Backgammon Books

  The Backgammon Encyclopedia
Cube Reference Positions
 
 
 

 
  VOLUME: 1
 
  AUTHOR: Kit Woolsey
 
  YEAR: 2002
 
  PUBLISHER: The Gammon Press
 
  CITY: Arlington, MA
 
  ISBN: 1-880604-18-3
 
  BINDING: Softcover, perfect binding
 
  PAGES: 124
 
  SIZE: 28 cm high, 21 cm wide
 
  OTHER
  VOLUMES:
Volume 2

 
  DESCRIPTION:
This is a book of 210 reference positions rolled out by the computer program, Snowie. The idea is that by having equities for standard positions you have something to compare with when trying to figure similar positions. Each position is accompanied by commentary explaining what features of the position make it stronger or weaker than other similar positions.
      This is volume one of a planned two-volume series. It deals with fairly standard types of positions seen every day; positions such as holding games, anchor games, and early blitzes. Volume 2 will deal with more complex and less standard types of positions.
 
  READERS
  COMMENTS:

     "The reason I love this book so much is that it helps at what I work so hard at: mastering the basics. It touches on many essential recurring common themes and types of positions."—Stick Rice, GammonVillage Magazine, November 2013
    

 

     "Because of the large number of possible moves at each turn, backgammon does not lend itself to the cataloguing of detailed opening variations in the same way as chess. A backgammon player builds up his knowledge through acquiring a set of reference positions, either by playing or by study.
Until now no one has produced a detailed set of common reference positions.
Kit Woolsey's The Backgammon Encyclopedia, Volume 1 is the first of a two-part set that exhaustively documents rollout data for many common position types. The book is excellent and should certainly be in the library of any serious student of the game."—Chris Bray, in Second Wind, 2007
    

 

     "Too skinny! An encyclopedia is supposed to be comprehensive. This one discusses 210 backgammon positions—hardly room enough for comprehensive treatment of the doubling cube, even if one allows for the projected Volume 2.
      The book itself is quite a fine and useful piece of work. It consists of nine sets of related positions with Snowie 3 rollout results and commentary for each position. Each set represents a type of position that comes up frequently in practical play. Everyone who plays backgammon with the doubling cube needs to know something about these types.
      The discussions of the positions are very instructive. Woolsey has a rare gift for showing how to use simple commonsense concepts to stay oriented in complex positions."—Walter Trice, Flint Area BackgammoNews, March 2003
    

 
  CONTENTS:
   
Introduction
1:  The Blitz (18 positions)
2:  Holding Games (43 positions)
3:  Anchor Games (26 positions)
4:  Priming Games (22 positions)
5:  Back Games (20 positions)
6:  One Checker on Bar (20 positions)
7:  Containment (12 positions)
8:  Post-Ace-Point Games (14 positions)
9:  Races (35 positions)
About the Gammon Press
 
  BY THE SAME
  AUTHOR:
   How to Play Tournament Backgammon
Kit Woolsey
1993: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
   Philip Marmorstein versus Michael Greiner
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1994: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
   Mika Lidov versus Hal Heinrich
Kit Woolsey
1994: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
   Joe Sylvester versus Nack Ballard
Kit Woolsey
1994: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
   New Ideas In Backgammon
Kit Woolsey, Hal Heinrich
1996: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
   Backgammon: Master Versus Amateur, Volume 1
Kit Woolsey
2000: The Gammon Press, Arlington, MA
   Understanding Backgammon
Lessons for Serious Players
Kit Woolsey, Tami Jones
2003: The Gammon Press, Arlinton, MA
   52 Great Backgammon Tips
At home, tournament and online
Patti Beadles, Kit Woolsey
2007: Batsford, London




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