Backgammon to Win
“Chris Bray is not just a very good backgammon player he is also an excellent writer. This is not a collection of problems. It is a discussion and analysis of the skills backgammon requires and a good primer on how to acquire those skills. It also presents the (relatively modest) gambling that backgammon can involve in a positive and exciting light and contains some fascinating (and in one case unbelievable) anecdotes.”
Highly recommended for both beginners and more experienced players.
Review on Amazon
"Bray's book tries to cover every aspect of backgammon, with chapters on chouettes, match play, Internet play, and the use of computers. For a player who wants to advance, this book may, if not provide all the answers, at least point them toward the right questions. Readers will find references to everything from Woolsey's Law to Janowski's Formula.”
Jake Jacobs, Flint Area Backgammon News
Wind Assisted
The structure as a collection of stand-alone columns makes it an especially good choice for anyone who has a busy schedule and can only grab a bit of backgammon study time at odd moments. But I also recommend it for the rest of us, because this problem collection covers a lot of ground and will help keep our awareness of principles and their application sharp.
In most cases, Bray uses problems where the answer is clear to the bot, and also to the human audience once he explains the thought process. Short columns can lead to concise analysis, which is good.
This book has problems of interest to players of all levels who appreciate the infinite variety this game constantly provides. I enjoyed this book and expect you will also."
Mary Hickey, Flint Area Backgammon News, Summer 2010
Backgammon – An Independent View
"Chris Bray is a well-known and accomplished British player. The most useful of his articles are the descriptions of the different types of games and the strategies for both sides as well as keys on when to use the doubling cube in each of them. There are also sections on chouettes, props, settlements, tournament play etc. Although Bray doesn't go deep into detail on any one topic, he gets the ideas across and manages to give you information on a vast variety of topics, some only touched upon in other works.
Martin Short
What Colour is the Wind?
"What Colour is the Wind? is a fascinating, well-balanced and exuberant read. Casual players not overly enamoured with the prospect of book reading will find the text a rewarding introduction to the wonderful world of backgammon strategy. More experienced intermediate or advanced players will undoubtedly find the book a useful and entertaining resource to improve, or reinforce their existing knowledge base. Chris Bray has truly produced a work of art!"
Mark Driver, July 2002
"What Colour is the Wind? is the collection of Bray's work during the years 1998-2001. Each backgammon problem is dealt with in a compact space. If you've never written an article, you might think that it is three times as hard to write a three-page article as it is to write a one-pager, but it might be the other way around. At least if you do it well. Chris does it well."
Jake Jacobs, Flint Area Backgammon News
Second Wind
"The world's longest running backgammon column must be the one written by Chris Bray. His newest book is Second Wind, a better title [than What Colour Is the Wind?], and an even better book. Those who think a newspaper column is of necessity aimed at the lowest common denominator will be pleasantly surprised. Chris aims to pull his readers up, not drag them down, and he has no hesitation about tackling exceptionally challenging material."
Jake Jacobs, Flint Area Backgammon News
"Second Wind is a very fine book for intermediates to advanced players, and has some things to interest experts as well. The book isn't on the cutting edge of new backgammon findings; but seriously, there haven't been too many recent backgammon discoveries anyway. The writing style and quality make it most enjoyable to read over and over."
Neil Kazaross, Chicago Point
Backgammon for Dummies
It is hard to write a fresh beginner book about backgammon, but Bray has succeeded. This book's good content, its visual appeal, and that reassuringly familiar Dummies format make Bray's new book an essential addition to the elementary backgammon canon."
Mary Hickey, Flint Area Backgammon News
Having just learnt the basics of Backgammon from surfing the net, I downloaded the excellent freeware GNU backgammon. Even on the beginner settings I was getting badly,humiliatingly mauled by the program. Not a single win.
So I bought this book which explains everything from the board layout, through the moves, dice probability, the beginning,middle and end games, with all the related strategy and tactics. Good examples shown. An excellent book regardless of your prowess at this game, and still worth dipping into as a refresher on a regular basis. Written in an easy style, as all 'Dummies' books are, but you won't be a dummy at backgammon for very long after reading this book.
Read to Victory!
V.J. Wigley (Amazon)
Chris's Seminars
I have attended several seminars by Chris Bray, each of which I have found valuable. All are ‘themed’ with handy bullet points to help guide the player along the right train of thought. Some are tailored to less experienced players, but these also contain some useful nuggets for more advanced players. The most recent seminar entitled “Risk and Reward” distils one of the most fundamental, but difficult to master, aspects of the game into clear concepts illustrated by challenging problems. Players of all levels will benefit from it.
Peter Bennet, December 2012
Chris Bray is a “Great Contributor” to our game. He has given, amongst many others, the Sunday Seminar at every BG Live in London for the last 8 years. Not known for being early risers, backgammon players regularly troop in for 9.30am to listen and learn from Chris’s words of wisdom on the evolving strategy and history of the game. His seminars are always impeccably researched and presented.
Mike Main
Over two decades of writing a weekly backgammon column for a national newspaper and several backgammon books, Chris Bray has accumulated an encyclopaedic knowledge of backgammon from which he crafts seminars to suit all audiences. The technical seminars usually take a theme (for example, doubling in a blitz position) and illustrate it with positions where there is a big difference between the right and wrong play or cube action.
The general seminars can be enjoyed by experienced and novice players. Including many illustrations from Chris’s extensive library of images, they cover the history of backgammon, the depiction of backgammon in art and the celebrities who have played backgammon.
Raymond Kershaw