Last month I administered Paul Magriel's Genius Quiz. While your brains are still reeling, I'll revisit it. But first, to keep you sharp, here is a bonus quiz!
14 Apr 2018 - by Jake Jacobs
The late Paul Magriel was one in a million. I don't mean that as a hyperbolic compliment, I mean it literally. He was a genius, and the two statements are related. Genius is an overused term. Mensa members are called geniuses, but all it takes for membership is an IQ score that falls two or more standard deviations from the mean
14 Mar 2018 - by Jake Jacobs
Many people knew Paul, and many knew him far better than me. Many writers have written about Paul, and many are better writers than me. Stories about him during his colorful life appeared in prestigious journals including Sports Illustrated and Esquire.
07 Feb 2018 - by Jake Jacobs
In the spring of 1982 I was living in Las Vegas. Henry Watson's tournament, which included the World Amateur Championship, perhaps better known as the Plimpton Cup, was held in June most years. My friend Craig Chellstorp was ineligible, but saw it as an opportunity.
08 Jan 2018 - by Mary Hickey
The more we think back to the 1970s, the more changes we recall from the game as it was played in most places then, compared to the way we have learned to play since the bots came along. The bots brought more than knowledge, though.
08 Jan 2018 - by Jake Jacobs
Thirty-five years ago Mike Maxakuli, publisher of the Las Vegas Backgammon Magazine, came to me with an idea. I should write the Backgammon Encyclopedia, which he would publish.
13 Nov 2017 - by Mary Hickey
Even if you weren't born in time for the 1970s backgammon craze, surely you have heard stories about that legendary heyday of our favorite game, before the books and the bots took so much of the mystery out of it.
Snowie 4 Pro analyzes the 11-point final match from the 2012 ABT Pittsburgh Labor Day Backgammon Championships played between Alfred Mamlet and Barry Silliman.
05 Apr 2011 - by Snowie 4 Pro
Snowie 4 Pro analyzes the first of two 11-point Final matches from the 2011 ABT Ohio State Backgammon Championships played between John O'Hagan and Greg Merriman.
30 Dec 2010 - by Snowie 4 Pro
Snowie 4 Pro analyzes the 11-point Final match from the 2010 California State Backgammon Championships played between Malcolm Davis and Wayne Jeffcoat.
17 Nov 2010 - by Snowie 4 Pro
Snowie 4 Pro analyzes the 17-point Final match from the 2010 Las Vegas Backgammon Open played between Fred Kalantari and Julian Fetterlein.
22 Oct 2010 - by Snowie 4 Pro
Snowie 4 Pro analyzes the 13-point Final match from the 2010 ABT Illinois State Championship played between Carter Mattig and Phil Simborg.
25 Aug 2010 - by Snowie 4 Pro
Snowie 4 Pro analyzes the 15-point Final match from the 2010 ABT Florida Championship played between John O'Hagan and Gregg Cattanach.
18 Aug 2010 - by Snowie 4 Pro
Snowie 4 Pro analyzes this 11-point consolation match from the 2010 World Championships played between Masayuki Mochizuki and Tobias Hellwag.
Backgammon is an easy game to learn, but a hard game to play well. Over the years, I have learned several excellent guidelines to checker play that generally guide me to the best moves. I teach all of these to my students, and I know they will be helpful to you as well.
13 Dec 2007 - by Phil Simborg
I have found that the best way for my students to learn backgammon is to break the game down into single, specific areas of play, discuss then independently, and then practice just that area until they get it.
01 Oct 2007 - by Phil Simborg
Backgammon is all about odds. It also is possible to play excellent backgammon without calculating numbers and odds in your head constantly, simply by playing moves that "look" more appealing than others.
28 Sep 2006 - by Phil Simborg
I can help you. If you think you roll badly, or at least worse than your opponents, the truth is: YOU PROBABLY ARE! The reason, however, might surprise you.
28 Mar 2006 - by Michael Strato
Come on in and share your views on these tricky backgammon problems with other members of GammonVillage.
21 Mar 2006 - by Michael Strato
Come on in and share your views on these tricky backgammon problems with other members of GammonVillage.
14 Mar 2006 - by Michael Strato
Three new backgammon brain teasers to test your skills. Come on in and share your opinion on these with other GV members.
Here's a good example of how complex backgammon can be. There are two positions in this article where Black holds a 2-cube and is on roll. See if you can guess the proper cube action for both positions. Be prepared to be surprised.
03 Mar 2008 - by Phil Simborg
What I consider one of the most irritating things in backgammon: You are rolling the dice and playing along and having a really nice time, and then all of a sudden your opponent does something extremely irritating and rude. He doubles you!
21 Jan 2008 - by Phil Simborg
One of the many differences between a good backgammon player and a great player is knowing when to play on for the gammon and knowing when to turn the cube. Playing for the gammon also affects checker play.
21 Dec 2007 - by Phil Simborg
I happen to believe that backgammon is a great game, just the way it is. From time to time, however, it is fun to change the game up a bit. Here are some "alternative ways to play that you not only will enjoy, but you will find them to be interesting learning exercises as well.
14 Dec 2007 - by Phil Simborg
Some people say that backgammon is now fully in the computer age. I think these people are right - but they are only right about 97 percent of the time. I believe there are still many plays that the bots simply do not fully understand.
09 Oct 2007 - by Phil Simborg
Phil reveals a backgammon position he uses to teach match equity to his students. Take the quiz and see where you rate.
20 Sep 2007 - by Phil Simborg
Great backgammon players have a huge library, in their head, of "reference positions." In this article, I will attempt to give you some insights into the importance and use of key reference positions.