Looking for Recommended Backgammon Resources

Blunder · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 7

I started playing backgammon as a complete amateur about five years ago and have gradually improved my game through friendly matches, joining a backgammon club and skimming through some great backgammon sites on the internet. I feel that it is finally time to move onto some ‘real’ play and I and I’m looking for some resources (preferably on the internet) that will be able to provide me with more information the backgammon strategies that I’ve been hearing so much about. Also, I would be interested in hearing about the analysis of my game. Thanks in advance…

Stack · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 24

Welcome to the wonderful world of backgammon, my friend. So… where to begin?

Some good backgammon strategy articles can be found at the Gammon Life website. Look out especially for the writer’s section that includes articles by some great players and professionals in the world of backgammon. The good thing is that you don’t need to register or log into this site, and there is no fee to access the information. A good deal if ever there was one!

On this site look out especially for the following:

- The 13 series articles by the writer, Paul Money that gets more advanced with every article. They are truly a godsend for new players like yourself looking for some direction.
- The 10 series articles by Walter Trice that cover important concepts in backgammon.
- 13 brief but instructive articles by Mike Hickey, entitled “Game Plan Selection”.
- The article entitled “The Aggression Coefficient Formula” written by the backgammon great, Francois Tardieu. (Check out also Tardieu’s own site where he has some great articles and video articles in French).
- Some great articles by Frank Frigo who was the 1994 World Backgammon champion.

On the subject of self-analysis – this is really smart move and you could start off by getting yourself the GNUbg program. You get to play against this program and also analyze yourself. On Gammon Life, Robert-Jan Veldhuizen presents an interesting article on how to download the software and gives information on how to use it. An article that takes self-analysis one step up by explaining how to record your live games is also found on this site. It is written by Jay Bidal and is entitled: “Towards a Better Method of Recording Backgammon Games”. The information is not only limited to GNUbg – it covers any bot.
Check out Tom Keith’s Backgammon Galore website which has a fortune of wonderful, practical information for players at your level. There are loads of strategy articles to devour!

If you are looking for information other than strategies, but are still related to backgammon, try out the Backgammon Galore archives that will allow you delve into hundreds of topics and newgroups connected to the game.

As you can see, I’m a firm believer in reading about strategies, but I also feel the need to mention that you need to put into practice what you read. Download free software off your favorite online casino site and practice all the strategies and tips that you have learned along the way. Most importantly, have fun at what you do.