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Ball: Alpha Backgammon

From:   James Takahashi
Address:   jmtt@sequent.com
Date:   9 May 1994
Subject:   Worst BG Book? (was Re: Becker book)
Forum:   rec.games.backgammon
Google:   1994May9.195427.22393@sequent.com

All this Becker-bashing got me wondering about what would be the
consensus absolute *worst* bg book?  I recall having read a book
(also in the mid to late 70's) titled "Alpha Backgammon" which
still makes me chuckle when I recall it.  It was purportedly
written by a former world bg champion (although his name
escapes me)-- the aspect which makes it my "worst ever" candidate
was that it instructed the reader how to use a meditation
technique to influence the rolls of the dice!  It even included
strategy for what dice to wish for in various situations.

Albert Steg  writes:

Now *there's* a hilarious book.  The author is "Baron" Vernon Ball, and I'd
love to know where he earned his "World Champion" title as advertised on
the cover. I think he's still around because Carol Joy Cole mentions
running into him at a tournament in the Carribean or somewhere, and that
she was able to get a stock of this out-of-print book for all of us
collectors out there.  (I think it costs $10).

The book is the only one I 've seen, though, that offers advice in
positions that we often regard as completely beyond help.  for instance, in
the bear-off with two checkers on one's own ace-point and an opponent on
roll with a checker on the ace- and three- points, Ball encourages us:

"X does not sit idly by and accept as fact that he will lose.  X
knows that 2-1's do appear and that he knows how to help make a 2-1 appear
more often than probability.  X visualizes a 2-1 on his mental screen and
concentrates while O is rolling the dice. . ." (p.186)

Yep, this book has it all.   Chapters on psychokinetic ability, meditation
techniques, and and appendix of various drugs and their effect on your
playing ability (actually, I know some people who need to read that
chapter).

Albert

Bob Bishop  writes:

May 2007

The Barron is/was the greatest.  A gentleman and a competitor he was a
pleasure to play with.  It is my belief that he had the ability to do
what he said.  When you played him in a tournament or in a money game it
was an experience and always in the back of your mind was could he really
do it!  I never rolled more 1's in bear-offs than I did with him.  (I
think I played him either four or five times).  Concerning psychokinetic
ability, meditation techniques just ask David Liebwoitz and Russell Sands.
Up to 2007 they probably won the two largest (in money & players)
tournaments in BG history.  They were both believers in psychokinetic and
meditation techniques.

In addition "The Barron" owned one of the great Hotels and Restaurants in
all of the Caribbean, Hotel 1890.  It is in St. Thomas and I spent
several days there in either the late 80's or the early 1990's.  They had
BG boards in the Hotel and my only regret was "the Barron" was not on the
island.

I am glad I came across this web site; it reminds me of the time when
players were gentleman, the parties were great, the girls and locations
were exotic.
 
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Books

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Bagai: Classic Backgammon Revisited #100  (Raccoon, Nov 2004) 
Bagai: Classic Backgammon Revisited--Errata  (Jeremy Bagai+, Apr 2005)  [GammOnLine forum]
Ball: Alpha Backgammon  (James Takahashi+, May 1994) 
Ballard & Weaver: Backgammon Openings Book A  (Marty Storer, Jan 2008)  [GammOnLine forum]
Ballard & Weaver: Backgammon Openings Book A  (Mislav Radica, Nov 2007)  [GammOnLine forum]
Ballard & Weaver: Backgammon Openings Book A  (Rob Adams+, Oct 2007) 
Ballard & Weaver: Backgammon Openings Book A  (Gregg Cattanach, Oct 2007) 
Ballard & Weaver: Backgammon Openings Book A  (Neil Kazaross+, Jan 2005)  [GammOnLine forum]
Ballard & Weaver: Backgammon Openings--Volunteers needed  (Nack Ballard, June 2007) 
Barr: Barr on Backgammon  (Walter Swan+, Feb 1996) 
Becker: Backgammon for Blood  (Gus, Mar 2003) 
Becker: Backgammon for Blood  (PTaber+, June 1999) 
Becker: Backgammon for Blood  (Michael Fuhrmann, Aug 1997) 
Becker: Backgammon for Blood  (Daniel Murphy, July 1997) 
Becker: Backgammon for Blood  (Durf Freund+, May 1994) 
Bell: Winning with the Doubling Cube  (&Atilda;˜ystein Johansen+, Apr 2006)  [GammOnLine forum]
Bell: Winning with the Doubling Cube  (André Nicoulin, Oct 2000) 
Bell: Winning with the Doubling Cube  (David Montgomery, May 1999) 
Bell: Winning with the Doubling Cube  (Peter Bell, Aug 1998) 
Bell: Winning with the Doubling Cube  (Jacques Torrione, Feb 1998) 
Bell: Winning with the Doubling Cube  (Robert Scibelli, Dec 1997) 
Bell: Winning with the Doubling Cube  (Kevin Bastian, Nov 1997) 
Bray: Backgammon for Blood  (Chris Bray, Sept 2007) 
Bray: Backgammon to Win  (Chris Bray, June 2007) 
Bray: Backgammon to Win, second edition  (Chris Bray, Aug 2012) 
Bray: Backgammon--An Independent View  (Chris Bray, May 1998) 
Bray: Backgammon--An Independent View Revisited  (Chris Bray+, Jan 2005) 
Bray: Second Wind  (Chris Bray, May 2007) 
Bray: What Colour is the Wind?  (Chris Bray+, June 2002) 
Bray: What Colour is the Wind?--Rerelease  (Chris Bray, Sept 2006) 
Brooks: Backgammon's Best Openings and Replies  (Chuck Bower+, Dec 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Clay: Backgammon Winning Strategies  (Michael Strato, Nov 1999) 
Clay: Backgammon Winning Strategies  (Gary Wong, Jan 1998) 
Cooke & Bradshaw: Backgammon--The Cruelest Game  (Chuck Bower+, Aug 1998) 
Cooke & Orléan: Championship Backgammon  (Timothy Chow+, Apr 2011) 
Cooke & Orléan: Championship Backgammon  (Marty Storer, Sept 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Cooke: Paradoxes and Probabilities  (Neil Kazaross+, Sept 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Cooke: Paradoxes and Probabilities  (Peter van Arkel+, Sept 2002) 
Cooke: Paradoxes and Probabilities  (Donald Kahn, Dec 1998) 
Cooke: Paradoxes and Probabilities  (Stephen Turner, Apr 1996) 
Corbett: Backgammon Problems  (Stick+, Jan 2008) 
Deyong: The Playboy Book of Backgammon  (Shuman Lloyd Lee, Aug 1991) 
Dwek: Backgammon for Profit  (Bob Stringer, Sept 2002) 
Euler: Everyday Errors in Checker Play  (BaronGossettEulerPhD+, June 2012) 
Garal: Fair Backgammon Tournament Rules  (Jakob Garal, June 2007) 
Heinrich & Woolsey: New Ideas in Backgammon  (Douglas Zare, Mar 2003) 
Heinrich & Woolsey: New Ideas in Backgammon  (Craig E. Groeschel+, Sept 1998) 
Heinrich & Woolsey: New Ideas in Backgammon  (David Montgomery, May 1997) 
Heyken & Fischer: The Backgammon Handbook  (Martin Fischer, Sept 1998) 
Heyken & Fischer: The Backgammon Handbook  (Marina Smith, Feb 1998) 
Hickey & Storer: What's Your Game Plan?  (Timothy Chow, May 2011) 
Jacoby & Crawford: The Backgammon Book  (Patrick Wilken, Aug 1991) 
Kansil: The Backgammon Quiz Book  (Daniel Murphy, July 1997) 
Kansil: The Backgammon Quiz Book--Five problems  (Chuck Bower, Oct 1997)  [Long message]
Kennedy & Papazian: Backgammon Master Games  (Ben Fairbank+, Apr 1999) 
Kershaw: Backgammon Funfair  (Tom Keith+, July 2012) 
Kershaw: Backgammon Funfair  (Peter Bennet, May 2012) 
Lamford: 100 Backgammon Puzzles  (Harold Simon+, Oct 2001) 
Lamford: 100 Backgammon Puzzles  (Mark Driver, July 2001) 
Lamford: 100 Backgammon Puzzles--Snowie analysis  (Michael Schell, Oct 2001) 
Lamford: Improve Your Backgammon  (Alef Rosenbaum, May 2003) 
Leet: Winning Backgammon  (Ryan Long, Apr 2002) 
Leet: Winning Backgammon  (MW Book Review, July 1999) 
Lortz: Double ... now: An Authentic Cube Remedy  (Chuck Bower+, Jan 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Mabardi & Luce: Vanity Fair's Backgammon to Win  (Paul Tanenbaum, Feb 1998) 
Magriel: Backgammon  (Baldo+, Mar 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Magriel: Backgammon  (Neil Kazaross, July 2003)  [GammOnLine forum]
Magriel: Backgammon  (Chuck Bower, Nov 1999) 
Magriel: Backgammon  (Dean Gay, Sept 1999) 
Magriel: Backgammon  (David Montgomery+, Aug 1997) 
Magriel: Backgammon--2004 Edition  (Tom Keith+, Dec 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Magriel: Backgammon--GnuBG evaluations  (Randy, July 2008) 
Martyn: Phillip Martyn on Backgammon  (Steve Brorens+, Nov 1996) 
Munchkin: Gambling Wizards  (Chuck Bower, Aug 2003)  [GammOnLine forum]
Obolensky & James: Backgammon the Action Game  (Edward D. Collins+, Oct 1999) 
Reese & Brinig: Backgammon: The Modern Game  (Al Mirpuri+, Sept 2011) 
Robertie: 501 Essential Backgammon Problems  (Paul Epstein, July 2005) 
Robertie: 501 Essential Backgammon Problems  (Albert Silver, Nov 2002) 
Robertie: 501 Essential Backgammon Problems  (Tore Fredriksen, July 2002) 
Robertie: 501 Essential Backgammon Problems  (Erik M Sørensen, May 2000) 
Robertie: 501 Essential Backgammon Problems  (Daniel Hollis, May 2000) 
Robertie: 501 Essential Backgammon Problems #75  (Hardy Hübener+, Nov 2005) 
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon  (Doni+, Jan 2005)  [GammOnLine forum]
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon  (Scott Steiner+, Sept 2002) 
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon  (James Eibisch, Jan 1998) 
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon  (Allen R. Adams, Nov 1995) 
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon #165  (Peter Grotrian+, Mar 2005)  [GammOnLine forum]
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon--Errata  (Matt Senecal+, Nov 2004) 
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon--JF rollouts  (Øystein Johansen, June 2001) 
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon--JF rollouts  (Alexander Nitschke, Feb 1997) 
Robertie: Advanced Backgammon--JF rollouts  (Peter Fankhauser, Jan 1996) 
Robertie: Backgammon for Winners  (Carl Tait, Aug 1998) 
Robertie: Backgammon for Winners  (Gerry Tesauro, Oct 1993) 
Robertie: Modern Backgammon  (Mattias+, Apr 2003)  [GammOnLine forum]
Robertie: Modern Backgammon  (Gregg Cattanach, Oct 2002) 
Robertie: Modern Backgammon  (Frank Mazza+, May 2002) 
Robertie: Reno 1986  (AH+, Aug 2007)  [GammOnLine forum]
Shiina: Cube Action 1000  (Mochy, Feb 2013) 
Steed: Backgammon: The Meanest Game  (Albert Steg, Aug 1998) 
Stern: Backgammon: The Quick Course to Winning Play  (Mark Driver, May 2001) 
Storer: Backgammon Praxis  (Chase+, Apr 2007)  [GammOnLine forum]
Storer: Backgammon Praxis  (Marty Storer+, May 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]
Thorne's Backgammon Tactics (Reprint)  (Sam Sloan, July 2012) 
Tremaine: Amazing Book of Backgammon  (Jim Wallace, Feb 1998) 
Trice: Backgammon Boot Camp--2nd edition  (Jeremy Bagai+, June 2007) 
Tzannes brothers: Backgammon Games and Strategies  (Mark Driver, Apr 2001) 
Tzannes brothers: Backgammon Games and Strategies  (Albert Steg, May 1994) 
Tzannes brothers: How Good Are You at Backgammon?  (Mark Driver, July 2001) 
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Williams: Backgammon Live in London  (Sean Williams+, June 2008) 
Woolsey & Beadles: 52 Great Backgammon Tips  (Paul Epstein+, Dec 2007) 
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Woolsey & Jones: Understanding Backgammon  (Jon Nall+, Feb 2004) 
Woolsey: How to Play Tournament Backgammon  (John Bazigos, Oct 1994) 
Woolsey: The Backgammon Encyclopedia Vol 1  (Dean Gay+, Feb 2004)  [GammOnLine forum]

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