We are back on track! Last year the Thai Open came close to becoming the Thai Closed. This year a new director, Joe Somchai took the helm. The new View Talay Villa complex was a definite upgrade.
4.83
10 Dec 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
It is that time of year when you are thinking about other things. Either you are thinking about your Christmas shopping, or thinking about how to convince your wife that you are going Christmas shopping, when you are really planning to drop by the chouette.
5.00
10 Nov 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
One more Japan Open has come and gone, and once more you all failed to go! Come on! This was a great time to make the trip. Because of the tragic events of last spring prices, while never cheap, are certainly down.
5.00
13 Oct 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
I've been thinking about ethics lately, in backgammon, and in the wider world. The stories that follow are all "real," but keep in mind that rumors and allegations are only rumors and allegation.
5.00
22 Sep 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
Here are some reasons that money play is superior to match play, and why the game needs more of it. Today top tournament players, Giants such as Mochy, MCG, and Falafel, are also dominant money players if they can find a high stakes money game to dominate.
4.08
10 Aug 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
Last month at Gammon Village I posted the "Singing The Blues Quiz," a set of problems from the Chicago Open. Last week Phil Simborg wrote to me, saying that one of his students had rolled out a couple of my positions, and his answers did not match mine.
5.00
10 Jul 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
Chicago, home of the blues! When you are feeling sad and lowdown, sing the blues and before you know it... If you have a voice like mine, they will be throwing rotten tomatoes at you.
5.00
10 Jun 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
Living in Singapore I don't play in many US tournaments these days. When Rory Pascar called me last winter, to invite me to the Chicago Open, I don't think he really expected a "yes." Nor did I expect to give him one. Three factors made me change my mind.
5.00
10 May 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
For the past two years the Nordic Open has held an event called "Denmark versus the World." Two teams, one with seven Danes, the other, with seven players from anywhere else, compete.
4.92
10 Apr 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
Once upon a time, when the world was young, so young that the Ents hadn't yet lost the Ent wives, I had never heard of a box take. Hard to believe, but true.
4.67
10 Mar 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
Two of the most fundamental concepts in backgammon are hitting a blot, and building a prime. Which is better? If that question had an answer, backgammon would be a boring game, and we'd all be playing something else.
5.00
08 Feb 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
According to legend when elephants compliment each other they say "you have a memory like Jake," but the stories of my memory are exaggerated. I have always had a good natural memory, but it peaked in my early teens.
4.50
10 Jan 2011 - by Jake Jacobs
I know you are all groggy from Christmas grog, and New Year's Eve has left you uneven, so while you are in a weakened state I'll hit you with a pop quiz. Perhaps this will inspire a New Year's resolution: never take quizzes while you've been drinking.
4.80
10 Dec 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
The Danes play Prop Chouettes with several variations on this theme: that when players disagree the disputed move or double is played ten times. They learn a lot from playing this way, one of the reasons Denmark now dominates world backgammon.
4.83
09 Nov 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
I remember quite clearly where and when I first saw a man juggle a chainsaw. The place was Venice Beach, the year 1983. He asked those of us gathered around him if there were any cops in sight. Chainsaws are noisy, and they had threatened to ticket him for noise pollution.
4.17
10 Oct 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
The quiz below is packed with positions from past Japanese tournaments. With the Japan Open looming (it isn't too late to book a flight!) it seems like the right time to snack on this assortment until you arrive in Tokyo for the main course. UPDATED
4.50
10 Sep 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
Over the past year I've seen, in public and private forums, debates about the merits of baffle boxes, the use of clocks in tournaments, etc. These topics have been kicked around for decades.
4.47
10 Aug 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
I am not blind, like Homer, but give me a few beers and I'll try my best. Have a few yourself. You see it was beer that inspired this tale. I was thinking about beer, I'll explain why in a minute, and it reminded me of bearoffs.
4.89
10 Jul 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
Twain chronicled life on the frontier. Hammett invented a new genre. The Beats captured the ferment underlying Ike's supposedly placid America. And there I was, a writer in San Francisco, and what did I see?
4.22
10 Jun 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
...In San Francisco. Otherwise, the US Open was a fine tournament. The name US Open was waiting to be scooped up, waiting since 1998, so it was past time when Chiva Tafazzoli did the honors last year and held the first US Open of the 21st Century on the East Coast.
4.67
10 May 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
Recently Phil Simborg came up with an interesting quiz. It featured unusual positions; the sort that would come up rarely, if at all, in a real game. I thought it was fun, in an offbeat way, so I have devised a similar quiz.
4.25
10 Apr 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
The votes are in. If Knights are dubbed and Kings are crowned then the Giants of Backgammon are supersized. Let's climb up to the realm of magic harps and geese that lay golden eggs and take a look at the current inhabitants.
4.17
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.
4.73
10 Feb 2010 - by Jake Jacobs
World Traveller Jake Jacobs brings us this report on the 2010 Thai Backgammon Open, by way of Yosemite.
4.06
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.
4.19
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.
4.61
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.
4.86
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.
4.43
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.
4.14
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.
4.30
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.
3.00
10 Jun 2009 - by Jake Jacobs
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.
4.56
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.
4.15
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.
5.00
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.
4.45
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.
4.31
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?
4.75
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.
3.93
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.
4.44
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.
4.67
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.
4.55
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.
4.00
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?
3.86
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.
4.17
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.
4.45
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.)
4.75
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.
2.82
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.
4.27
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!
4.57
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.
4.09
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.
4.71
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.
4.86
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.
4.90
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.
4.69
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.
4.13
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!
4.67
10 May 2007 - by Jake Jacobs
Jake comments on some mathematical oddities, curiosities in backgammon, and some mind-bogglingly large numbers.
3.63
10 Apr 2007 - by Jake Jacobs
Jake Jacobs tells a tale of backgammon, bridge and nobility in his latest article from Singapore.
2.63
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.
4.50
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.
4.53
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.
4.50
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.
3.33
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.
5.00
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!"
4.40
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.
4.25
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.
5.00
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!
4.75
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.
4.50
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.
4.80
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.
4.50
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.
5.00
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.
4.83
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.
4.89
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.
3.70
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.
4.88
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.
4.88
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?
4.40
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.
4.64
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.
4.10
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.
4.38
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".
4.07
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!"
4.91
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.
4.78
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.
4.90
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!"
5.00
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.
4.73
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.
4.81
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.
5.00
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.
4.92
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.
4.73
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.
4.80
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.
4.88
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."
5.00
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.
4.30
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)".
4.89
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.
4.80
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.
4.89
15 Jan 2002 - by Jake Jacobs
Interesting creatures are drifting around the beaches of the world...
4.43
15 Dec 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
Eleven is no longer considered a lucky number in Las Vegas.
4.76
15 Nov 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
The AR Club of Beverly Hills is a splendid Backgammon venue.
4.80
14 Oct 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
Sushi, karaoke and backgammon under an "excellent moon".
4.68
15 Sep 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
Neil Kazaross plays every roll like it is life or death.
4.45
15 Aug 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
Figure out the score in this chouette to win a prize.
4.27
17 Jul 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
Chicago star David Wells had reason to smile on the last Saturday in June.
5.00
15 Jun 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
Why did the doubling cube cross the board?
4.80
15 May 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
The flick was a hit in the USA, but in Hong Kong they were not impressed...
5.00
15 Apr 2001 - by Jake Jacobs
GammonVillage welcomes aboard Jake Jacobs as our second monthly columnist.
5.00
