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Bart Brooks flashcards

Posted By: Matt Ryder
Date: Saturday, 2 January 2010, at 5:30 p.m.

In Response To: Any tips to improve cube handling in matches? (Timothy Chow)

Bart Brooks produced a useful set of flashcards covering 3rd roll dance and bearoff cube scenerios.

How can I get these? How comprehensive are they and how recent is the rollout data underlying them?

I've just checked, and alas Brooks' website is no longer up (once here). Ominous. However, the cards and CDs are still listed at Carol Joy Cole's excellent online BG store.

Carol may be reached at cjc@flintbg.com. She is pretty amazing at sourcing all kinds of obscure, long out-of-print backgammon goodies, so I highly recommend her service.

The cards are copyrighted 2006, and state they were produced from Snowie 4.5 rollouts (I don't have any additional details).

All the cards display cube and redouble action as well as other information, where pertinent. For example, Brooks suggests 52S-55A-F is a pass if there are two on the roof, ND/T if one is on the roof and the other comes in on the 2 or 4, but it's D/T if one is on the roof while the other enters on the 5...

I find the flashcard Q&A format a useful study aid. I wish more reference positions were available in card size like this.

The third-roll dance cards number 50 and appear to be pretty comprehensive. I was startled to learn that almost all third roll dance situations are takes (with the exception of certain 55s such as 62S-55A-F). Before these cards I was dropping with monotonous regularity. Perhaps one of our resident early game experts can comment about the cards' accuracy in the light of modern bot developments? I haven't seen much discussion of third roll dance scenarios here.

There are 40 bear-off cube action cards, illustrating a series of common end-game positions. The maths of the bearoff has been set in concrete for many years (since Sconyers et al), so I'd be pretty confident about accuracy here.

I believe these were additionally available in CD/book form at one point.

I also have the Brooks 'Pip Counts' cards, which contain a set of 50 cluster counting references, each bearing some handy tips (for example, "Any 3 pair across is 6 x the center checker.", "Any 6 prime is 6 x the addition of the end checkers.") Nothing too earth-shattering if you've read Kissane's article. But helpful nevertheless.

I don't own Brooks' 2nd roll replies set, so I'd be to keen to hear perspectives on its worth given the intense interest the early game garners on this forum. The real bleeding-edge analysis in this regard is of course ongoing right here.

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