Books included on this page – listed alphabetically by author - include:
Bell Winning with the Doubling Cube
Bray Backgammon – An Independent View
Magriel Backgammon
Papazian Backgammon Master Games (with Bill Kennedy)
Robertie Advanced Backgammon – Volume 1 & 2
Robertie Backgammon for Serious Players
Robertie Backgammon for Winners
Robertie 501 Essential Problems
Wachtel Winning in Ace-Point End-Games
Woolsey How to Play Tournament Backgammon
Woolsey Lidov vs. Heinrich
Woolsey Marmorstein vs. Greiner
Woolsey New Ideas in Backgammon (with Hal Heinrich)
Woolsey Sylvester vs. Ballard
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4. Mail to: The Gammon Press, P.O. Box 750087, Arlington, MA 02475
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BACKGAMMON: WINNING WITH THE DOUBLING CUBE
by Peter Bell
This is the first book from the Gammon Press devoted entirely to the proper use of the doubling cube. Players have long understood that mastery of the cube is the key difference between top pros and struggling amateurs. In this book, Peter Bell explains the secrets behind the doubling strategy of the masters. He shows how to evaluate positions, when to double, when to take or drop, and how to adjust your cube strategy to take advantage of your opponent’s weaknesses. Winning with the Doubling Cube is a groundbreaking book that should be part of every player’s library.
Level: All
Info: 196 pages, softbound
Price: $30
+S/H: US First Class/$4 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/ $10 Air Pacific/$13
BACKGAMMON -- AN INDEPENDENT VIEW
by Chris Bray
Chris Bray is the backgammon columnist for the British newspaper The Independent, and this book is a collection of his columns over the last several years. The target audience is the intermediate player, and Bray does a competent job of explaining the basic ideas of the game.
Level: Intermediate
Info: 131 pages, softbound
Price: $22.50
+S/H: US First Class/$4 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/ $8 Air Pacific/$10
BACKGAMMON
by Paul Magriel
Back in print after 15 years! Backgammon is the classic textbook by Paul Magriel that teaches the fundamentals of backgammon in a clear, easy-to-understand, yet profoundly deep manner. Chapters include: The Basics, Builders and Flexibility, Duplication and Diversification, Modern Opening Theory, Safe Play vs. Bold Play, Slotting, Action Plays, One Man Back, The Golden Point, Splitting, Doubling Theory, Priming and Blocking, Outfield Control, Timing, Holding Games, and Backgames.
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Info: 404 pages, softbound
Price: $45
+S/H: US First Class/$7 US Book/$5 Canada/$6
Air Europe/ $20 Air Pacific/$25
BACKGAMMON MASTER GAMES
by Chuck Papazian & Bill Kennedy
Backgammon Master Games contains 64 annotated games and 40 problem positions selected from modern matches that involved world-renowned players such as Paul Magriel, Oswald Jacoby, Joe Dwek, Jason Lester, and Roger Low. In each game Papazian discusses key strategic and tactical concepts as they influence the choice of moves. The annotations provide the reader with valuable examples of the backgammon insight that made Papazian a world-class player for so many years.
Level: Beginner
Info: 215 pages, hardbound
Price: $20
+S/H: US First Class/$4 US Book/$3 Canada/$5
Air Europe/ $11 Air Pacific/$13
ADVANCED BACKGAMMON (2nd edition)
Volume 1: Positional Play
Volume 2: Technical Play
by Bill Robertie
The second edition of Advanced Backgammon is a complete revision of the classic work first published in 1984. The new version now contains over 400 problems in two volumes. Volume 1 covers positional play and includes sections on the opening, middle game, blitzes, priming games, and back games. Volume 2 covers technical play, including chapters on endgames, races, and bearoffs. Both advanced checker and cube play are covered. Two-time World Champion Robertie has drawn upon years of research, analysis, and experience to update this classic work for the modern era.
Level: Advanced
Info: 576 pages, softbound
Price: $40 each
+S/H set: US First Class/$8 US Book/$6 Canada/$8
Air Europe/$22 Air Pacific/$26
BACKGAMMON FOR SERIOUS PLAYERS
by Bill Robertie
How do the top players create positions where they can outplay their opponents? They can’t simply drift with the dice into races and holding games that anyone can play well. Instead, they have to spot their opportunities for creating complex play which at the same time keep other options open. Using examples from recent master games, Robertie shows the secrets behind creating and winning the sort of complex, double-edged games that are the heart of modern backgammon. The book contains plenty of advice on handling double-anchor holding games, back games, and games where both sides are simultaneously priming their opponent while keeping backgame options open. You’ll learn how and when to recirculate checkers, the strengths and weaknesses of the outside prime, and proper technique after hitting a late shot.
Level: Intermediate
Info: 188 pages, softbound
Price: $20
+S/H: US First Class/$4 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/$10 Air Pacific/$12
BACKGAMMON FOR WINNERS
by Bill Robertie
Backgammon for Winners is an introductory book, suitable for those with either no prior instruction in the game, or with just a basic knowledge of the rules. It teaches how to set up the board, move the pieces, and use the doubling cube. Three complete games are given, with annotations after every move, covering the basics of tactical and positional play. A great gift for friends who want to learn the game.
Level: Beginner
Info: 124 pages, softbound
Price: $13
+S/H: US First Class/$3 US Book/$2 Canada/$3
Air Europe/ $6 Air Pacific/$7
501 ESSENTIAL BACKGAMMON PROBLEMS
by Bill Robertie
31 chapters cover every part of the game, from the opening roll to the art of endgame play. You’ll learn when to attack blots, how to master the blitz, and all about anchors, primes, crunched positions, races, bearoffs, back games, and doubling.
Level: Intermediate
Info: 384 pages, softbound
Price: $20
+S/H: US First Class/$6 US Book/$4 Canada/$6
Air Europe/ $12 Air Pacific/$14
IN THE GAME UNTIL THE END:
WINNING IN ACE-POINT ENDGAMES
by Bob Wachtel
You’ve played an ace-point game; your opponent is down to his last few checkers. Should you run? Should you stay? If your opponent wants to settle, what’s your game worth? How aggressively should you try to pick up a second checker? If you don’t know the answers to these and other ace-point game questions, you’ll want this book. In Chapter 4, for instance, you’ll discover the secrets of the famous “Tino Road Position”, an endgame so complicated that you can, once you know how, play the position from either side and win! Olympiad Champion Bob Wachtel has thoroughly analyzed hundreds of ace-point game positions to generate a complete picture of what's really happening in these common situations.
Level: Advanced
Info: 110 pages, softbound
Price: $25
+S/H: US First Class/$4 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/ $8 Air Pacific/$9
HOW TO PLAY TOURNAMENT BACKGAMMONby Kit Woolsey
“I’m a damn good money player, but I just don’t seem to catch a break in tournament play.” Does this sound like you? It might not be bad luck -- tournament play requires very different skills from money play. Up to now there’s been no single source for learning the special features of backgammon tournament play that make it so different from normal head’s-up or chouette. Now that’s changed. In How to Play Tournament Backgammon, world-class player and tournament theoretician Kit Woolsey covers everything you need to know to be a successful tournament player. Here’s a partial list of topics: Checker Strategy in the Crawford Game -- Post Crawford Play -- The New Match Equity Table and How to Learn It -- Janowski’s Formula -- The Doubling Window -- Using Gain-Loss Tables -- Cube Leverage in Gammonish Positions -- and a lot more.
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Info: 50 pages, softbound
Price: $20
+S/H: US First Class/$4 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/ $7 Air Pacific/$8
MIKA LIDOV VS. HAL HEINRICH
by Kit Woolsey
Backgammon can be played in several styles. The most aggressive and complicated approach to the game is the “pure” style, developed in New York during the 1970s and refined by many of the world’s best players right up to the present day. The pure style is built around aggressive slotting and prime-building, with a willingness to play the back games that may result when the all-out forward game fails. This match features a clash of styles between Mika Lidov, one of the strongest exponents of the pure style, and Hal Heinrich, possessor of a powerful all-around game. Each game abounds in complex play, and Kit Woolsey supplies an expert’s guidance to the several back games which result. About the players: Mika Lidov is considered to be the best woman player in the world. In 1989, she was runner-up to Joe Russell in the World Championship. Hal Heinrich of Canada won the World Championship in 1990 and was runner-up in the World Cup of 1992.
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Info: 220 pages, softbound
Price: $25
+S/H: US First Class/$5 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/ $15 Air Pacific/$20
PHILIP MARMORSTEIN VS. MICHAEL GREINER
by Kit Woolsey
Do you lose heart when your opponent picks off the first few games of a match? Can you squeeze an opponent playing conservatively to protect a lead, or do you make matters easy for him with overeager doubling? In this 25-point match from the finals of the British Championship of 1991, Greiner jumps off to an early 9-0 lead. Through adroit use of the cube, Marmorstein puts maximum pressure on his opponent, and is eventually able to whittle down the lead. Woolsey’s explanations show the difference between pressure doubles and loose doubles.
About the players: Philip Marmorstein rose to prominence in the late 1980s and won the World Championship in 1988. He has since won many events in Europe (including the tournament from which this match is taken) and is today generally considered the best European player. Michael Greiner has been one of the best German players for several years.
Level: Intermediate/advanced
Info: 240 pages, softbound
Price: $25
+S/H: US First Class/$5 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/ $15 Air Pacific/$20
NEW IDEAS IN BACKGAMMON
by Kit Woolsey and Hal Heinrich
New Ideas in Backgammon is Kit Woolsey’s and Hal Heinrich's amazing book of backgammon problems. Kit, runner-up in the 1996 World Cup, and Hal, runner-up in the 1992 World Cup, have assembled a collection of problems that tests the ability of even the best human players, yet provides instructive lessons for everyone from beginner to expert. All the positions in the book are taken from actual tournament matches in which a top expert made an incorrect choice. In each case, the correct play has been verified by an elaborate series of computer analyses using the neural net Jellyfish. In addition, all the problems have been shown to a panel of eight human experts, and only those problems which were able to stump most of the panel were finally included in the book.
These are not trick positions or exotic back game plays. The positions are of the sort that arise in every game, yet are misplayed by nearly all players. The authors have drawn on their vast experience to provide you with the theoretical framework behind the often counter-intuitive plays. It’s fair to say that New Ideas in Backgammon stretches our understanding of the game more than any other book in recent years.
Level: Advanced
Info: 336 pages, softbound
Price: $40
+S/H: US First Class/$6 US Book/$4 Canada/$7
Air Europe/ $18 Air Pacific/$22
JOE SYLVESTER VS. NACK BALLARD
by Kit Woolsey
Do you have difficulty protecting a sizeable lead when you get one? Do your opponents seem to close a deficit more easily then they should? If so, this book is for you. Joe Sylvester moves out in front quickly, then gives an exemplary demonstration of using checker play to steer into the most desirable positions, despite Ballard’s skillful attempts to complicate matters. Kit Woolsey’s annotations explain the nuances of playing to protect a lead without giving too much away.
About the players: Joe Sylvester and Nack Ballard have both been ranked among the world’s top-10 players for many years. Sylvester has an outstanding record in the World Cups, the premier test of backgammon skill. He finished first in World Cup I, third in World Cup III, and second in World Cup IV. Nack Ballard is a legend in backgammon for the extraordinary speed and accuracy of his play. His greatest tournament victory was in the massive Las Vegas Invitational of 1982.
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Info: 150 pages, softbound
Price: $20
+S/H: US First Class/$5 US Book/$3 Canada/$4
Air Europe/ $10 Air Pacific/$13
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