Backgammon for Blood, by Chris Bray

Backgammon Books

Backgammon for Blood
A Guide for Those Who Like to Play but Love to Win

AUTHOR: Chris Bray

YEAR: 2007

PUBLISHER: Skyhorse

CITY: New York, New York

ISBN: 1-60239-184-X

ISBN-13: 978-1-60239-184-0

BINDING: Softcover

PAGES: 176

SIZE: 21 cm high, 15 cm wide

NOTE: This book is a reprint of Backgammon to Win, by Chris Bray, 2007. It is not Bruce Becker's popular book from 1974. (See this note from Chris Bray.)

READERS
COMMENTS:

     "Bray's book tries to cover every aspect of backgammon, with chapters on chouettes, match play, Internet play, and the use of computers. For a player who wants to advance, this book may, if not provide all the answers, at least point them toward the right questions. It is an attractive book, with a clean layout and many two-color diagrams. Readers will find references to everything from Woolsey's Law to Janowski's Formula, If there are "begintermediates" on your Christmas list, there are worse books you could stuff into their stockings."—Jake Jacobs, Flint Area BackgammoNews, March 2008


CONTENTS:

Introduction
1. A Short History
2. The Basic Rules of Play
3. A Sample Game
4. The Opening Roll
5. A Little Arithmetic and Basic Tactics
6. Doubling, Part 1
7. Races and Endings
8. Doubling, Part 2
9. The Middle Game
10. Chouette
11. Match and Tournament Play
12. Computers
13. Internet Play
14. Where to from Here?
Further Reading
Index
Acknowledgements

COVER: Backgammon for Blood: A Guide for Those Who Like to Play but Love to Win introduces beginners and those who haven't played for years to the knowledge and reasoning needed to play the game well.
Backgammon expert Chris Bray takes you step-by-step through the many strategies available to the backgammon player, helping you to know which moves to make and how to change your game plan to react to the luck of the dice. Starting with the basics, such as setting up the board and the rules of the game, by the end of the book you'll be confident playing and developing your own style.
• Covers the whole game, from opening rolls and mid-game strategies to races and endings.
• Features information on playing online for money or fun, in tournaments and in chouettes.
• Teaches you how to use the doubling cube, pip counts, match equity tables and probabilities to improve your playing style.
With clear, precise text and illustrations providing direction at every stage, Backgammon for Blood has everything you need to be one step ahead of the game.
Backgammon is the ultimate head-to-head board game—an action-packed race to the finish with an addictive mix of luck and skill. It's easy to pick up the basics, but this is a game that continually surprises—there's always something new to learn, and the Internet has opened up a whole other world of gaming opportunities.
In Backgammon for Blood, Chris Bray, top-ranked backgammon player, reveals the tips and tricks needed to help you play the game like a pro, whether you want to make serious money in online tournaments or just play for fun at a board with friends.
While backgammon can be lost or won on the throw of the dice, tactical moves and game plans can help you adapt your play to deal with whatever comes your way. With chapters on opening rolls, mid-game strategies, and races and endings, his step-by-step suggestions, sample game illustrations, and easy-to-follow text have everything you need to come to grips with the game. The different ways to play backgammon—from tournaments and chouettes to computer and online play—are all covered, as are the secrets of making the doubling cube work in your favor.
Insightful and informative, Backgammon for Blood: A Guide for Those Who Like to Play but Love to Win is the ideal introduction to this dynamic and challenging game.

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR: Chris Bray has been playing backgammon for over thirty years. A keen money player, he is ranked in the top five in the UK and regtularly competes in the World Championships. Always fascinated by the history of the game and its teaching, in 1994 Chris became the first ever backgammon columnist for a major newspaper. [Really? Maybe in the UK.]
As well as playing and writing — he is the author of Backgammon: An Independent View and What Colour is the Wind? — Chris also gives seminars on the game and is an accomplished after-dinner speaker on backgammon and sports psychology.

BY THE SAME
AUTHOR:

   Backgammon, An Independent View
Chris Bray
1998: Electra Publishing, Cheddar, Somerset

   What Colour is the Wind?
Chris Bray
2002: Chris Bray, London

   Backgammon to Win
Play like a pro both online and off
Chris Bray
2007: New Holland Publishers, London

   Second Wind
Chris Bray
2007: Chris Bray (Lulu), London

   Backgammon for Dummies
Chris Bray
2008: John Wiley & Sons, London

   Wind Assisted
Chris Bray
2010: Chris Bray (Lulu), London

   The Wind of Change
A Backgammon Book
Chris Bray
2013: Chris Bray (Lulu), London