Angela

One of the top 10 sweetest people, probably. German by birth, delightfully unserious by nature. By day, she shapes stories; by night, she beats her boyfriend at backgammon and writes poetry.

Why games get better with the people you know best

By the twentieth game with the same friend, you're not only playing backgammon. You're playing them.

How long can you leave your turn?

A game played over days has gaps in it by design. How long a pause is fine, and the one moment to avoid.

House rules: the backgammon variations families swear by

Doubles roll again? Not quite. Which family rules are real, which are invented, and why it hardly matters.

Why we blame the dice

Lose and it's the dice; win and it's skill. The bias behind it, why backgammon makes it so easy, and the question worth asking instead.

Backgammon notation explained

13/7, 8/5(2), bar/22. The shorthand every strategy article uses, but what does it actually mean?

The 36 rolls: a probability table for backgammon

Hit chances, entry odds and the average roll. The numbers behind every decision, in one place.

What's the golden point, and why does everyone want the 5-point?

Two players, one triangle they both want. What makes the 5-point worth more than its neighbours.

How long does a game of backgammon take?

Five to ten minutes, two or three online, or a week if you play a move at a time.

How to count pips (and tell who's actually ahead)

"I think I'm ahead" is usually a guess. Counting takes twenty seconds and settles it.

When to take a double, and when to pass

You don't need to be winning to accept a double. You need about a one in four chance.

Or read everything we have written.