Early this year, subscribers were saddened to hear of the demise of thequarterly publication, INSIDE BACKGAMMON. During its eight years manycutting edge ideas were introduced there, as well as challenging quizzesand instructive articles. Not being one to get bogged down in disappointment, Kit Woolsey, one ofthe most prolific contributors to INSIDE BACKGAMMON, decided to create anew publication: GammOnLine. Instead of relying on expensive printedmatter, this monthly publication is located on the World Wide Web. Anannual subscription costs $36 or only $3 per issue. A sample issue isavailable. The URL of this online magazine ishttp://www.gammonline.com. The features of this publication take advantage of the negligiblestorage costs of today's computers and networks. Besides informativearticles, each month there is a complete annotated match. A monthlyquiz of eight problems is presented and the high finisher receives aprize. Detailed comments on the quiz problems by a panel of top analystsare included in the following issue. Back issues will be kept availableuntil space needs increase. Kit anticipates several issues will beavailable at any given time. I've found the most enjoyable part of this publication to be theinteractive, ongoing match between Woolsey and the subscribers. Eachday the subscribers have a decision (cube or checker play) to vote on. The option with the most votes becomes the crew's play for that day. Kit then comments upon our play and the other candidates before rollingfor himself. Kit's wife, Sally, rolls the dice for the crew. Heincludes comments on the thought process that goes into his play aswell. If plays for the crew are automatic the game continues that nightwithout subscriber intervention until a decision needs to be made. Thatproblem becomes the next day's vote. 174 160 Bar width=25 height=66> Readers 1 11 Point match Woolsey 0 The illustrated position was one I found particularly informative. Kitis playing the Blue checkers. Does he have a double? Does White havea take? Make your decision before continuing. The vote on this decision was as close as any that has yet come up. 28 said take and 21 voted for pass. Kit used this as anillustration of Woolsey's Doubling Law: If there is any doubt as towhether your opponent has a take, you MUST double! He was in doubt sohe fired over the cube. The 57%-43% vote of the crew is a goodindication that there is some doubt in a lot of minds! Interestingly, JellyFish evaluates the position as no double, take. Buteven if JellyFish is correct, that technically the double is premature,in reality it was an excellent decision. Imagine if this were a largechouette. Blue made a technically incorrect double and got almost halfthe crew to incorrectly pass. If a double is a bit premature and thus asmall error, then a pass of a premature double is a HUGE error. Thepremature doubler comes out way ahead in the exchange. You can look at the possibilities to see the power of Woolsey's DoublingLaw: a) the position is technically a double/take and White takes. HereBlue made the right move (as did White). b) the position is technically a double/take and White passes. Bluecomes out ahead because of White's error. c) the position is technically a double/pass and White takes. Bluemade a good technical decision and was doubly rewarded by White'serroneous take. d) the position is technically a double/pass and White passes. AgainBlue did the right thing. e) the position is technically a NO double/take but White passes. Nowthe reward for doubling is huge. f) the position is technically a NO double/take and White correctlytakes. In this case Blue's error was picked up by White and Bluesuffers loss in equity. Of the six possible scenarios, Blue only loses in Case F. In three ofthe scenarios Blue makes a big gain because of White's error. Unlessyou are playing an opponent who seldom mis-evaluates a drop/takedecision then in practice a double is called for IF THERE IS ANY DOUBTthat it is a take. This rule also applies when a cash/play-on-for-gammon decision comesup. If there is any doubt, turn the cube. Maybe your opponent willtake! Don't forget, there needs to be doubt. If you get in the habit ofdoubling way too early when there is no doubt; the resulting take willcost you equity. And players of different skill level have varyingabilities of judging doubt. But there are pages of recorded positionswhere champion players have blundered and passed takeable doubles. Ifyou are not sure whether it's a take or a pass, send it over. Theycan't hang themselves if they don't have any rope.

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