Completely New to Backgammon, where do I start? - Backgammon Forum - Discuss Backgammon Strategy, Clubs and Books

Two Plus Two Forums Sports and Games Chess and Other Board Games Backgammon Forum hosted by Bill Robertie.

Completely New to Backgammon, where do I start?

Post Reply Subscribe

...

07-22-2019 , 02:59 PM

invalidname94

grinder

Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 514

I want to learn backgammon because my family plays on holidays together and it looks like fun. Are there any threads that are good for complete beginners? I barely know the rules on how to play (I understand how pieces move, capturing, the win condition, but not much else). Any books or websites I can visit online that would be helpful? I downloaded XG mobile and plan on fooling around with that while I watch Netflix, are there any other helpful programs I can use?

Thank you in advance for any advice, I look forward to learning the game and forming discussions with you all

Quote

07-22-2019 , 03:41 PM

jpeterson007

newbie

Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 25

GNU is a good program as well. Backgammon Galaxy is a new website that I myself have just started playing on, seems like a great community. The two books I would recommend to start are Backgammon for Blood by Chris Bray and 501 Problems by Bill Robertie. The main this is to have fun with the game and enjoy getting better by looking at your mistakes you make in game with the help of XG or GNU etc.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote

07-22-2019 , 05:05 PM

Robertie

old hand

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,954

"Backgammon for Blood" by Chris Bray is a great book for beginners. Bray takes things slowly and hits all the major points. Another good book is Barclay Cooke's "The Cruelest Game", which you'll have to get as a used copy as it's been out of print for a while. It's not a dry read and it conveys all the romance and excitement of backgammon very well. There are a few technical errors by today's standards but they won't matter very much at your current level.

Avoid my book '501 Essential BG Problems'. It's not for beginners and you wouldn't get much out of it. A year down the road it would be very helpful, but not now.

Quote

07-28-2019 , 08:26 PM

Eric

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 13,852

When I was ~10-14 years old, I had a copy of The Backgammon Book by Jacoby and Crawford. I loved that book. Great stories and history; a very good introduction to the game; and a reference I used for years. No doubt somewhat out of date, but for the ambiance, if you will, it was fantastic, and the concepts are still relevant. I wish I still had it.

Quote

09-25-2019 , 08:29 PM

bobby380

stranger

Join Date: Sep 2019 Posts: 1

backgammon is a great game and alot of fun when its played at home with friends and family on a big board. but don't get caught up in these online backgammon aps like lord of the board and many others to numerous to mention because they are all rigged and fake and its seems its predetermined who is going to win before you even roll the dice. it gets you angry at a game that should be fun to play... so in my opinion don't waste your time with online backgammon. learn with friends and family at home..

Quote

09-26-2019 , 06:19 AM

Vasilis7

stranger

Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 8

You can try the iTavli - Best backgammon game

It has a large collection of games, and they all free.
Also, there is an iOS and Android version

Quote

10-29-2019 , 12:30 PM

Trunky

newbie

Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 30

Bill Robertie has done a fantastic series of free lessons on this site. Start at lesson 1 and work your way thorough. You'll find that there is more to the game than you ever imagined. I created an index of all the lessons here: https://sites.google.com/view/davids...em-of-the-week

Backgammon has a great community of players and you could try to find a local club to play at. They are bound to be welcoming and friendly.

Quote

Post Reply Subscribe

...