Backgammon Boot Camp - Backgammon Book Review

A recent book, published in 2004, Backgammon Boot Camp is a recompilation of a series of 57 backgammon for beginners articles written by Walter Trice that were originally published online in the early 2000s. The suggestion for the series came from Michael Strato, an international backgammon consultant and backgammon magazine editor – Trice took up the challenge has written what can be considered the best modern book for anyone seriously looking to go quickly from a novice to advanced player.

Trice has competed live for more than 30 years and is ranked as one of the top players in the USA. In 1996, he also co-authored a book with Jake Jacobs called “Can a Fish Taste Twice as Good? Doubling in an Unequal Backgammon Match” and has written several backgammon-related programs (such as Bearoff Quizmaster) as well as many other articles featured in different backgammon publications around the world.

In his opening chapter, Trice claims that actress Raquel Welch showed him the light, when she starred in the 1972 Roller Derby movie Kansas City Bomber. In Backgammon Boot Camp, Trice compares Backgammon to Roller Derby, both being a conflict but at the same time a race, and one in which team members assist each other in blocking members of the opposing team as they race around the playing field.

Trice then breaks down the finer points of game with several chapters on each of the following categories: Basic Training, Advanced Training, Cubes And Races, Cubes And Contact, Backgames, Primes, Attacking Play Match Play and finally Graduation.

His writing is lucid as he shares his profuse experience in basic training areas such as building primes, blitzing, securing anchors, defending from the Ace Point and much more, including how to play the opening rolls according to rollouts by Snowie, data whose source he credits to another backgammon expert, Paul Weaver, who had been collecting such rollouts to be later published in 2007 in Backgammon Openings, a book Weaver co-authored with Nack Ballard, the World’s All-Time #1 Backgammon Player.

Backgammon Boot Camp goes on to cover many other vital skills one must capture to play well, such as connectivity, duplication, diversification followed later with pip counting methods, doubling strategy, end-game tactics, the bearoff and many other topics.

The back cover has a single testimonial by Paul Money, another backgammon expert and writer, who remarks: "What am I doing even reading Boot Camp, much less learning something in every article? I'm supposed to be an advanced player! Thank you, Walter, but couldn't you change the title to Useful Things That Players Who Are Really Quite Good May Have Temporarily Forgotten?

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