves and doubling are covered. The book is broken into several section. Opening moves, mid-game, the blitz, and defense are just a few. Illustraions accompany each example and the reasoning is well written and easy to follow. As Bill Robertie points out there are many books that contain short cuts to winning but when the tournament is over you do not see any of these players around. This a study guide that can be used for a lifetime of playing one of the worlds oldest and most challenging games.

Robertie has written a number of books on Backgammon. This is not the one to read first, it may be the one (with volume 2) to read last. But, for advanced players or those who want to become advanced players, this is where the real meat is.

This little book almost has it all, from the basics for beginners to the modern advanced concepts (especially related to doubling) for advanced players. Much of the advanced discussion is found elsewhere only in advanced (and pricey) books. All interspersed with personal anecdotes and historical development to make it all come to life. So much in one book makes it a great value and a book I would recommend to players at any level.

Everybody loves to play games, but more importantly everybody loves winning. This is the book to get if you want to learn all the tips and tricks of Backgammon. Full of interesting scenarios and questions every Backgammon player come across, it is a great book to pick up to improve your game.

This is the best book that I have read on backgammon for several years. It is an excellent introduction for beginners and a great aide for intermediate and advanced players. It is far better than the book with a similar name from the 1970's.

This is one the best books ever written on backgammon too bad it is out of print. Nuff said.

The authors of this book were Barclay Cooke and Jon Bradshaw. A very good 70s book for beginners and intermediates and surpasses many of the authors whose only claim to understanding the game is that they wrote theirs in the 90s.

In a day when people are proud to carry around books with titles like Nuclear Physics for DUMMIES, it is a pleasure to see a book intended for the thoughtful.

As a backgammon junkie, I often hear, "I just learned how to play backgammon and love it. What should I read to improve my game?" The answer used to be "Read Magriel's, Backgammon. It's the bible." And indeed, Magriel is a great book. But with the appearance of Backgammon Boot Camp, the answer is no longer clear.

Magriel is still a great book, but is showing its age: (1) no discussion of the major impact strong computer programs have had on the game; (2) insufficient discussion of the doubling cube; and (3) no discussion of tournament strategy. Trice remedies these defects and provides the most comprehensive and modern treatment of the game.

Though Boot Camp is pitched toward the intelligent beginner, there is much for the advanced player. I find myself going back to some sections over and over again. Trice is the world's authority on use of the doubling cube in racing positions. Those sections shine. The analysis of attacking play is modern and not available from any other source.

Learn to play. Improve your play. Become an expert. Boot Camp is the rare book that speaks to motivated novices, intermediates and advanced players.

Buy this - not Magriel. Magriel has a lot of wrong solutions. This has all positions checked against computer rollouts. Doubling and match theory are also here. Im an 1800 player at FIBS. Search for the publishers of this book - they have 3 other excellent books. No praise too high for this book.

A "must-have" for serious players. Covers a range of technical problems that experts should know cold.

For all ages and for fans of fiction (and even lovers of philosophy).

A solid story with deep character development and strong visuals.

From the opening paragraph...

"There had been many boards in the life of the tortoise. Many had come and gone like acquaintances of the opposite sex: some disappearing after years of neglect and others tossed away after over use and abuse. All had the same in common; they were each loved deeply at one time by the tortoise."

...the author smoothly blends the game of backgammon, which is a character in itself, into the story of life, relationships, forgiveness with an honest and careful technicality that made me want to have a game with someone.

Realistic scenarios within an unreal scenery would describe the interplay between characters.

The story is chock full of little nuggets of wisdom that inspire thought and reflection:

"All he could think was what a funny life this is - so circular in nature, yet we always seem to try so hard to make it a straight line."

A must have for anyone wanting to develop a solid understanding of backgammon. While not a new book, it should be every backgammon players 1st book on backgammon.

Oswald Jacoby (December 8, 1902 - June 27, 1984) was an American bridge expert and author, and is considered one of the greatest players of all time. In 1970, he wrote The Backgammon Book with John R. Crawford, which is considered the first book to deal with backgammon from an analytic viewpoint. In 1972, was crowned World Backgammon Champion.

He pioneered many bidding ideas, including the Jacoby transfer and Jacoby 2NT bids. A prolific writer, he wrote over 10000 newspaper articles on bridge, and his many books include volumes on poker, gin rummy, canasta, and the mathematics of card games. He also released a record titled How to Win at Championship Bridge. -- from wikipedia

This is a book of backgammon problems. However, unlike other similar books, this one will give a problem and the solution, and the next problem will be almost identical to the first but with a small difference in the situation. This subtle diffence leads to a different solution. These subtle differences vividly display the variety of factors that need to be considered when making your move. Joe Dwek explains the solutions well so there is no doubt afterwards that his solution is correct. Finally, the problems do cover all aspects of the game.

The book is a fantastic help to improve the skill against common playing situations. My game has improved a lot after reading it. Some difficult situations seems now kids' stuff.