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Fresh from the PartyGammon Millions in the Bahamas, Russian backgammon bombshell Victoria Smirnoff gives us the lowdown on beating odds and beating men!

I'm in the wrong job, I think to myself as I walk into Victoria Smirnoff's London penthouse. On one wall Sky News is being beamed from a TV screen bigger than my flat and the other end of the lounge is occupied by a very satisfied-looking professional pool table. "I should give up poker and take up backgammon!" I quip as Victoria laughs and hands me a cup of Russian tea. Charming and beautiful (even though she assures me that "most Russian women are better-looking than me" and incredulously talks about being ignored by Russian men when out on a Saturday night). With a near-total dominance of chess for a century or so, it's no surprise that Russia has now given the world at least one backgammon genius. In the old Cold War days, the Moscow-born belle would have been considered a devastating piece of propaganda, but it occurs to me — as backgammon continues to gain popularity, who better to have as its poster girl than the ice-cool Ms. Smirnoff?

Smirnoff. No relation to the drinks giant I trust?

(laughs) No, sadly not! And anyway I'm teetotal!

You recently returned from the PartyGammon Millions. How was that?

It was a great experience. It was the first really big-money backgammon tournament that's been organised. All the best players turned up. It was in a beautiful setting as well, so you know, if I lost, no matter, there was always the beach!

Any big tournaments coming up?

I think I'll be playing the World Championships in Monte Carlo (in May). I've got a bit lazy travelling round to a lot of tournaments. When I was playing with Paul [Magriel], we played every tiny game all over the world. Now I'll only travel to the biggest games!

I think if I lived here, I wouldn't travel much either! You mentioned Paul Magriel. You won the Doubles Consulting World Backgammon Championship with him in 2000. How did that relationship flourish?

Well, you know we were playing together for years, but then Paul went back to the U.S. and we played less and less together. Also for a few years I lost interest in backgammon. Only recently have I started playing again!

How did you first get into the game?

I was living in Monte Carlo with my husband, and I was, you know, pretty bored (laughs). I was on the beach one day and saw Paul [Magriel] playing backgammon against Mike Svobodny. I met Mike through his wife who's also Russian who hooked me up with Paul as a teacher. He turned out to be a superb backgammon teacher and the rest as they say is history!

What does it take to be a world-class backgammon player?

Well first of all, you have to understand that you need a knowledge in mathematics and as with poker, an understanding of the odds. Even today, there are only about 100 really world-class players around.

Do you think your psychology degree has helped you understand your opponents better?

(laughs) Well it helps me when I drive men crazy at the board!

Backgammon's gradually getting more and more popular online. Can you see it catching up with poker in popularity?

It's hard to tell, because backgammon has been cracked by the computer. It's a lot easier to analyse your game in backgammon and iron out your mistakes. But I think it will be popular, because people are always after new games to play.

You're busy scribbling away with an autobiography (called "From Russia with luck"). How's it coming?

Very well. It's 200 pages long so far, but I'm debating whether to put a lot of scandalous stuff in!

So no juicy tales of the high life?

Well there is one. Once I was playing backgammon with a member of a royal family from the Middle East on his huge beautiful boat in Monte Carlo. About 20 of his friends were watching. The stakes were very high (at least for me), and pretty soon I'm 15 points up. Suddenly my opponent asked for a break and invited me to walk around the harbour. He stopped and offered me a huge sum of cash to loose the match. He couldn't face losing to a woman in front of his friends! What he was offering me was more than I could have won had I carried on playing him for another 20 hours! So naturally I accept the offer. But the most difficult part was yet to come. I had to carry on playing and try and make it not too obvious that I was trying to throw this game. So I was trying to play badly without making it too blatent — but I was still winning! Meanwhile my opponent was getting more and more angry — he was worried after taking his money I was still going to try and beat him. I start sweating. In the end this terrible player finally breaks me down and he wins and his friends are none the wiser.

Any plans to become a full-time writer and follow in your grandfather's footsteps? [Oleg Smirnov].

Well, I know how to write, because I went to literature school. It's hard because with this autobiography I have so many stories to put in, I'm not sure where the book will end!

Are you a natural-born gambler?

Well, I'm not sure whether I'm a natural gambler, but I'm definitely extremely competitive. I love to compete with men. That's the main thing for me! I don't enjoy playing any game against a woman — backgammon, ping pong, tennis, whatever. I play too nicely! But put me against a man, and, I don't know, something happens! Funnily, I was playing in the PartyGammon Millions against a young girl from Japan, a sweet little thing. I was thinking 'oh she's just a Japanese tourist, here for a holiday' and I let my game relax. But the girl destroyed me! When I asked the tournament organisers who she was, they told me she was the top player in Japan!

Is the backgammon world as male-dominated as poker?

Without a doubt. As a psychologist I recognise that these games suit the man's mathematical and logical brains better. There are exceptions of course! Some famous poker players like Gus Hansen are also backgammon whizzes. It's interesting, if there was as much money in backgammon as there is in poker you'd see a lot more poker players taking part. Gus could quite easily be up there with the best if he wanted to switch careers!

Ever considered turning your skills to poker?

I've tried it, but I get tired very easily. I just don't have the patience to sit there and fold hand after hand! I need action action action!

What's the biggest gamble you've ever made in your life?

My lawyer has told me not to divulge! You'll have to read about it in my book — maybe!

You live in London now. How's the London life?

I travel a lot, but I call London my home now. I left Russia 10 years ago and have lived in Los Angeles, Monte Carlo, Paris and New York, but I love London over all of them. I always feel at home here and I can't say that about Moscow. I love the seasons here, so different to Los Angeles where it's just dry and sunny all day, every day. And the sense of humour is amazing, just like the Russians'. That's what will keep me coming back here.

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by Michael Strato — 14 December 2006

Victoria Smirnoff of Russia is heading for The Bahamas next month looking to roll her way to victory and the guaranteed minimum $500,000 going to first place in the PartyGammon Million. If she wins, Victoria says she will invest it all in a laboratory that is doing cancer research in her homeland.

GammonLife — Hi Victoria, thank you for accepting to be interviewed by GammonLife.com. Please give us a little background on yourself?

Victoria Smirnoff — Hi Michael, thank you for inviting me to participate. I was born in Moscow on July 8, 1974 and attended a primary school, specialized in literature, and also completed seven grade violins.

In 1997, I graduated from the Moscow State University of Sociology with Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Later the same year, I got involved in the world of professional gambling — first as a student of Paul Magriel, and then as a backgammon player myself.

In 2000, with Paul Magriel as my partner, we won the Doubles Consulting World Backgammon Championship in Switzerland.

I currently live in London and am working on my autobiography book "From Russia with luck" due to be released next year.

GammonLife — Smirnoff? Any relation to the makers of Smirnoff Vodka?

Victoria Smirnoff — Unfortunately not…

GammonLife — When and how were you first introduced to backgammon?

Victoria Smirnoff — I met World Champion Mike Svobodny in 1997 on a beach in Monte Carlo. It was Mike that recommended Paul Magriel as the best backgammon teacher.

GammonLife — What were your first impressions on the game and how do you compare Backgammon to other games?

Victoria Smirnoff — I found it very different to card games because it's almost impossible to cheat in Backgammon! Seriously, I wondered about the proportion of skill and luck in backgammon and I was absolutely shocked when Mike Svobo said that even 10 years is not enough to completely understand the game.

GammonLife — You won the Doubles Consulting World Backgammon Championship with partner Paul Magriel in 2000, what other events have you won?

Victoria Smirnoff — I haven't played in many tournaments since 2000. I prefer money games against weaker players! In the tournaments I have played in — at the Drones Club and the Palm Beach, both in London — I made it to the quarter-finals a few times. In Cannes last year, I won the Consolation of the Intermediate, another great tournament in Monte Carlo area, which always takes place right after my birthday, so usually I grab the glass instead of the dice cup and toss out my drink instead of the dice…

GammonLife — Please tell us your thoughts on Paul Magriel, as a player and teacher? What were the most crucial areas of the game that you learnt from him and would recommend to others to learn as a priority?

Victoria Smirnoff — I started with Paul as a beginner, I hardly knew the rules and the fact that he taught me something means he is a real genius! Paul sees the level of a player and teaches just what that person needs to know — without giving too much information. The only problem with backgammon is: the more you learn the more you realize there is still such a long way to go! Imagine that only Paul's lecture about the doubling cube lasted four hours alone.

GammonLife — You are registered to play in the PartyGammon Million tournament in January 2007. Fantastic! We wish you luck. How do you intend to prepare to compete in this historical event?

Victoria Smirnoff — Snowie, three times a day, once after every meal.

GammonLife — If you win, what would you do with $500,000?

Victoria Smirnoff — I will invest all of it in the anti-cancer drug project I've been organizing for many years in Russia.

GammonLife — I saw a video on your website from a TV show in which you appear with John Clark and Kara Scott. Clark brings up some statistics about backgammon being male-dominated and refers to some "discoveries by scientists" that the brains of men and women are different, as is their ability to process logic, and this is why men are better backgammon players than women? Wow, that was rather shocking! What's your input on this?

Victoria Smirnoff — The fact is, John Clark is absolutely right. The world of gambling, just as the world of politics and science, including the Nobel and other prizes nominees is male-dominated: big time! And, of course, in this time of equal rights it must be due to men's better ability to process logic, better memory, etc.

However, my lessons with Paul Magriel give me a huge advantage against average players and, as I said in that TV show at the time, I'm very glad that men are so confident because since they are richer then women, in general, it's even more of a pleasure to win money from them!

GammonLife — Maria Krancheva of Bulgaria claims to be the best woman player in the world and definitely Katja Sophie Spillum Svendsen is way up there, being a Champion of Europe amongst other victories. There are dozens of other great women players all over the world including female World Champions. Which women players do you think are some of the best and why?

Victoria Smirnoff — Mike Svobodny says I'm better than 98% of all backgammon players in the world. Well, Maria and Katja are in that 2% as well! They are professional gamblers, their level is much higher then mine and they spend much more time playing then me. I wish them luck!

GammonLife — What about men? Who do you consider to be amongst the top male backgammon players in the world?

Victoria Smirnoff — Gus Hansen, Falafel, Mike Svobo, Nack Ballard, Andreas Humke, Bob Wachtel and Paul Magriel.

GammonLife — Stephen Pearson and Player International Ltd are planning a new world backgammon tour, "Backgammon International", and the creation of a new international federation. What are your thoughts on this?

Victoria Smirnoff — Finally one of the most fascinating games will be televised worldwide! It is the key to making it hugely popular. Thanks to Stephen Pearson for working on this project — he's doing a great job. I'm looking forward to playing in a world tour and I'll make sure Moscow is included as one of the venues!

GammonLife — Backgammon is definitely increasing in popularity worldwide, but do you feel it can reach the awesome height of popularity that it enjoyed in the 1970s?

Victoria Smirnoff — It's hard for me to compare — I was only born in the 70s and wasn't really into backgammon yet, but there is definitely a big difference today since backgammon was cracked by computers and more people are interested in improving their level.

However, the increase in popularity is inevitable — just a few TV shows for a start including me playing in a bikini — and success is guaranteed!

GammonLife — What would you personally do to help the game become more popular?

Victoria Smirnoff — I've done quite a few things already but they didn't work out. In the first TV show, "High Stakes Backgammon", most of the entire interviews I organized (with Mike Svobo, Gus Hansen and myself) were cut out for being "too different".

Then I had a great idea to make a documentary called "Life of the Gambler" and I even signed a six-month contract with the biggest TV production company 'T W I' in London. But apparently no TV channels were interested.

Let's hope I am interviewed at The Bahamas event so I can have a few minutes chance (before losing in the tournament) to tell TV viewers what a great game Backgammon is!

GammonLife — I like the title of your forthcoming book, "From Russia with luck", cool! What is the book about and can we expect to read any extraordinary stories about backgammon in it?

Victoria Smirnoff — It was meant to be mainly about gambling stories. But because I have gambled since I was 12 (I mean betting money on ping-pong, badminton, chess, drafts and all sorts of card games), I decided to show through my stories the fall of Soviet Union, the major change in the society and personal values. For example, gambling in Soviet Union was illegal and backgammon was the most popular game in prisons, where boards are made of black and white bread, sand and water.

By the way, since it is my biography, all the stories are extraordinary!

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