Cook's Illustrated Test Kitchen did some research on this, and their method has worked gloriously for me every time.
Older eggs do work best, but this method works quite well with fresher eggs too.
First, steam the eggs instead of boiling. This has multiple benefits. The temp won't drop as much when you put the eggs in, the eggs won't knock around in the water and crack.
Get the water boiling in a pot with a steamer basket of some sort, then add the eggs and cover. Cook for 10 -12 minutes depending on how hard you want the yolks. I like 10 min for a fully cooked but still slightly soft gooey yolk.
Immediately transfer the eggs to an ice water bath and let them soak for 5-10 min.
You can pick your cracking peeling method, but one trick is to use a plastic tupperware with lid for the ice bath, then empty all but a 1/2 inch of the water, put the lid on, and shake up and down vigorously about 10 times. The eggs will flop around and crack all over and the shells should slide off easy.
