I'm looking to get into backgammon and I'm an absolute beginner. I don't know any of the rules or even what the goal of the game is. Where can I find a resource that explains all of this to me?

Thanks

The World Backgammon Championship is on in Monte Carlo and they are down to the semi-finals. American Paul Weaver (who co-authored Backgammon Openings with Nack Ballard) will play Italian Fabio Gullotta, while reigning champ Mochizuki Masayuki of Japan will play fellow countryman Takumitsu Suzuki.

draw - http://www.gammonmanager.com/
blog - http://montecarlobg.blogspot.com/
discussion - http://www.bgonline.org/forums/webbb...pl?read=100565
stream - http://usbgf.org/usbgf-events/view-f...championships/

Hadn't heard about this before, the 1st International Backgammon Championship:

http://www.bgchampionship.com/

Proof that bots aren't rigged:

I don't get it.

won a game as a 1-2,500 dog, pretty sick

Ah ok, didn't look closely at the moves on the right side.

Pretty sick indeed.

You should have recubed

Does anyone check out Stick's forums at http://www.bgonline.org/forums/? Some fantastic players and advice over there but the forum software is a joke.

I wish they'd bring their traffic over here where it wouldn't be such a pain to read through.

For those on Facebook, a page you just have to subscribe to:

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBackgammonTour

Got an interesting game going with a guy in London, and thought this as good a place as any to display my trials and tribulations vs him.

First session:

Cash play, 25 games, 40 point win, cube turned on starting doubles, no beavers. Ran like God - made points most rolls, never beared off badly, very few hard cubes and lots of mistakes from tilting opponent.

+40 points

Second session:

One race to five for ten cash points. Win 5-4

Cash play, 17 games, cube turned on starting doubles, beavers in play. 10 point loss. Lost a 32 cube first game after we tied opening rolls 3 times in a row and had a close, swingy game. Hard session, lost most close bear offs, lots of awkward rolls followed by gin rolls from opponent. Grinded lots of 2/4 cube games, and got a gift of an 8 to 16 point beaver on a bearoff late on. He quit as soon as we got back to even for the session.

+40 points.

Quick beginner question.

Are there rules or guidelines on how much time to take on each move? I've just recently started playing online and I'm being asked to speed up a bit.

No there are not. People are used to playing (too) fast. I just ignore people that tell me to speed up.

Won my first cash game 256 cube yesterday - sick game with the cube getting turned four times on starting doubles.

Out of curiosity - whats the biggest cube anyone has won/seen won in competitive play here?

Did you win a gammon?

No sadly

256 is ridiculous, the biggest I've seen is gammon x 64 but we cap starting cube at 8

Playing that auto turn on every starting double can get totally out of control. Lose your house time.

After over 20 years of playing have just one my first ever game where i hit my opponents single remaining checker before bearing off anything!!!!!
(always thought this was a coup Classique, but apparently not)

Even better, I managed to get the recube (8) in before the last roll.
Dont think my opponent was as excited as me though !!!

Congrats

My biggest to date was a 64 cube (my last recube) £10/point. Against the at the time European Champion.

Came down to last roll bearoff with my opponent needing any double to win, I was watching through my finger tips.

Certainly gets your heart pumping.

As for automatic doubles, I think it was the oswald jacoby book that suggested limiting autos to 1 or 2 per game only.
We used to play that if you rolled more, then we carried them into the next game/s.

Hi,

I'm learning to play backgammon with a friend. We often play at lunch, but would like the opportunity to play during evenings or other spare time online.

We envisage an almost play-by-email service, where I make my move, then between a minute and a day later, my opponent makes his move, and so on - effectively some sort of online service where we don't have to be online at the same time to make it happen.

Anyone know of such a service?

Congratulation well done

Could you recommend good sites to play against bots...trying to improve my intermediate
play. Thanx, -Hindoo.

Today online I've reached this position as red:


For some unknow reason i started to create bizarre scenarios in my head like "ok i've made fun of him in chat but what if I lose" etc.
I've lost the WHOLE MATCH. And i had to stop playing for an hour. Crawford is not invincibility (and ESP doesn't make you happier ).

much more spectacular stuff to come (when i find it back)

found!

beat: (DMP)



brag:


I'm black in both pics. In the second one it is white's turn