Ken Larsen’s Web Site - Backgammon tips

 

This is the main page for a series of articles which document what I’ve done to hone my backgammon skills.  I believe that my advice is worthy of consideration, because I’ve established a Pogo backgammon rating of 6008 (under the id of “Utsira9”), I set several records (e.g. most tournaments won, highest skill rating attained) in a now defunct internet backgammon league called “Touch of Class”, and I won both the 2006 and 2007 Cardinal Classics in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

Origin of my Pogo id:  Utsira is a small rocky island off the southwest coast of Norway.  It’s where my father was born and raised.  He fueled my interest in games by teaching me how to play cribbage.

 

Currently I play live weekly with a few local backgammon cronies and on the internet in the “World League”. This is a free superbly run internet league that offers a wealth of statistical information, good camaraderie and competition.  To join this league is a two step process:

  1. You must first join Pogo.  Just click on Pogo and click on the word "Register" in the upper right-hand corner. This is free ... unless you want some of the added perks that Pogo offers.

  2. Next and last you must join the World League.  Just click on World League and then click on "Join League" in the left-hand column.  This is also free ... unless you want the added perks.

My backgammon “education” has consisted of four components:

 

1

Gammonlab web site:  http://www.gammonlab.com/  You can play against this “robot” and then invoke “Analysis Mode” to highlight your good and bad moves – highly valuable feedback!   Here’s how I use Gammonlab.

2

Backgammon Galore Web Site:  http://www.bkgm.com/  This web site has a wealth of information on backgammon.  The most useful to me have been:

  • Book reviews.  It was from these reviews that I first learned that some of the “classic books” I had purchased during the backgammon craze of the 1970s contained erroneous information when judged by current standards. 

  • Quizzes.  To find the quizzes, click on “Articles” and then click on “Quizzes” under “Learning”.   The quizzes will help you assess your current skill level.  I like the Webby’s Backgammon Quiz.  It’s actually five quizzes that each contain ten very tough problems.

3

A few key Backgammon books.  My three favorites are: 

  • “501 Essential Backgammon Problems” by Bill Robertie (copyright 2000, $ 19.95)

  • “100 Backgammon Puzzles” by Paul Lamford (copyright 1999, $ 12.95)

  • “Classic Backgammon Revisited” by Jeremy Paul Bagai (copyright 2001, $ 35.00)

The first two books can be ordered from Amazon.com.

 

The common denominator of these books is that they were written during the last few years and their conclusions are based on computer program “rollouts”.  In the 1990s software (one example is a program called “Snowie”) was written that could play backgammon at a world class level.  This software was then used to test some of the theories written prior to that time. This computer software found flaws with some of the “classic theories” of the 1970s.   Bagai’s book is devoted to highlighting examples of the more egregious errors.

 

The net is that if you’re going to devote any time to studying backgammon books, make sure you study the right ones!  If you can only afford the time or energy to study one book, buy Robertie’s “501 Essential Backgammon Problems”.

4

Flashcards:  Flashcards are an elementary school education tool, but they are a very effective tool!  Rather than embark on repetitive reads of key backgammon books, I decided to make flashcards out of “quiz” books like Robertie’s “501 Essential Backgammon Problems”.  This proved to be a painstakingly slow process, but it has dramatically improved my skill level.  Click here to see details of my flashcard technique.

 

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