Double ... now?, by James Lortz

Backgammon Books

Double ... now?
An Authentic Cube Remedy

AUTHOR: James Lortz

YEAR: 1995

PUBLISHER: Vantage Press

CITY: New York

ISBN: 0-533-11218-4

BINDING: Softcover

PAGES: ix+267

SIZE: 23 cm high, 15 cm wide

READERS
COMMENTS:

     "Written in 1992, this book uses Expert Backgammon rollout results plus algorithms, equations, reference positions, etc. to teach the right time to double and take/pass. In the Introduction (which is more like a preface with acknowledgements) he mentions Kazaross (who provided motivation), Heinrich (who provided positions), Tom Johnson for writing EXBG), and Robertie (for his work Intermediate Backgammon, another book I've never heard of)."—Chuck Bower, January 2004


     "The book is rather well organised and would be a good value for reference positions if rolled out by today's bots."—Neil Kazaross, January 2004


CONTENTS:

Introduction
Chapter One: Solution to the Double
Cube Equity
Chapter Two: Gammon Studies
X vs. Pip Count Lead
Estimating Y
Chapter Three: Long Length Doubles
Chapter Four: Statistical Studies
Chapter Five: Medium Length Doubles
Chapter Six: Short Length Double
Appendix A: Optimum Doubling Point
Appendix B: Backgammons
Appendix C: Too Strong
Appendix D: Beaver
Appendix E: Cube Equity

COVER: Dr. JL's Elixir proudly presents an authentic remedy for your Doubling Cube ills. The formula for when to double and when to take is presented for the very first time.
Also presented for the first time is the formula that expresses the value of cube ownership. These two newly discovered formulas are elegantly merged to solve one of mankind's oldest ailments: backgammon.
The hundreds of examples presented herein are in a standardized form. By learning the position and its proper cube action the game can now be mastered.

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR: Born near Mare Island, CA, during WW II, James Lortz was raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho. After a stint with the air force that included one year of electronics training he attended five colledges in eleven years and emerged with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering with an emphasis on computers and spent the following twelve years with an Idaho steel fabrication firm, first as a design engineer and then, for six years, as company president. After spending the next six years a a consulting design engineer in California he returned to Idaho, where he currently resides. Dr. Lortz is the father of three teenage children.