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Backgammon Books
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Modern Backgammon
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AUTHOR:
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Bill Robertie
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YEAR:
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2001
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PUBLISHER:
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The Gammon Press
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CITY:
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Arlington, MA
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ISBN:
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1-880604-17-5
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BINDING:
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Softcover
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PAGES:
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361
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SIZE:
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25 cm high, 18 cm wide
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READERS
COMMENTS:
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"I highly recommend the book. Bill does an excellent job of recognizing, naming and explaining those features of bot play that have so influenced the modern game. Plus there are lots of diagrams, a whole set of illustrative problems with solutions, and a full annotation of a 25 point match between Nack Ballard and Jerry Grandell."—Frank Mazza, May 2002
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"Personally, I think it's the best thing he's written. He's created four guiding principles for the game, and the illustrated positions and the fully analyzed match are really well chosen."—Gregg Cattanach, October 2002
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"This is the best book written on backgammon for the advanced player in quite a while."—Neil Kazaross, April 2003
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"I think it is the most advanced book on checker play ever written. I learned a ton from it and could immediately see a difference in my play. Add the well-commented, engaging Ballard/Grandell match and you have two great books in one. A fabulous, must-read book for the advancing/advanced player."—David Levy, April 2003
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"Modern Backgammon develops the theme of how our understanding of backgammon has been changed by the advent of the neural net programs. Robertie develops four thematic concepts: efficiency, connectivity, non-commitment and robustness. Each concept has its own chapter and illustrative examples. There is an additional chapter of very difficult problems and finally an annotated 25-pt match between Nack Ballard and Jerry Grandell to see the concepts applied in a real-life situation.
Robertie sprinkles his new book with some of the best advice and aphorisms that he and Kent Goulding published in their now defunct magazine Inside Backgammon. This book is essential reading for anyone serious about developing their game."—Chris Bray, in Second Wind
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CONTENTS:
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Introduction
1: Modern Theory
2: Efficiency
3: Connectivity
4: Non-Commitment
5: Robustness
6: More Problems
7: Illustrative Match
About the Gammon Press
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COVER:
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Backgammon theory was altered substantially in the decade of the 1990s by the advent of backgammon programs based on neural networks. Modern Backgammon explains the new underlying theory of the game, illustrated with hundreds of useful examples.
The checker play of the neural nets is governed by a relative small set of broad general principles. These principles are not unique to backgammon. In slightly modified form, they govern piece play in other board games, like chess and go. In even more generalized forms, they operate in larger arenas like finance and war. All of these activities share a common theme: How can a player maximize the effectiveness of a small set of resources, when confronted by an opponent with the same goal? The focus of this book is how to play better backgammon.
The principles outlines here govern only checker play. They have nothing to do with cube action, and in fact there are no cube problems in the book until the illustrative match in Chapter 7.
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ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
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Bill Robertie is a two-time winner of the Monte Carlo World Championships, as well as many other major tournaments around the world. His other books include Backgammon for Winners, Backgammon for Serious Players, 501 Essential Backgammon Problems, and Advanced Backgammon, volumes 1 & 2. For eight years he edited the journal of backgammon theory, Inside Backgammon.
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BY THE SAME
AUTHOR:
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Lee Genud Vs Joe Dwek
The 1981 World Championship of Backgammon
Bill Robertie
1982: William Robertie, Arlington, MA
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Advanced Backgammon
Bill Robertie
1984: William Robertie, Arlinton, MA
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Reno 1986
Bill Robertie
1987: William Robertie, Arlington, MA
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Advanced Backgammon, Volume 1
Positional Play
Second Edition
Bill Robertie
1991: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
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Advanced Backgammon, Volume 2
Technical Play
Second Edition
Bill Robertie
1991: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
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Backgammon for Winners
Bill Robertie
1993: Cardoza Publishing, New York, NY
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Learning from the Machine
Bill Robertie versus TD-Gammon
Bill Robertie
1993: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
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Backgammon for Winners
Second Edition
Bill Robertie
1995: Cardoza Publishing, New York, NY
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Backgammon for Serious Players
Tips from the World's Best Player
Bill Robertie
1997: Cardoza Publishing, New York, NY
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501 Essential Backgammon Problems
Bill Robertie
2000: Cardoza Publishing, New York, NY
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Backgammon for Winners
Third Edition
Bill Robertie
2002: Cardoza Publishing, New York, NY
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Backgammon for Serious Players
Strategies from a World Champion
Second Edition
Bill Robertie
2003: Cardoza Publishing, New York, NY
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