|
501 Essential Backgammon Problems: 2nd Edition | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Robertie
Publisher: Cardoza
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.91
You Save: $8.04 (40%)
New (26) Used (9) from $10.23
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 282911
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 1580421385
Dewey Decimal Number: 795.15
EAN: 9781580421386
ASIN: 1580421385
Publication Date: September 14, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: S20081115022340S
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
This comprehensive backgammon book challenges the reader with 501 essential problems to transform him into a thinking, aggressive pro-level player. Strategies and situation cover every aspect of the game, from playing positions to doubling maneuvers. Everything is carefully explained and illustrated so that the reader understands all the concepts.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Good for Beginners and Intermediates alike May 28, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm only 3/4 of the way through this book, but that's far enough to gauge the benefits that this book provides for the Backgammon player who wants to get better.
With 501 sample problems, you will find that many (never all) situations that will come up in a game are illustrated here. The format is easy to follow, with each of the 31 chapters containing problems and solutions for facets of the game from openings to bearing off, and blitzing to holding games, and the author's comments in the solutions provide the tips that can be memorized. For example: faced with a choice, say between making a point, or hitting a blot, "do the hardest first." In Backgammon there are exceptions to almost every rule, and Robertie covers these also. I'd also like to point out that this is an extremely "fun" book, that you can pick up for 5 minutes or 55, at lunch, or in the car!
Other than the most basic rules of the game, like how to set up the board, everything is covered here, from beginner on up. Robertie has a real gift for clarity, and is able to speak to EVERYONE, from someone new, to an expert, in a clear, focused voice.
Expect to Improve / Highly Recommended April 18, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great, affordable book on backgammon that will quickly improve your backgammon game. I haven't read Robertie's "Advanced Backgammon" books, but I have read this one (501), BG for Serious Players, and BG for Winners. They are all good depending on your level, but this one and "Serious" I found very helpful. Between these 2 books, 501 has had a greater effect on my game than any other BG book I have ever read.
His approach is as simple as it gets. He discusses strategy and then gives you examples of how the strategy is implemented. The book is very easy to follow and you seem so soak up the teaching very quickly. (Nevertheless, this should not be your first book on BG. You should already know basic strategy before you get into this one, e.g. BG for Winners) The book is very broad as well. It covers practically every area and situation of the game you are likely to face, and will give you some very good principles to use in determining your move. Due to the format, this book does not have to be read in a continuous way from beginning to end as most books. It can be consulted as a reference when you need some help on a particular aspect of the game and do not want to trudge through an entire book on the subject.
As with chess books, oftentimes the writer's recommendations are checked by a computer program and "errors" pointed out. I do this alot just for fun with chess problems, but I can't say it has helped me one bit when I let the computer do the thinking for me. He is human and one can hardly expect perfection when compared against todays computer programs. Further, a writer chooses examples and moves are presented in a manner that illustrates the point the author is making, when in fact there may have been a mathematically more accurate move elsewhere.
However, I think this computer analysis approach misses the point somewhat. Robertie is trying to impart principles and tools to the reader that can be used to evaluate a position and choose the best move, and this book does that very, very well. This approach will help you "think on your feet" and have a good set of principles in your head to help you evaluate and choose your move. The human brain can recognize patterns and positions and can apply principles in the situation, but it can never calculate like a computer and would advise you to avoid any approach that is strictly mathematical.
As I said, I have never read Robertie's "Advanced" series, nor Magriel's "Backgammon", but if I had to choose one BG book to take on the proverbial desert island, this would be it.
Amazing Backgammon Exercises October 16, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is of great tactical value. It let's you exersise and perform 501 plays that will change the way you play Backgammon. Not just a theoretical book, but actually a much more practical approach.
 Roll Like the Gentle Creek August 22, 2005
46 out of 47 found this review helpful
Backgammon is as good as it gets. The rules take minutes to learn but a lifetime to master. Each checker on the board plays an offensive and defensive role, as the two opposing forces march past each, one going clock-wise, one counter-clockwise. And then there are the dice. Like chess, there is a tremendous amount of strategy involved in how to play each roll, but the dice add another level of probabilistic strategizing. And sometimes the better strategy loses, just because the rolls don't come through.
Bill Robertie, "The world's best backgammon player" according to the back cover, breaks the strategy down into discrete 31 topics, examples being "the opening," "the middle game," "the blitz," "crunch positions," "action doubles," and "the bearoff." The topics are covered by a series of snapshot moments from a potential game. You're given a certain layout and a dice roll and asked what the best move is. Then you flip to the answer section of each chapter and see what Mr. Robertie thinks is the best move and why. As someone who was a student for over 25 years, I'm well acclimated to this format of testing, and quite comfortable with it. However, the snapshot approach doesn't address what many players do wrong, which is to lock-in to a strategy early in the game, or to have overall certain tendencies, instead of focusing on the flexibility to change strategies at any time to match the action of the game. This strategic flaw is analogous to a football coach who says you always have to establish the run before you can pass (think Mike Ditka, Dan Reaves), as opposed to a coach who approaches each team differently and can adjust to the opponent throughout the course of the game (think Mike Shanahan, Bill Belichek). It's also seen in brokers who chase after trends in the stock market, or poker players who try too hard to avenge their last hand and lose their perspective.
Like other reviewers, I did find flipping back and forth between problems and solutions to be annoying, but not a deal-breaker. You just need two bookmarks and a little patience.
I recommend this book. I think it has helped my overall decision making skills in Backgammon. But it won't solve the big problem of not being in the moment, of not reacting and adapting strategy to each roll of the dice. A book won't fix that. Meditation might help. Wading through a creek might help. Relaxation techniques, mindfulness exercises, and beta blockers wouldn't hurt.
gammonline July 8, 2004
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book contains invaluable information for the improving backgammon player. It suffers from it's unfortunate layout (as do all Robertie books) --- poorly located diagrams or solutions in relation to the diagrams. Still the contents are a must read (and reread) for any advancing player.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
