A comprehensive and fun guide to Backgammon! Backgammon is one of the oldest games in the world, the origins of which date back some 5000 years – and it's still going strong. It enjoyed a huge resurgence in the 1970s, and then again in the 1990s with the popularity of the Internet, where millions of people play tournaments online every day. Today, backgammon's following in the UK is huge, with a dedicated British Isles Backgammon Association, and hundreds of face-to-face tournaments taking place across the UK every year. In this book, backgammon expert Chris Bray walks you through the basics of setting up a board, opening strategies, middle and end-game tactics, and tips on when to make key moves. You'll also get to grips with basic probabilities, the doubling cube and the 25% rule. And if you want to take your gaming further, there's plenty of advice to get you started in tournament backgammon, as well as playing online. Suitable for both beginners and experienced player looking for more tips and techniques, Backgammon For Dummies includes coverage on: Starting and Playing the Game Handling the Middle Game Bearing Off (The Last Lap) Varying the Play About the author

The material in this book covers not only the development of backgammon theory but also looks at the history of the game including some of its more famous and colourful players. Backgammon has never been short of interesting and colourful characters ranging from Emperor Nero to Lord Lucan. The timeless characters such as the Dowager Duchess, Quentin Quickcube, Barry Bigplay and the Enigmatic Englishman that make up Chris's menagerie continue to paint a vibrant picture of life in the high stakes chouette. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are on hand to lend instruction and Jeeves and Wooster provide some light-hearted moments. Chris's articles are targeted at a broad range of players and everyone from the casual player to the expert will improve their game by studying the diverse positions in this book.

This is the final (at least for now!) book in the Wind series of backgammon books. The book is an anthology of the final three years of Chris's columns from The Independent newspaper in the United Kingdom plus some other material produced for the United Kingdom Backgammon Federation.

Chris Bray is the backgammon columnist for The Independent and has been playing and studying the game for over thirty years. In this anthology of his most recent Independent articles he traces the further development of many aspects of the game. The game continues to evolve and the last twenty years have seen a period of rapid development in the game. This is largely because of the advent of backgammon computer programs JellyFish, Snowie and, most recently, eXtreme Gammon. Consequently the modern expert player is light years ahead of his 1990s counterpart. The material in this book covers not only the development of backgammon theory but also looks at the history of the game including some of its more famous and colourful players. The timeless characters that make up Chris's menagerie continue to paint a vibrant picture of life in the high stakes chouette. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are also on hand to lend instruction and for this book Jeeves and Wooster have joined the party as well.