Zdenek Zizka is currently one of the most promising players in the world. He is only 17 years old and comes from a very nice backgammon-loving Czech family. His mother, Eva is a very solid player and has taught him the game only a few years ago. He has been systematically working on his game, besides school, with the help and support of his mother and the other Czech players such as his mentor, Jan (Honza) Cerny, and Pavel Zaoral....
His real name is Matvey Natanzon, but no one called him that. Even his mother called him Mike. Falafel was born into a Jewish family in Russia. In 1972, he and his mother emigrated to Azor, a small town near Tel Aviv. And a few years later, he moved to Buffalo city of New York state, as a teenager. Falafel went on to study accounting at New York State University at Buffalo and graduated in 1991. He moved to Manhattan...
Tournament Backgammon Rules and Standards Guide The purpose of this Guide is to bring clarity and definition to the rules of tournament backgammon and to define standards of good sportsmanship and fair play so that tournaments may be enjoyed by all with as little conflict and confusion as possible. To accomplish the above, this guide recommends standards for players, spectators, and directors, concise rules, comprehensive discussion and examples, guidelines for enforcement of the rules, and guidelines for appeals and questions. Section 1: ...
In the Game Until the End: Winning in Ace-Point Endgames DESCRIPTION This book has now been updated in Volume 2 (2014), with some additional new materials, some new positions, and the benefit of XG rollout analyses that were not available in the early 1990s. Most readers, if they were only going to read one book, would opt for Volume 2; however, some might well wish to have both volumes to have a comparative history in the growth and development of the analytical and technical...
Doubling Cube Strategy Many beginning and intermediate players play like they're afraid of the doubling cube. They will almost never double, and when doubled they will take or drop almost at random. In my experience, beginning players tend to take much too often, and intermediate players tend to drop much too often. You will never be successful at backgammon if you don't know proper cube play. If you let your opponent win two points every game he wins while winning only...
The U.S. Backgammon Federation (USBGF) is pleased to announce the launch of the ABT Online! Tour. Similar to the American Backgammon Tour, players entering ABT Online! Tournaments will earn points toward ABT Online! rankings. The ABT Online! is a complement to the in-person American Backgammon Tour. The 2020 ABT points race has been canceled because of shelter-in-place orders. However, points earned in any 2020 ABT event will be banked in a player’s lifetime achievement total. The 2020 ABT Online! points leader...
Nobody knows for sure, but perhaps the best answer can be found in two studies done by Michael Depreli, one in 2005 and one in 2010. What Depreli did was have two bots (computer programs) play a series of games against each other. Each bot checked the other's play and any position where the bots disagreed on what to do was saved and later "rolled out". A rollout is basically a simulation. The game is played from the same position over and over again and...
Coming from a traditional tawla background, Toni has quickly adapted his skills into the modern backgammon standards, and soon became the first-ever Lebanese and Arab grandmaster. Toni’s first international appearance in Merit open back in 2013 was a success, where he managed to finish in the 5th place in the main category in a field of 400 players, and the start of a love story with the board. Throughout the years, Toni’s success was proven inevitable by winning many titles...
Precision dice are not designed to yield more “snake eyes” than standard dice are. Nor are they designed to yield more “boxcars.” Simply put, precision dice are designed to provide for fair play. Apart from providing you with a reliable game accessory, we hope that our precision dices will add some fun to your gaming experience. Manufacturing process Precision dice are cut from a block of cellulose acetate. This form of acetate is homogenous and therefore free from minute air bubbles. The...
