Backgammon Learning

Learning

Advancing beyond intermediate

From:   James Eibisch
Address:   jeibisch@revolver.nomed.co.uk
Date:   21 July 1998
Subject:   Re: intermediate strategy
Forum:   rec.games.backgammon
Google:   35b5c722.72173@news.demon.co.uk

Charles Platter wrote: > I've been playing on Fibs for a few weeks now--about 100 experience > points, rating a little under 1450. So I'm doing OK and improving a > lot but I'm not knocking the breath out of anyone. In fact, by > playing more I see a lot of roles and situations that I'm just not > sure what to do with. Any advice on useful texts, tutorials, etc to > start thinking about this kind of stuff?? I suppose in any event the > best thing to do is to play a lot and pay attention but I'll take any > advice I can get. I would suggest any of the following, in no particular order: o Buy (not borrow) and read Paul Magriel's book "Backgammon". Read it at least twice. It was written a fair time ago (mid 1970s) but its principles are sound. It's commonly considered the "bible" of backgammon for new and intermediate players. o Ditto Bill Robertie's "Advanced Backgammon" volume I ("Positional Play"), if not volume II ("Technical Play") too. o Simply, learn and memorise two-dice probabilities -- e.g. how many rolls hit a blot seven points away, the probability of entering against a three-point homeboard, a four-point board, etc. Magriel's book contains some relevant tables. o If you're mathematically inclined, try Kit Woolsey's excellent "How to Play Tournament Backgammon". It covers match play where Magriel and Robertie concentrate on money play. They're quite different things. o Keep reading rec.games.backgammon - over time you'll come across many expert analyses of positions and strategies. For example, Michael Zehr's current "Lessons from the Board" series. Try also browsing DejaNews' archives of r.g.b. o Go to some backgammon Web sites for tutorials and discussions. Tom Keith runs Backgammon Galore (http://www.bkgm.com/) which contains an archive of good r.g.b. posts. o Play friends and local players in a club. Play for significant money stakes - it sharpens your game! o Set up some interesting positions on your board and roll them out (a rollout is taking a board position and playing both sides until the outcome is clear, but several times -- as many as you can stand). It takes time but can teach you a lot about the value of a position. o Register with a sizeable backgammon association and play in tournaments. If I'm right in thinking that Mindspring is a West Coast ISP, there's quite an active bg community in the bay area. o Use computer software. As you use Free Agent, I assume you run MS Windows. Search for Matchqiz, Jellyfish and Snowie. Jellyfish and Snowie are world-class players, Matchqiz provides a step-by-step run-through of historical matches with expert commentary (Kit again). o Avoid most other backgammon "shareware" - a lot of what's out there is simply not good enough to learn from. o As you say, play a lot. On FIBS, try the command "show games" and watch high-rated players. Record the matches, print them out, and read them on the train. For that matter, seek out previously-recorded matches and study them. ftp.gammon.com/fibs/matches/ contains a *lot* of matches between high-rated FIBS players. That's my checklist - maybe others can add to it. Good luck in your games and your education. -- James _ To mail me, spell "nomed" in my address backwards Eibisch, ('v') 'Ivan' (,_,) N : E : T : A : D : E : L : I : C : A on FIBS. ======= http://www.revolver.demon.co.uk

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