A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why—and how—we play them. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human.

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.

Originally a series of articles that appeared online at GammonVillage.com. Every aspect of the game is covered, from the most fundamental to the most advanced.

"Backgammon - From basics to badass" is the cutting edge, modern backgammon book, which teaches you all the basic concepts and principles in the game. It beats the older backgammon theory books by a mile. It starts out softly, but don't let this fool you! The book is full of insights from a true expert. The philosophy is a thorough and well structured learning, which leaves you no gaps in your game comprehension, as well asbringing new theory to the backgammon literature, for instance "the value-equation" and probability tables on jumping primes. It is very easy to read even for beginners. The purpose of the book is to connect the basic theory with the advanced theory. All earlier backgammon books tends to focus on just one of these categories. Since publication in Denmark early 2013, this book is now owned by roughly half of the members of the Danish Backgammon Federation, the worlds largest backgammon federation. When writing this book, Marc was ranked frst in the Danish rating system. In 2014 Marc won his frst "Grand Slam", the prestigious international tournament: Nordic Open in Copenhagen. Reviews: "It's my humble opinion, that this is a must-read for everyone who wants to take his game to another level. The book is highly informative, easy to read and packed with educational positions. I've been privileged to know Marc for many years, and he is currently the best backgammon tutor in the world. Don't waste this formidable chance, buy this book right away!"- Sander Lylloff, the best backgammon player in the world. "Tremendous all-round book which suits backgammon players of all levels. It presents the concepts in a sharp but still educational way. The book has numerous new approaches to the facets of the game, that can be very complex. It appeals to new, as well as more experienced players. I'm positive that everybody can obtain new knowledge and inspiration. Read it!"- Karsten Bredahl, Super Grand Master and double winner of Nordic Open. "Marc has truly succeeded in writing a book, which starts from the bottom and ends on a very high level, without the usual gaps you can encounter. It is a solid book that everybody can beneft from, regardless of experience. The examples and explanations are top notch."- Peter Hallberg, backgammon world champion 2004.

This book is designed to improve your Backgammon skills by using proverbs made up by myself. They represent the basic concepts in backgammon and play a major role in the book. You solve problems by applying suitable proverbs, then you will find the essence of the positions.In chapter 1 & 2, Beginner level, announcing 12 basic proverbs, which I really hope you will memorize.In chapter 3 & 4, Intermediate level, introducing you to 6 advanced proverbs. Together, these 18 proverbs cover most of the opening phase.In chapter 5, 6 and 7, Advanced level, I confront another 3 important concepts, tough even for advanced players.Appendix, Basics: If you are a new comer, you really should start from this chapter. I explain the basic and important three actions in backgammon. In my opinion, the more you understand Backgammon, the more you will enjoy it. I really hope this book helps you feel better while playing Backgammon, an unbelievably well-crafted game.

Includes the new laws of backgammon adopted in 1931 by twenty-five leading clubs, descriptions of the game, definitions of terms, laws for chouette and suggestions for the conduct of tournaments.

A Practical Guide to Conquering the World can be read by itself, but for those who like endings it can also be considered the refreshingly pragmatic conclusion to World Fantasy Award-winning author K.J. Parker’s acclaimed sequence of novels that began with Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City and continue with How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It. "Full of invention and ingenuity . . . Great fun." —SFX This is the true story of Aemilius Felix Boioannes the younger, the intended and unintended consequences of his life, the bad stuff he did on purpose, and the good stuff that happened in spite of him. It is, in other words, the tale of a war to end all wars, and the man responsible. For more from K. J. Parker, check out: Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled CityHow to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It A Practical Guide to Conquering the World The Two of SwordsThe Two of Swords: Volume OneThe Two of Swords Volume TwoThe Two of Swords: Volume Three The Fencer TrilogyColours in the SteelThe Belly of the BowThe Proof House The Scavenger TrilogyShadowPatternMemory Engineer TrilogyDevices and DesiresEvil for EvilThe Escapement The CompanyThe Folding KnifeThe HammerSharps

table { }.font5 { color: black; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; }.font6 { color: black; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; }td { padding: 0px; color: windowtext; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; vertical-align: bottom; border: medium none; white-space: nowrap; }.xl66 { font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.xl67 { font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; vertical-align: middle; } The world's best backgammon player (and two-time champion) provides easy-to-understand advice on the basics of playing and winning at backgammon. Ten fast-reading chapters show the basics of setting up a board, how to move, the opening strategies and replies, middle and end game tactics, basic probabilities, plus back game and doubling strategy. Two sample games are included with move-by-move insights so players learn the winning concepts of play at all stages of the game. A great first book for beginning and somewhat experienced players.