Advanced-Level Backgammon: An Outsider's Guide
Preface
I'll keep this brief. The backgammon community has several problems, but the most glaring one is the dearth of systematic information available online on how to play the game beyond a basic level. It's all locked up in books, nearly all of which cost 50-60 USD or more, even the ones targeting beginners, not to mention how any number of the "must-read classics" are completely out of print (and are riddled with dated theory and dubious play calls).
I'm looking to remedy this problem as best I can. I'll be presenting a series of problems along with write-ups about the various candidate moves or cube decisions (including rollouts generated using GNU Backgammon, as I don't expect you to take me at my word) and any relevant theory, all online and all for free. If any of this guide proves useful or educational to you at all, I highly encourage you to share it around and help it fulfill its purpose.
The Kyou System
January, 2024
P.S.: The best approach for learning from this guide is to try and figure out the optimal move for each position before reading the accompanying text, then seeing how well your reasoning lines up with the solution. Don't get discouraged if you get something wrong; our mistakes and failures teach us far more than our successes do!