Backgammon Research and Writing

Hello, my name is Paul Magriel, and my goal is to publish a series of books and articles based on my research in the game of backgammon.

For over 40 years, I have been playing, teaching and studying backgammon.

As a competitive player I have won more major tournaments including the World Championship, than any other player. I am one of the original inductees into the Backgammon Hall of Fame.

 Winning the World Challenge Cup in Athens 1977

In 1976 I wrote the definitive book of the game, "Backgammon". It is still considered the Bible of backgammon literature and has remained the standard text for generations of students.  I also wrote a highly acclaimed weekly column for the New York Times from 1979-1981.




In the 1970's, 80's and early 90's, I was a highly publicized and active tournament player. I was featured in magazines such as Sports Illustrated and Esquire. I have enjoyed numerous television appearances including such as an exclusive interview with Dan Rather on 60 Minutes.

RESEARCH and TEACHING

Although less active competitively my quest to explore and understand this great game has never ended.

I have made conceptual breakthroughs in several areas. As a by-product of my continued teaching and lecturing I have developed new ways to explain the game - making this knowledge accessible to the average player.

                                     Lecturing in Boston


My research has covered a variety of topics:

1.) Middle game concepts such as priming, tempo play, blitzing, containment, natural checker configuration, control of outfield, new ways to pinpoint your best game plan (run, attack, prime or holding game).

2.) Tactics such as Circle Back, Trap Play, advanced little known forms of Duplication, NGA (number good anyway). Ways to create anti-jokers for opponents and many, many more.

3.) Doubling theory

4.) Reference positions for winning and gammon chances in bear-off. Winning probabilities and cube action in several types of holding games. Some prime vs. prime standard reference positions. All presented in user-friendly fashion.

5.) Encyclopedia of Openings - presented in new formats

6.) And many other fascinating topics!

All this work has resulted in a wealth of material:  thousands of position cards, hundreds of pages of written notes and outlines for dozens of books.

Esquire Magazine article showing me analyzing - using several position cards.


In fact, I have so much material to work with that I am somewhat overwhelmed. That is why I need help preparing the material for publication.

I need assistance with:

Organizing and compiling my research material
Typing and formatting
Editing for clarity/comprehension
Running and integrating computer simulations

My hope is to write books, monographs, and articles based upon the work I have done - Your help with these projects is greatly appreciated!