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The premier source for backgammon books, lessons & blog problems.

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Backgammon Books

A practical way to become a winner at backgammon is to glean instruction from the best players. Some of the backgammon world’s highest awards have written books to assist players both novice and advanced.

A good book by a backgammon expert can provide game-changing information at a reasonable price which players (and would-be players) can absorb at their own pace. The Gammon Press store stocks essential reads by Bill Robertie and Kit Woolsey, along with the works of Bob Wachtel, Peter Bell and others. If you want to improve your backgammon game, this is the place to start.

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When something else is better than running …

Feb 15, 2026 | ,

Cash game. White on roll. White to play 6-3.


Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.

Often in the opening you’ll escape one of your two back checkers, and then find yourself in a type of position we call “One Man Back”. These positions can be tricky. If you roll a big number, should you make a bid for escaping and run the last checker out, or leave him back and make some sort of building play on your side of the board?

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Slotting criteria when you have an anchor …

Jan 15, 2026 | ,

Cash game. White on roll. White to play 4-1.


Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.

We sell a lot of books at the Gammon Press and the most popular books right now are a three-volume set called “How to Play the Opening in Backgammon”. The most common question I get asked about the set is “Why a 3-volume set just on the Opening? What about the other parts of the game?”

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Maybe too good to double?

Dec 15, 2025 |

Cash game, White owns the cube. White on roll.


Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.

This is a fairly simple problem that illustrates a common theme which occurs in some degenerate prime versus prime games.

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A tricky “bearoff against contact” position …

Nov 15, 2025 |

Cash game. Black owns the cube. White to play 3-1.

Backgammon position


Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.

In this position, Black got stuck playing an ace-point game which didn’t go well for him. Now he’s lost his 6-point, and next turn he’ll either have to break his board or run off his anchor.

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Features that favor hitting …

Oct 15, 2025 |

Cash game. Center cube. White to play 3-2.


Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.

In this position, White has two choices: he can enter and hit on the 5-point, or he can enter and make the anchor on the 22-point. To hit or not to hit: what’s right?

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The best play is not the play that wins the most games …

Sep 15, 2025 |

Cash game. White owns the cube. White to play 4-4.


Note: All ‘cash game’ problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect. That is, you can’t win a gammon unless the cube has been turned.

White has been playing a 1-5 backgame (probably the weakest of all backgame formations) and now faces a roll that messes up his plans even further. With a 4-4 to play, he has to sacrifice something. He can move off the 24-point, move off the 20-point with one or both men, or try to keep both backgame points and play entirely on his side of the board. Nothing is really appetizing, but he needs to make the best of a bad situation.

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