On The Road With Jake - GammonVillage Magazine

Feature Columnists: Jake Jacobs - On The Road With Jake

Shovelling the Snowie

10 Mar 2010 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake digs up ten checker play problems of the kind that confronted the ancients, that legendary race of backgammon players who strode the earth like colossi in the olden days. That is, ten years ago.

Rating:

4.00

On The Road With Jake Archive

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Siamese Menageries

10 Feb 2010 - by Jake Jacobs

World Traveller Jake Jacobs brings us this report on the 2010 Thai Backgammon Open, by way of Yosemite.

Rating:

4.06

A Backgammon HOF Without A Beer

10 Jan 2010 - by Jake Jacobs

The HOF I refer to is the Backgammon Hall Of Fame. Voters might make mockery of my title by nominating 1974 World Champion Claude Beer, but I'll chance it.

Rating:

4.19

You Better, You Better, You Best

10 Dec 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

We know which backgammon player is the best shogi player; there is no room for debate. But what about other games and sports? I have opinions on a number of them.

Rating:

4.61

Tokyo Backgammon Brain Teaser

09 Nov 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

Last month you lisped your way through the Tokyo Tongue Twister. This month we'll find out if your brains are as nimble as your tongues.

Rating:

4.86

Tokyo Tongue Twister

10 Oct 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

World Traveler Jake Jacobs reports from the 2009 Japan Backgammon Open and Japan Championship, held from September 20 to September 22 in Tokyo, Japan.

Rating:

4.43

A Sharp Stick

10 Sep 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

I was eager to meet Stick. I had heard he was the best young backgammon player in America. I had heard he was the best player in America, period. Of course I've heard many things over the years.

Rating:

4.14

LA Proved Too Much For The Man

10 Aug 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs reports on his trip to the American Backgammon Tour (ABT) 2009 Los Angeles Open, held from June 12-14, 2009 in Los Angeles.

Rating:

4.30

A Burger in Bunkyo-ku

10 Jul 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

In Japan, a hamburger can cost more than 1000 yen. Speaking of burgers with lots of stuff between the bun, this article contains some tough backgammon decisions crammed into a very few rolls.

Rating:

3.00

Jake Jacobs reports on the 2009 Japan Open, held during the "Golden Week" of four national Japanese holidays. Backgammon players take advantage of Golden Week by running a tournament to crown the King of Backgammon.

Rating:

4.56

All We Need

10 May 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs spins a backgammon tale containing the three important literary elements: a brilliant play, a stupid play, and incredible luck.

Rating:

4.15

Backgammon Easter Eggs

10 Apr 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

Easter is just around the corner, and digging around in my mailbox I have found some Backgammon Easter eggs for all of you. These all came from the Easter Bunny himself. Almost.

Rating:

5.00

A Board Walk

10 Mar 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

World traveller Jake Jacobs reminisces about backgammon boards he's encountered over the years. Some obscure, some famous, some infamous.

Rating:

4.45

Thai Die'd

10 Feb 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs reports from the 14th Thai Backgammon Open, held at Somboom's Restaurant in Pattaya, Thailand from January 2 to January 4, 2009.

Rating:

4.31

Chou Year's Eve

10 Jan 2009 - by Jake Jacobs

World traveler and backgammon expert Jake Jacobs rings in the new year by bringing us a quiz from an interesting chouette. How many questions can you answer correctly?

Rating:

4.75

Dropping Anchor In Pattaya

10 Dec 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

I was in Pattaya two weeks ago, and dropped in on some old friends. In the midst of the various celebrations I found myself free one afternoon to ride to Jomtien Beach for a visit to Somboon's Restaurant, where the 14th Thai Backgammon Open will be held.

Rating:

3.93

Backgammon Me In Nakano

10 Nov 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs finds one of the world's best sushi restaurants, and delivers this report on the 2008 Japan Backgammon Open, held from October 11-13, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.

Rating:

4.44

The Backgammon's In Japan, and Where Are You?

10 Oct 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs posts a list of problems recorded by Masanori Itikawa, an online backgammon player known as Othello. If Othello was tricked by these positions perhaps there lurks within the essence of backgammon itself an Iago waiting to snare us.

Rating:

4.67

Ships On The Horizon

10 Sep 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs recounts a tale of his visit to Anchorage, Alaska by way of San Francisco, California. He meets friends and family along the way, and ponders the possible end of a backgammon era.

Rating:

4.55

Backgammon Races: Checkers Don't Get Tired, Do They?

10 Aug 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

As the Olympics gets under way we are off to the races. As the race gets longer the number of total pips you can overcome increases, but the percentage of total pips goes down. Jake Jacobs looks at which backgammon racing formula gets the gold.

Rating:

4.00

Race To Finish This Backgammon Quiz

10 Jul 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

Backgammon, as some sage noted, is a race. Writing backgammon articles can be a race, too. Jake Jacobs presents this quiz with a racing flavour. How quickly and accurately can you complete it?

Rating:

3.86

Snow White Backgammon Checkers

10 Jun 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

Once upon a time there was a wicked queen who played a mean game of backgammon. One of the other players in her chouette was a very beautiful girl they called "Snow White Checkers," because those were the only ones she'd play with.

Rating:

4.17

Backgammon Inside Moves

10 May 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

Backgammon is a game where a single pip matters. The three positions today have a couple of things in common. First, they were all recent forwards from Phil Simborg. Second, they all offer Black a chance to use small numbers to hit inside his board.

Rating:

4.45

Backgammon Settlers Hang In There-Here Comes The Cavalry

10 Apr 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

I have two stories about settlements - a seldom discussed area of backgammon. (Really I have many more, but two is all I am going to tell you right now, so plan your evening accordingly.)

Rating:

4.75

I'm Getting Married In The Morning

10 Mar 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

It was backgammon indirectly that brought me to Lomsak, Thailand; it was backgammon that introduced me to a number of my guests; and thus backgammon that put us all on a bus venturing ever deeper into the Thai countryside.

Rating:

3.00

The Last Backgammon Roundup?

10 Feb 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

World traveler and expert backgammon player Jake Jacobs tells a tale of romance, adventure, friends, a wedding, and backgammon in Thailand.

Rating:

4.27

Minding P's Qs

10 Jan 2008 - by Jake Jacobs

I have selected ten checker problems from Chicago backgammon player and raconteur Phil Simborg. He records every tough position he encounters while playing live or online and emails them all to his friends. These are ten very tough problems indeed!

Rating:

4.57

The Backgame Before Christmas

10 Dec 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

The holiday season has come around again, and my friends are on my mind. Here is a backgammon-themed holiday tale based upon the "other" most famous Christmas story.

Rating:

4.09

Backgammon Grab Bag

10 Nov 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

This month's column is comprised by odds and ends that individually don't merit a full article, but are still worth a mention. The first of them is a television documentary about one of our notable backgammon players.

Rating:

4.71

World Backgammon Championship Quiz

10 Oct 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

Perhaps the problems aren't really tougher, but when backgammon's crown is up for grabs it sure seems like they are. Here are some of the more interesting decisions that arose.

Rating:

4.86

Backgammon World Championship: The Die Is Cast

10 Sep 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

Backgammon is a dice game, but in the World Championship finals a single die nearly made all the difference. Last month was all about the glitter; this month we'll look at the nitty and the gritty.

Rating:

4.90

Backgammon High Times and High Life

10 Aug 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

The jet setters may have flown away, and there aren't many tournaments that still require coats and ties, but the World Backgammon Championship in Monaco is special: a link to backgammon's golden past.

Rating:

4.69

How Little We Know

10 Jul 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake ruminates upon the two essential concepts he learned in his early career in Las Vegas, right after the backgammon boom and the backgammon bust of the 1970s.

Rating:

4.13

Summer Vacation Hasn't Started Yet!

10 Jun 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

It may be sunny outside; the birds are singing, the crickets are chirping, and the waves are gently lapping the shore - too bad, there's still time for a backgammon quiz before school lets out!

Rating:

4.67

Odds Bodkins!

10 May 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake comments on some mathematical oddities, curiosities in backgammon, and some mind-bogglingly large numbers.

Rating:

3.63

A Prince of a Fellow

10 Apr 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs tells a tale of backgammon, bridge and nobility in his latest article from Singapore.

Rating:

2.63

Play These Like There Is A Million Bucks At Stake

10 Mar 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

Last month Jake focused on the ambience of the Million. This month, as promised, he looks at some positions.

Rating:

4.50

One In A Million

10 Feb 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs reports on his experiences at the first ever Backgammon Million tournament held in the Bahamas. The winning player took home more than $500,000.

Rating:

4.53

That Thaim Again

10 Jan 2007 - by Jake Jacobs

He may have bombed out in the tournament, but at least he wasn't bombed out! Jake Jacobs reports from the Twelfth Thai Open.

Rating:

4.50

Rainy Day

10 Dec 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

Jake Jacobs uses the torrential rain in Singapore as a good reason to explore these rainy day backgammon problems.

Rating:

3.33

A Taste For Backgammon

10 Nov 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

If you would give up food, sleep, and sanity just to get in a few more games in the chouette, Japan probably isn't for you. But if you like good food and good company, then in early October Tokyo is where you ought to be.

Rating:

5.00

There Goes The Neighborhood!

10 Oct 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

The neighborhood referred to in the title, is the neighborhood of Illinois. I would guess that if someone said: "Quick, name a neighbor of Illinois?" you would quickly respond "Indiana!"

Rating:

4.40

Math Flakes and Box Takes

10 Sep 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

If you have ever chouetted you must have seen Box Takes, if not made a few yourselves. The player aspiring to get or keep the Box takes a cube that he normally should pass, paying a premium for the privilege.

Rating:

4.25

The Expert Mind

10 Aug 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

The ability to make an analysis both swiftly and accurately is called apperception. Developing this is part of the process of becoming an expert.

Rating:

5.00

Mochy's Monday Monaco Madness

10 Jul 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

The Fjord's menu includes rib eye steak, curried shrimp, spaghetti, and various tapas dishes. Let's see: it has a Swedish name, and foods associated with England, India, Italy, and Spain. Nope, nothing there to distinguish it from thousands of other Japanese restaurants. Ah, but wait, it has one distinguishing feature: it has backgammon!

Rating:

4.75

Gee Whiz Quiz

10 Jun 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

It is, as you may have noticed, June. Think of me as your grumpy teacher, doing just what teachers do on lovely June days: hitting you with a pop backgammon quiz.

Rating:

4.50

Siamese Dream

10 May 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

"Climb up here Ben, and I'll tell you a story!" That's the great thing about having a baby around: they haven't heard all your stories - yet. Jake Jacobs spins a new story about backgammon being a metaphor for life.

Rating:

4.80

Four Into Three Won't Go

10 Apr 2006 - by Jake Jacobs

A frequent correspondent sends me positions. These come in two categories: times where Snowie disagrees with his play or cube decision - he is surprised by those; times where Snowie agrees with his decision - he is even more surprised by those.

Rating:

4.50

Lisle Style

15 Apr 2004 - by Jake Jacobs

I tend to collect more positions that involve cube decisions than positions featuring checker plays, and my articles are consequently overloaded with cubes. Today we'll look only at checker plays.

Rating:

5.00

Test Your Thai

15 Mar 2004 - by Jake Jacobs

Call your local Thai delivery service for a plate of 'Pad Thai', crack open a 'Singha' and take on the 10 positions in this month's quiz. If you achieve a perfect score, someone should pay your way to next year's Thai Open.

Rating:

4.83

Shooting For Par

15 Feb 2004 - by Jake Jacobs

On our last full day in Pattaya, several days after the 2004 Thai Open, my roommate Max Modesti planned a backgammon cruise on a 52-foot cabin cruiser... next time, I'll do the organizing.

Rating:

4.89

End Of The Season

15 Jan 2004 - by Jake Jacobs

Nine of the top 25 ABT point amassers for 2003 attended the 52nd Gammon Associates Invitational. It was one of the last opportunities to improved their standings... none did. The rest of us were merely there to improve our fiscal position.

Rating:

3.70

An Anthology Of Pros

15 Dec 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

A side benefit for me in attending the Pro Am is the chance to review the play of many of the world's top players just in time to help me fill out my ballot for the Giant 32. Let's look at some of the action.

Rating:

4.88

Time And Tide In Tokyo

15 Nov 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

Running out of time while playing with clock is fairly rare - this is the only match I know of where it has happened twice.

Rating:

4.88

Chinese Technology

17 Oct 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

The Chinese cosmologists long ago expressed a concept of the universe based upon yin and yang, two forces both opposed and complementary. If you lack yin you must have yang, or vice versa. Fine in theory, but what does this mean in practice?

Rating:

4.40

Of Meese And Men

15 Sep 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

The men, the women, the kids, and the Meeses were at the 51st Indiana Open. I had a mediocre tournament - if you are going to play badly, it is poor strategy to roll badly too - but I did have one good evening.

Rating:

4.64

A Big Finish

15 Aug 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

"Take a look at this one!" cried the Philanthropist. It was the last game of the night, so those not busy with important matters, like complaining about the bad dice they had rolled all night, moved close for a look.

Rating:

4.10

Notes From Ningbo

15 Jul 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

Introducing over a billion Chinese to backgammon might someday rank with other highlights of the China trade like KFC, the most popular fast food franchise in Ningbo, where some blocks have fewer than two outlets.

Rating:

4.38

Making Her Point

15 Jun 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

Lose to your teacher awhile - the first ten years, say - and then "when you can take this race from me with seven consecutive sets of double sixes Grasshopper, then you may leave this place".

Rating:

4.07

Return Of The Native

15 May 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

"When we told you to stock the club with pigeons," I said to Bill, "this wasn't what we meant!"

Rating:

4.91

Would You Eschew The Chou?

15 Apr 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

The backgammon population of Thailand swells during the year-end holidays and the chouette action gets wild and exciting.

Rating:

4.78

Quick And Dirty

15 Mar 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

In last month's column I promised coverage of a certain match with David Brown. One game was pivotal. I'll let you judge whether I deserved to lose it or not.

Rating:

4.90

Every Daugbjerg Has His Day

15 Feb 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

The good thing about taking was that soon I would either enjoy a big lead in the match, or be able to hail the waitress and say: "Nong, ow neung Sing, krab!"

Rating:

5.00

Jackpot Of Gold

15 Jan 2003 - by Jake Jacobs

Aside from the ProAm, the two most prestigious events held in the USA are the Super Jackpots offered during the spring and fall Las Vegas tournaments.

Rating:

4.73

The Biggest Little Tourney

15 Dec 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

What tournament has the highest concentration of top players, and the richest first prize? If you said the World Championship in Monte Carlo, think again.

Rating:

4.81

Seeing Stars

15 Nov 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

The Japan Open is all about a well-organized schedule, great food and of course, exciting matches! Jake fully enjoyed his trip, and best of all, won the Star Online added money event.

Rating:

5.00

The 2002 Vietor Cup

15 Oct 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

Backgammon may have been around for 5000 years, but contemplating its history I think not of Babylonian despots chouetting outside the temple of Marduk, but rather of Saturday morning cartoons.

Rating:

4.92

Not Sure If It's Fifty

15 Sep 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

Until they dig up downtown Indianapolis and find primitive dice cups, we may never know precisely when a Hoosier first thought to fling a cup up towards the heavens and scrutinize the position of the fallen bones.

Rating:

4.73

A Proper Bostonian

15 Aug 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

The proposition, or "prop," is vanishing from the backgammon scene. A prop arises when two or more players cannot agree on some feature of a position. Here, Jake presents some interesting props from his recent travels.

Rating:

4.80

Enduring "X"-Cellence

15 Jul 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

In the early 1970s Paul Magriel - X-22 - was already recognized as one of the world's best, and in the view of the top players of today he retains that ranking. At the recent Las Vegas Masters, Paul had a chance to show why he is so highly regarded.

Rating:

4.88

Closing Out The Open

15 Jun 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

While kibitzing the Kazaross/Trice match at the Chicago Open, a player walked up, laid two fives on the table and said, "Those are yours if you will go over to the match at the next table, count the pips, come back, and write down the answer for me."

Rating:

5.00

GA 48 II

15 May 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

In Hollywood, when they make a movie with the same cast, and the same story, they give it the same name and slap a Roman numeral on the end.

Rating:

4.30

It Was Down At The Balinese

15 Apr 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

"We fly the salmon up from Tasmania (is the difference between Tasmanian and Australian salmon - the accent?); the swordfish and tuna are caught locally (does one of the waiters go out with a net when your order is placed)".

Rating:

4.89

China Trade

15 Mar 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

Hong Kong is a nexus of trade. People don't walk along the streets, they bustle. Perhaps that is why it seems like every game is an 8-cube.

Rating:

4.80

Snowie Day

15 Feb 2002 - by Jake Jacobs

Snowie has been giving me grief. So I'm declaring a "Snowie day." No hard work, no tedious study of the best ace to play in a bearoff, no match equities, just a bit of fun.

Rating:

4.89