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Book Review: Championship Program – The Psychological Side of Backgammon

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The Psychological Side of Backgammon

By Maya Peycheva

Sofia 2026

Bulgari publishing house

ISBN 978-619-7656-78-7

Introduction.

This is a book that will suit all backgammon tournament players. It will be useful for every level of player from Intermediate to Open level National and International players. It is the only book I have come across that covers the psychological aspects of backgammon with reference to modern neuro-scientific theories. The main premise is that repeatable success at backgammon is not born solely from correct moves and technical precision. It requires other key qualities – emotional stability, control under pressure and the ability to carry the game through to the very end. It is concise and easy to read and I initially read it in one session.

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Extending the Anki Open-Source Digital Flashcard Application using Tags

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In the second article of this series, I moved beyond the foundational overview of Anki and demonstrated how a backgammon player can progress from novice to competent practitioner of Anki by using the more powerful workflow tools. Building on the first article the second instalment introduced practical methods for importing and studying decks, using the Custom Study feature, and applying coloured flags to diagnose errors, track weaknesses, and transform Anki into a pattern-recognition and training engine. I also showed how to scale this system across large paid decks, how to use Browse mode for targeted review, and how features like Auto Advance can integrate study into daily routines. With that groundwork in place, this next article now turns to the most useful function of all: the use of Tags to build a true expert level training system. This article may appear somewhat daunting, but with some perseverance it should make sense in the end.

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Extending the Anki Open-Source Digital Flashcard Application

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Guess what Stefan is studying right now?

This is the second in a three-part series exploring the use of the Anki Open-Source Digital Flashcard Application. After receiving favourable feedback about my original article, I will now expand on Anki’s use over two additional texts. In my first article I wrote about the Anki Universe and covered the core elements that make Anki such a powerful tool for backgammon study — from the fundamentals of spaced repetition learning to the wider ecosystem of platforms like AnkiWeb, AnkiDroid, and AnkiMobile. I also introduced the growing range of backgammon specific resources, including pre-made decks by Rainer Birkle on his website XG2Anki.de and tools that allow players to build personalised blunder and error decks. That first article aimed to demystify the system and show that, despite its reputation for complexity, Anki becomes straightforward and transformative once you understand how its components fit together.

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Improving your Game with Anki Flashcards

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Guess what Julia’s studying right now?

Since returning to the game of backgammon in August 2021 after a 25 year break most players who know me well will also know that, other than a 6 month break last year, I have studied the game quite religiously since my return. One of the tools that I use heavily for my studying is the Open Source Anki Digital Flashcard system.

I will always recommend the benefits of this system to any backgammon player who will listen to me on the subject, and have converted many UK players to its use. I have found however that after making these recommendations, often when I return to someone and ask how they have progressed with it many players say they are not using Anki because it looks too complicated.

While it may appear that way in the first instance it is in fact not complicated at all when you understand the various elements of Anki that are available on the internet. For these reasons it is worth persevering with it to get over the initial learning curve.

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In the footsteps of Diogenes

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Tournaments abroad can sometimes be a bit of an adventure – just getting to and from the venue. In mid-April, in search of some warmer climes, Rowena and I decided to attend the 2nd Loutraki Grand Prix International Backgammon Championships in Greece.

A delayed flight meant sharing one hire car with CJ and Rachel Rhodes fell by the wayside.  Fortunately, we then bumped into Chris Rogers and Julian Minwalla and we were able to jump into their car instead.  Our travel travails hadn’t quite finished – once at Loutraki we were faced with an hour-long detour, on foot, fully laden with bags and in the dead of night to get to get round some roadworks to our AirBnB…only to find the next morning that we could have used a path a couple of yards away round the roadworks.

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