Zděnek and Apollo have played a couple of times 11, 12 years ago in
Prague, but notably at the 2012 Czech Open tournament in Pardubice,
where Apollo won the championship that year. Zděnek was 11 or 12 years
old at the time.
Zděnek is currently one of the best
backgammonist in the world. He is the author of “The Zizka Method -
Dominating Backgammon Through Storytelling”, and the creator of ZZ
Backgammon.
Q: Listen, this is very funky. Too funky for words really. I imagine
you first fell in love with backgammon because of your mom, obviously,
who is one of the best players in Europe, Eva Žížková, is that
correct? A: Well, we fell in love with it together, because we started
together, when our father brought this game to us. So we started
together, we started at zero, and started to play the game regularly,
just from the beginning together…
Q: Is that right?! A: That’s right hahaha. There’s a lot of conspiracy theories about how
we started, but yeah, basically we started together.
Q: How old were you then? A: I was 5. Of course you get better, way faster in the beginning,
yeah, and we just played every day, it was just fun. It was our game,
it was what we played in the family.
Q: Oh I thought it was her being good, and she teaching you…
A: Afterwards that was part of it, yes, but we grew up together in
backgammon.
Q: Does your father play? A: He knows how to play, but he doesn’t travel. He doesn’t REALLY play
but that’s him.
Q: And now I heard you have a brother… A: I do have a brother, he also plays, but not like…,
Q: Not like you guys. A: No, not like us.
Q: Ok. How old are you now? A: I am 24 now.
Q: 24 hm…damn it’s been 12 years. I couldn’t get it over my head man,
hahaha, this skinny guy in Pardubice, and now you are like, like
[gesturing with arms]…hahaha…You still live in Prague? A: Hahaha, yes I do.
Q: So ok, when did you make this big decision, that, you know,
backgammon is it, this is my love, my whole life…? A: So when I was 12, 13, I started grinding the game, because I really
enjoyed the game, I enjoyed the challenge, what it gave me, and I just
wanted to be the best. I was pounding it and wanted to understand
everything, understand what is behind the moves. And it was like
mathematics. I like all kinds of logical stuff, and this was like
something I wanted really to understand, like everything behind it. So
I was grinding, since I was 13 basically, 10 to 15 hours a day, and I
am not joking, I was basically grinding all day trying to understand,
and…
Q: Wait, wait, hold on. With your mom? A: Well, mostly alone. Alone playing with computer, XG, playing
against people online and then just analysing it, and trying to
understand. And so I have doing this for 1, 2 years, and, when I was
16, I got my birthday present to go to the first international
tournament in Cyprus and I managed to win that tournament, in the
Intermediate category. So when I came to the tournament, I was like
shocked, five-star hotel, amazing food, amazing venue, I just liked
the people, it was entertaining, excitement, adrenalin, and I just
love the game. I fell in love with it, and it was like, a while, I
wanted to travel more, I wanted to get better, I wanted to be winning
all the Intermediate categories. I mean I was already playing so-so,
but I wanted to be the best. And then by the time, there was more
competition and more competition, er, there was for example that BMAB
thing, and then there was a PR ratings tournament, and it says how
well you play, right? Then I also wanted to compete in that, because,
but okay I wanted to be the best there as well. So it was just
basically a challenge, and it is still a challenge, like, grinding
away and trying my best to understand everything and, er…this was
basically the start. This was the start that drove me to here.
Q: Arda was telling us this story, that when you were in Cyprus, you
were underaged, hahaha… A: Hahaha I was 16…
Q: Hahaha and he had to give a Royal Edict to let you play…he said,
otherwise this kid, he said: “I wasn’t even allowed to let him in…”
Well, you know, good. And that was your birthday gift? A: Yes, that was my birthday gift, yes, for my 16th birthday. It went
well.
Q: You know, when I look at you, you are young, stylish…sexy? Can I
say sexy…? A: Hahaha…
Q: …No, no, for such a long time, backgammon is just a bunch of old
faces, and you bring this new look to the game. Perhaps we should make
you some sort of ambassador to the game… A: So there’s a project I am doing, it’s what I created, this
backgammon coaching, it now called “ZZ Backgammon”. It’s basically
having like my own brand, coaching, selling video courses, giving
education to backgammon players, and I want to create content as well,
on Youtube and everywhere, so…I want to be ambassador by myself, I
like being independent right now, and go to the tournaments such as
this, or in Macao, and just try to promote the game everywhere as best
as I can.
Q: As the fresh young face of backgammon, I would certainly like to
see more of you. A: I hope so too.
Zděnek and Apollo have played a couple of times 11, 12 years ago in
Prague, but notably at the 2012 Czech Open tournament in Pardubice,
where Apollo won the championship that year. Zděnek was 11 or 12 years
old at the time.
Zděnek is currently one of the best
backgammonist in the world. He is the author of “The Zizka Method -
Dominating Backgammon Through Storytelling”, and the creator of ZZ
Backgammon.
Q: Listen, this is very funky. Too funky for words really. I imagine
you first fell in love with backgammon because of your mom, obviously,
who is one of the best players in Europe, Eva Žížková, is that
correct? A: Well, we fell in love with it together, because we started
together, when our father brought this game to us. So we started
together, we started at zero, and started to play the game regularly,
just from the beginning together…
Q: Is that right?! A: That’s right hahaha. There’s a lot of conspiracy theories about how
we started, but yeah, basically we started together.
Q: How old were you then? A: I was 5. Of course you get better, way faster in the beginning,
yeah, and we just played every day, it was just fun. It was our game,
it was what we played in the family.
Q: Oh I thought it was her being good, and she teaching you…
A: Afterwards that was part of it, yes, but we grew up together in
backgammon.
Q: Does your father play? A: He knows how to play, but he doesn’t travel. He doesn’t REALLY play
but that’s him.
Q: And now I heard you have a brother… A: I do have a brother, he also plays, but not like…,
Q: Not like you guys. A: No, not like us.
Q: Ok. How old are you now? A: I am 24 now.
Q: 24 hm…damn it’s been 12 years. I couldn’t get it over my head man,
hahaha, this skinny guy in Pardubice, and now you are like, like
[gesturing with arms]…hahaha…You still live in Prague? A: Hahaha, yes I do.
Q: So ok, when did you make this big decision, that, you know,
backgammon is it, this is my love, my whole life…? A: So when I was 12, 13, I started grinding the game, because I really
enjoyed the game, I enjoyed the challenge, what it gave me, and I just
wanted to be the best. I was pounding it and wanted to understand
everything, understand what is behind the moves. And it was like
mathematics. I like all kinds of logical stuff, and this was like
something I wanted really to understand, like everything behind it. So
I was grinding, since I was 13 basically, 10 to 15 hours a day, and I
am not joking, I was basically grinding all day trying to understand,
and…
Q: Wait, wait, hold on. With your mom? A: Well, mostly alone. Alone playing with computer, XG, playing
against people online and then just analysing it, and trying to
understand. And so I have doing this for 1, 2 years, and, when I was
16, I got my birthday present to go to the first international
tournament in Cyprus and I managed to win that tournament, in the
Intermediate category. So when I came to the tournament, I was like
shocked, five-star hotel, amazing food, amazing venue, I just liked
the people, it was entertaining, excitement, adrenalin, and I just
love the game. I fell in love with it, and it was like, a while, I
wanted to travel more, I wanted to get better, I wanted to be winning
all the Intermediate categories. I mean I was already playing so-so,
but I wanted to be the best. And then by the time, there was more
competition and more competition, er, there was for example that BMAB
thing, and then there was a PR ratings tournament, and it says how
well you play, right? Then I also wanted to compete in that, because,
but okay I wanted to be the best there as well. So it was just
basically a challenge, and it is still a challenge, like, grinding
away and trying my best to understand everything and, er…this was
basically the start. This was the start that drove me to here.
Q: Arda was telling us this story, that when you were in Cyprus, you
were underaged, hahaha… A: Hahaha I was 16…
Q: Hahaha and he had to give a Royal Edict to let you play…he said,
otherwise this kid, he said: “I wasn’t even allowed to let him in…”
Well, you know, good. And that was your birthday gift? A: Yes, that was my birthday gift, yes, for my 16th birthday. It went
well.
Q: You know, when I look at you, you are young, stylish…sexy? Can I
say sexy…? A: Hahaha…
Q: …No, no, for such a long time, backgammon is just a bunch of old
faces, and you bring this new look to the game. Perhaps we should make
you some sort of ambassador to the game… A: So there’s a project I am doing, it’s what I created, this
backgammon coaching, it now called “ZZ Backgammon”. It’s basically
having like my own brand, coaching, selling video courses, giving
education to backgammon players, and I want to create content as well,
on Youtube and everywhere, so…I want to be ambassador by myself, I
like being independent right now, and go to the tournaments such as
this, or in Macao, and just try to promote the game everywhere as best
as I can.
Q: As the fresh young face of backgammon, I would certainly like to
see more of you. A: I hope so too.
Zděnek and Apollo have played a couple of times 11, 12 years ago in
Prague, but notably at the 2012 Czech Open tournament in Pardubice,
where Apollo won the championship that year. Zděnek was 11 or 12 years
old at the time.
Zděnek is currently one of the best
backgammonist in the world. He is the author of “The Zizka Method -
Dominating Backgammon Through Storytelling”, and the creator of ZZ
Backgammon.
Q: Listen, this is very funky. Too funky for words really. I imagine
you first fell in love with backgammon because of your mom, obviously,
who is one of the best players in Europe, Eva Žížková, is that
correct? A: Well, we fell in love with it together, because we started
together, when our father brought this game to us. So we started
together, we started at zero, and started to play the game regularly,
just from the beginning together…
Q: Is that right?! A: That’s right hahaha. There’s a lot of conspiracy theories about how
we started, but yeah, basically we started together.
Q: How old were you then? A: I was 5. Of course you get better, way faster in the beginning,
yeah, and we just played every day, it was just fun. It was our game,
it was what we played in the family.
Q: Oh I thought it was her being good, and she teaching you…
A: Afterwards that was part of it, yes, but we grew up together in
backgammon.
Q: Does your father play? A: He knows how to play, but he doesn’t travel. He doesn’t REALLY play
but that’s him.
Q: And now I heard you have a brother… A: I do have a brother, he also plays, but not like…,
Q: Not like you guys. A: No, not like us.
Q: Ok. How old are you now? A: I am 24 now.
Q: 24 hm…damn it’s been 12 years. I couldn’t get it over my head man,
hahaha, this skinny guy in Pardubice, and now you are like, like
[gesturing with arms]…hahaha…You still live in Prague? A: Hahaha, yes I do.
Q: So ok, when did you make this big decision, that, you know,
backgammon is it, this is my love, my whole life…? A: So when I was 12, 13, I started grinding the game, because I really
enjoyed the game, I enjoyed the challenge, what it gave me, and I just
wanted to be the best. I was pounding it and wanted to understand
everything, understand what is behind the moves. And it was like
mathematics. I like all kinds of logical stuff, and this was like
something I wanted really to understand, like everything behind it. So
I was grinding, since I was 13 basically, 10 to 15 hours a day, and I
am not joking, I was basically grinding all day trying to understand,
and…
Q: Wait, wait, hold on. With your mom? A: Well, mostly alone. Alone playing with computer, XG, playing
against people online and then just analysing it, and trying to
understand. And so I have doing this for 1, 2 years, and, when I was
16, I got my birthday present to go to the first international
tournament in Cyprus and I managed to win that tournament, in the
Intermediate category. So when I came to the tournament, I was like
shocked, five-star hotel, amazing food, amazing venue, I just liked
the people, it was entertaining, excitement, adrenalin, and I just
love the game. I fell in love with it, and it was like, a while, I
wanted to travel more, I wanted to get better, I wanted to be winning
all the Intermediate categories. I mean I was already playing so-so,
but I wanted to be the best. And then by the time, there was more
competition and more competition, er, there was for example that BMAB
thing, and then there was a PR ratings tournament, and it says how
well you play, right? Then I also wanted to compete in that, because,
but okay I wanted to be the best there as well. So it was just
basically a challenge, and it is still a challenge, like, grinding
away and trying my best to understand everything and, er…this was
basically the start. This was the start that drove me to here.
Q: Arda was telling us this story, that when you were in Cyprus, you
were underaged, hahaha… A: Hahaha I was 16…
Q: Hahaha and he had to give a Royal Edict to let you play…he said,
otherwise this kid, he said: “I wasn’t even allowed to let him in…”
Well, you know, good. And that was your birthday gift? A: Yes, that was my birthday gift, yes, for my 16th birthday. It went
well.
Q: You know, when I look at you, you are young, stylish…sexy? Can I
say sexy…? A: Hahaha…
Q: …No, no, for such a long time, backgammon is just a bunch of old
faces, and you bring this new look to the game. Perhaps we should make
you some sort of ambassador to the game… A: So there’s a project I am doing, it’s what I created, this
backgammon coaching, it now called “ZZ Backgammon”. It’s basically
having like my own brand, coaching, selling video courses, giving
education to backgammon players, and I want to create content as well,
on Youtube and everywhere, so…I want to be ambassador by myself, I
like being independent right now, and go to the tournaments such as
this, or in Macao, and just try to promote the game everywhere as best
as I can.
Q: As the fresh young face of backgammon, I would certainly like to
see more of you. A: I hope so too.
