What is The Gammon Press?

The Gammon Press is the online home of two-time World Backgammon Champion Bill Robertie, offering backgammon books, lessons, coaching, and a regularly updated blog. It is aimed at players who want to study the game seriously — from improving intermediates to advanced competitors — rather than at people looking for casual play or free software.

What the site offers

The site is organized around four main areas:

• Backgammon books — a catalog of titles written by Bill Robertie, including opening theory, problem collections, and other study material.
• Bill's blog — regular posts on a range of backgammon topics, often built around specific positions and decisions.
• Lessons & coaching — help for players who feel stuck or unhappy with their play but don't know how to fix it.
• Newsletter — a signup for updates, which is the only pricing-related signal on the page (the word "subscribe" appears, but no price is listed for the newsletter).

Who runs it

The site describes itself as "the premier source for backgammon books, lessons, resources, & Bill Robertie's backgammon blog," and identifies Bill Robertie as a two-time World Backgammon Champion. That authorship is the main reason to treat the material as serious study content rather than general-interest writing.

A look at the book catalog

The bestselling titles listed on the page, with the prices shown:

The featured new release, How to Play the Opening in Backgammon/Part 3 – Order From Chaos, is described as intermediate/advanced level: 142 pages, 223 diagrams, softbound, priced at $50 plus shipping and handling. According to the site's description, it covers opening concepts not discussed in Books 1 and 2, including when to run to the outfield (and what to do when you run there and don't get hit), plus doubling in the very early, non-blitz part of the game — doubles the description says are more common than you might think. The chapter closes with advice on avoiding an opening trap the author calls the "Blockhead Blockchain."

What the blog looks like

Bill's blog posts are position-based. A recent example, dated Sep 15, 2026, is titled "Wait for a shot ... or abandon the holding game?" It presents a cash game problem (White to play 5-3) and notes that all cash game problems assume the Jacoby Rule is in effect — you can't win a gammon unless the cube has been turned. The post walks through the logic of one-way holding games: hold your anchor, watch your opponent clear points, wait for a shot, and hope to hit it — or roll a 6-6 or 5-5 and move into a roughly even race. The hard decisions, it notes, come when you hold the anchor but start running out of moves.

That structure — a concrete position, the relevant rule assumption, then the decision — is a good preview of what the blog offers.

Who should visit

The Gammon Press is worth a look if you:

• Want to study backgammon from written material by a world champion rather than piecing together scattered advice.
• Are at an intermediate or advanced level and want opening theory, problem sets, or coaching.
• Enjoy reading annotated positions and want a steady stream of them via the blog.

It is probably not the right starting point if you are looking for a place to play games online or for beginner-level free instruction — the page's focus is books, blog analysis, and paid coaching, with book prices starting at $35 and the featured title at $50 plus shipping.