2023 Backgammon Expertise Learning Series - January

On Tuesday, January 31 at 1PM EST, Women in Backgammon will kick off its 2023 Expertise Learning Series with a doubles match with the team of Zdeněk Žižka (ZZ) and Karen Davis facing the team of Roberto and Irina Litzenberger.

Zdenek Zizka (ZZ) is the author of The Zizka Method, and the founder of backgammoncoaching. He is a BMAB grandmaster class 1, 2019 Giant of Backgammon #12, finalist in the 2022 Backgammon World Championship, and winner of the Super Speedgammon event at the 2022 Merit Open in North Cyprus.

ZZ, as he is affectionately known, is founder of backgammoncoaching.com, a new approach to helping backgammon players of all levels improve their game. He believes the key to coaching is an individualized approach, helping his mentees learn how to think about a position and how it is likely to evolve in the future, the questions to ask oneself, and how to determine when the reward outweighs the risk of a choice. He helps players to become better through Online Video Courses. He has created a backgammon curriculum which includes three video courses for players at the Intermediate, Advanced, and World Class Levels.  Each course contains 25 videos, each containing about 30-minute of content on various building blocks of the game. The courses take players on the ride from their current level to fully understand all the game’s aspects with endless possibilities for their thinking.

For dedicated students and fans of the game, he offers private zoom or in-person coaching, where he answers any question or explains any topic depending on a student’s wish. He does a professional analysis of recent positions and interesting matches which students have encountered, and tailors a learning experience based on their unique strengths and weaknesses. He uses instructional time to hone in on blunders they have made in recent matches, understand the flaw in their thinking, and ask the questions that will lead to the correct choice in the future.

Karen Davis is a distinguished leader in the backgammon community, helping to build the U.S. Backgammon Federation for over a dozen years, and is a world-class player. Her accomplishments include:

• President and Executive Director, U.S. Backgammon Federation (2017-2020), member Board of Directors (2009-2022) and Chair from 2010-2017, Chairman and President of U.S. Backgammon Foundation
• Member of the American Backgammon Hall of Fame
• BMAB Master Class 2
• 2022 USBGF National Women’s Champion
• Organizer of the Cherry Blossom and Sunny Florida ABT Backgammon Championships
• #7 in USBGF Lifetime National Master Points
• 2019 – 1st Super Jackpot, NY Metropolitan Open; 1st in BMAB-USA at the Cherry Blossom
• Member, Team USA in 2020 Magriel Cup, winning 5 of her 7 matches; captain of U.S. Women’s Team 2020-2022 and Most Valuable Player for the U.S. in the Genud Cup 2020 and 2022.

Roberto Litzenberger

His backgammon accomplishments include:

• #11 World Backgammon Federation ranked player in the world
• #39 ranked 2019 Giants of Backgammon
• BMAB Master class 1
• #8 USBGF Lifetime Master Point leader
• 2022 – Masters Jackpot, 2nd in Gateway St Louis, 3rd in Atlanta; 1st in Denver Wild West Early Shootout; 2022 Doubles event winner with Irina Litzenberger, Texas, Michigan, Cherry Blossom, and Ohio
• Winner, 2018 Cherry Blossom Backgammon Championship
• 2019 Pro-Am Doubles (with Jonah Seewald); 2017 Tournament of Stars (with Patty Knapp); 2019 NY Metro Consolation; 2019 Monte Carlo Open Consolation; 2018 Viking Longship Super Jackpot; Paskogammon Cup at 2018 LA Open
• Member of Team USA in 2020 Magriel Cup, winning 6 of his 7 matches
• Finished second in 2018 American Backgammon Tour with 45.99 points

Irina Litzenberger

Her backgammon accomplishments include:

• 2022 - Sunny Florida Championship Consolation winner
• 2022 Backgammon World Championship Ladies Event, 3rd/4th
• 2022 Doubles event winner with Roberto Litzenberger, Texas, Michigan, Cherry Blossom, and Ohio.
• 2021 Battle of Sexes, Las Vegas, winner
• 2021 Wonder Woman event, California State, winner
• 2021 Chicago Classic, Old Town Open Jackpot, winner
• 2022 and 2020, member of the USA Women’s Team winning the Genud Cup against the U.K.