Backgammon Game

Backgammon

Magriel's Backgammon took me from a hobby player into a good local competition player. It taught me how to think of the relative value of the points, of different kinds of games, and how to keep the calculator constantly going in the head. It teaches a way of thinking that has not gone out of style. It teaches.

There is more to the game than this book. There are books to explore which add to the thinking, to work out scenarios in which Magriel may not help enough. Doubling is presented but not explored - to become a strong player a book on doubling strategy (and psychology) is essential. And the co-author, his ex-wife Renee, describes in a forward the mistake of calling the opponents's five point "golden" when the neighboring bar point is more valuable as an early goal in games.

However, as a book to start learning the game from, and to develop into a decent player, I know of no equal. Magriel is a teacher and took the time to craft a wonderful book.

Small aside. Shortly after the original book was published Magriel helped an Artificial Intelligence researcher, Hans Berliner, with a Backgammon program. This is the late 1970's. The program - BKG - was brought to Monte Carlo in 1979. Or accessed remotely from the tournament. The winner of the Monte Carlo tournament, Luigi Villa, played the program five games and lost 7-1. The program disappeared. Berliner wrote an article for Scientific American (6/80). And that was that.

For content and freshness after 25 years (when I first read it) this is five stars. I subtract one for it being priced like a college text book instead of a game book.

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