Recommended Books on Cube Play

Checker · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 10

Can anyone recommend a good book for a backgammon player at beginner level that relates to cube play? Thanks in advance.

Reenter · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 7

The first book that comes to mind on that topic is Kit Woolsey’s “The Backgammon Encyclopedia Volume I: Cube Reference Positions”. However, the idea is not just to read the book and absorb what Woolsey is saying. You also need to really work on what he writes about and apply it to your own game.

You can also try Peter Bell’s book entitled, “Backgammon: Winning with the Doubling Cube” which I hear is a great book although I cannot comment because I haven’t read it yet. What I have read, though, is Walter Trice’s fantastic “Backgammon Boot Camp” which has a very informative chapter on cube play.

Another book by Ortego/Kleinmann is called, “Cubes and Gammons near the end of the Match.” The only problem is that this book is really hard to come by and when it does surface on popular book sites now and then, it’s snapped up in a minute. This book is slightly more narrowly focused than the other books I have mentioned because it only looks at match situations where players have 2 points to go until the end. From the sounds of it, you are after something a little more general.

Finally, take a look at the many great strategy articles on popular backgammon sites such as Kit Woolsey’s Gammon Line. Some are free while others ask for a one-off (and worth every penny!) subscription fee. You will find some real pearls of wisdom in archived articles on cube play.