With recent reports showing strong declines in the personality traits of young people, and an erosion in cognitive function in chat gpt users, alarms are now sounding about the negative impacts of technology on the minds of the next generation.
Our young people live in a world where the noise is constant and focus is fleeting. Smart phones, social media and non-stop news feeds are over-stimulating young minds and undermining attention spans.
So how do we fight back against the wave of distraction and disconnection in our culture?
In Odense, Denmark — the enchanting birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen (the ‘Godfather of Fairy Tales’), a quiet revolution is unfolding.
Thanks to backgammon Grandmaster and teacher Daniel Sørensen, an ancient game is making a comeback in schools, and with it, a renewed power to think clearly and stay focused.
A classic game rekindling the power to think
As a Grandmaster-level player, it was only natural that teacher Daniel Sørensen would start introducing backgammon to his students at Sanderumskolen, a state school in the Danish town of Odense.
In 2013 he first started by teaching the game to students after school, and soon after he convinced mathematics teachers to incorporate backgammon tuition during class time.
“At first there was some resistance among a few teachers, but even they are now enthusiasts. Now they really love it”, Sørensen shares.
Nowadays “the game itself carries its own” and is taught during class time as a subject. The school’s award winning backgammon program has been shared at conferences and on TV.
Sørensen has also since established a huge annual tournament at the school where over 500 students gather to compete with their newfound skills.
Behind the enthusiastic adoption of backgammon by the school, is the fact that backgammon brings serious cognitive and social benefits.
In his time teaching backgammon, Sørensen has observed notable changes amongst his students in their ability to concentrate for long periods of time. This is a remarkable discovery at a time when deep thinking is increasingly rare.
“When I was a kid, thinking wasn’t reserved for special occasions—you could do it anytime,” he shares. “Backgammon actually forces you to think.”
“It’s a big reason why I argue for school backgammon programs. It helps kids train themselves in a fun way to concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time”.
Backgammon as a calming force for ADHD
Though not an expert in the area, Sørensen has anecdotally observed that the positive impact of backgammon on the cognitive abilities of children seems particularly pertinent for children with ADHD (Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder).
“Actually, what I see with some kids who have ADHD is that they’ll sit down and start playing, and at first they’re not at ease. They start moving the checkers … and then something on the board forces them to think about it. That process, thinking about it, makes them calmer.”
“And it’s visibly so. You can even talk to them about it, and they’ll say, yeah, I can feel it myself. I’m sort of nervous and edgy, and then something happens over the board that, in a fun way, gets them out of that state.”
“You wouldn’t think that intuitively, because they’re just sitting down. They’re sitting still, not doing anything, but there’s so much going on in their brain, and the position demands focus. And that focus calms them down.”
A fun pathway to stronger math skills
At a time when mathematical proficiency is in decline, backgammon also provides an opportunity for young learners to develop their understanding and confidence with numbers.
“There are obvious benefits in counting and thinking. No matter your level or math ability, you improve. Personally, even though I’ve always been good with numbers, Backgammon taught me more because it’s continuous practice”.
“This constant engagement actually exercises an area in the brain called Area 44 that is sometimes called ‘the math muscle’. Younger kids practice counting repeatedly, and older kids start noticing strategies: adding dice values, subtracting, understanding odd and even numbers, and so on. In this way, backgammon prepares kids for other math tasks at school.”
Filling the soft skills gap
Backgammon just doesn’t improve thinking skills. It also helps with some surprising soft skills that are critical for getting along with others, like adaptability, self-regulation and cooperation.
“Backgammon encourages kids to question their beliefs. If someone is stubborn, they learn that sometimes it’s better to adapt. If they have an aggressive temper, they practice regulating it; if they are timid, they learn to navigate challenges. In this way, the game helps balance different personalities.”
“We also play consultation doubles at the school, where two people play against two others. This teaches cooperation: kids notice that listening to and considering another person’s strategy can improve their play. For example, they learn to give up their own beliefs when the other argument is convincing.”
Students playing consultation doubles
Unlike chess, backgammon is inherently inclusive
What sets backgammon apart from chess is that, while it is still a game of strategy, the dice introduces an element of chance. This means that even a beginner can, with a streak of lucky rolls, beat a Grandmaster — something impossible in chess.
Due to this role of luck, backgammon has a more inclusive and egalitarian feel to it, enabling a sense of community between individuals no matter their age, ability and background.
“One common benefit across all age groups is a sense of community. It’s something they can do together. For example, at the school tournament, grade 2 kids might, just by the draw, end up playing against grade 8 kids — six years older — and still have a chance to win. During our school tournament days, we even have a side event where the kids can play against world champions like Peter Halberg and Lars Trabolt. The kids love it!”
“Backgammon gives a rare opportunity in the school system for older and younger kids, beginners and experts to meet on equal ground. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy, a child or adult, beginner or a champion. Anyone can share the board experience.”
“Then the parents get involved, kids start asking for a board for Christmas, and then they are playing as a family”.
“There’s a real community with backgammon. Even today, that’s backgammon’s strength, not just in Denmark. If I go to Milan, for example, and I want to play, I can immediately meet people who have the same interests. I will have some friends right away.”
As a true equalizer, backgammon is certainly a powerful tool for bringing people together.
Healing a disconnected society
The positive effects of backgammon are not only being felt within the schools where Sørensen has been teaching. There is currently a revival of the ancient game underway amongst all ages in Denmark.
As social media is increasingly making us feel more disconnected, backgammon is gaining appeal among those seeking something real, focused, and substantial.
“People are a lot more on their phones, and that’s time-consuming. People are getting lonely because there’s so much screen time and so much addiction connected to it.”
“Some people are longing for the opposite of that and say, “hey, I need to do something else.” And the opposite of that is, in a way, backgammon.”
“Backgammon takes time. The rewards of playing backgammon aren’t immediate but come over the long term. If you learn a skill in backgammon, it might take ten matches for that skill to really play out. And even the game itself takes hours.”
Whilst backgammon is clearly an antidote to instant gratification and short-term attention spans, the revival still depends upon individuals like Sørensen, who is sparking widespread enthusiasm for the game as a teacher.
We are seeing a similar phenomenon in New York where young trailblazer Remington Davenport is leading a revival of the game amongst her peers, who are desperate for real human connection outside of apps.
Denmark as a backgammon hotspot
It makes sense that the adoption of backgammon within education is sparking in Denmark. It turns out that the Scandinavian country is a well known hot spot for the game.
“Denmark is known all over the backgammon world for being, sort of, THE country for backgammon, because we have a huge federation. Many people my age, or even 10, 15 years younger than me, they know the game. I would say of people my age, maybe 25% can play.”
“Board games in general have become really popular in Denmark. Every city now has a board game café: that’s the point of the café. Backgammon is a part of that. I’ve heard it’s kind of “in”, and being shared all over Instagram”.
“Here in Odense our club is the largest growing backgammon community in Denmark. We have very active enthusiasts in our club, especially Christian Klebajn, a Danish backgammon player who is currently serving on the board of the Danish Backgammon Federation (DBgF)”.
“We have this very lucky arrangement with a street food place, Storms Pakhus, which is the most popular eating place in our town. We play there once a month, so we’re very visible to locals. We also have a monthly beginner tournament where people can come off just the street. That’s my job, to teach beginners!”
According to Sørensen, Denmark’s global status as a backgammon hub is due to several factors.
“I think it’s a combination of enthusiasts. Back in the late 80s, we had two guys, Chris Ternel, originally from England, and Erik Gravgaard, and they started the Federation along with some others. At the time, there was also a very high unemployment rate in Denmark—we had about 300,000 unemployed. That meant lots of people had spare time, and you need spare time for a backgammon community to grow.”
“During the 1990s, the Carlsberg Cup helped too, because there were backgammon boards everywhere at cafes, thanks to sponsorship from Carlsberg. So people would learn the game, often taught by others who weren’t necessarily tournament players. People would see the game everywhere.”
“There’s also a joke in Denmark that if three people meet more than once, they have to start a club. Not just in backgammon, but in anything. It’s part of the culture. In the 90s, maybe 15 towns in Denmark had their own backgammon club. In Copenhagen, there were so many clubs, you could play every day of the week.”
Join the revolution, start a club!
With a passion for growing the game, Sørensen now encourages anyone he can to start a club.
“One of the big problems we have in Denmark is that there’s more interest than there are tournaments. Everyone wants to come to the party, but there are not many hosts. But if we had an enthusiast in every town, we could start a backgammon club in every town. I’m actually certain that’s possible.”
“I hear that’s similar in other places too, not just Denmark. It’s not so much whether people will come; it’s whether someone can start a place for them to play.”
“You don’t need to be great at backgammon to start a club. It’s not difficult. If you want to do it and have no idea how to start, just write on a backgammon news site and ask, “I want to start a club. What can I do?” Soon you’ll find resources with ideas to get you started.”
“Depending on where you are in the world, it might be easier or harder. In Denmark, I’m pretty sure you could start a club anywhere and have members on the first day.”
How to teach backgammon to kids
As well as encouraging backgammon enthusiasts to start their own club, Sørensen is also hopeful more schools will start adopting backgammon for their students.
“Our school is proud of being the first movers on it. The goal now is to spread it to other schools, so I’m visiting different schools as well.”
After having spent over 10 years teaching backgammon to children aged 5-16, Sørensen has plenty of wisdom to share.
“You don’t need to be a Grandmaster at all. It can be useful, helpful even, but you really just need to know the rules. That’s it. In fact, I’m sure some teachers could do it better than me.”
“I have this routine that I do now, which has been developed by trial and error. The routine is that I come in and show them the game. I show them the board, and then I use a whiteboard to show a position on the screen in eXtreme Gammon.”
“Then I show them a bear-off position (the game in its final stage). That way, they see what the object of the game is. I used to just show them the beginning of the game, but then they had to play an entire game to understand the objective.”
“I found it was easier to start with the bear-off position because then they could learn the rules. What happens if you roll a double, and so on. Then they see the last checker get borne off, and they understand what it’s about.”
“What taught me that, was years ago when a couple of kids played their first game for an hour. When they finally bore off the last checker, they said, “Oh, that’s what it’s all about!” So I figured it’s better to start at the end.”
“That makes it click for them. Most backgammon players are surprised at how long it takes beginners to play a game. They often think they can start showing kids opening rolls immediately, but that makes no sense.”
Sørensen’s 3 tips for teaching kids
After over a decade of practice, Sørensen has nailed his approach to teaching kids. As part of his routine, he always tells his students three things:
- HAVE FUN!
“First, make sure you have a fun time. Backgammon is a fun game, so make sure it’s fun for you and your opponent.”
- LEARN SOMETHING
“Once that’s in order, the second thing is to learn something. If it’s their first time playing, they should learn the rules, know the object of the game, and understand what it’s all about. If those two things are happening, you’re pretty much there—you’re learning and having fun while doing it.”
- WIN!
“And third, it’s about winning. The game is about win or lose, and it can feel cruel. Kids feel that, so there’s no point in ignoring it—it’s a huge factor for most people who play.”
| About Daniel Sørensen Daniel Sørensen is a Canadian Grandmaster backgammon player and teacher who was born in Vancouver, but now resides in the Danish city of Odense. The surname Sørensen comes from his Norwegian grandfather. Sørensen moved to Norway at the age of 8 when his mother was offered a job there while on summer holiday. He then spent the next ten years living in Norway: firstly in the coastal town of Bodø, just north of the Arctic Circle, and then even further north in Karasjok and Tana. After a few years living in Canada, he moved back to Northern Norway (Tromsø). At the age of 24, his sister introduced him to backgammon and taught him to play in a cafe. By coincidence his sister was living next door to Jon Kristian Røyset neighbor in 2003, the year he won the World Championship in Monte Carlo. Sørensen met his first wife while working at a hotel in Balestrand, Norway. After travelling around the world they settled in her home country of Denmark. In Denmark he connected to the backgammon tournament scene through his brother-in-law. He would go to work and then go play at a cafe afterward. He fell in love with the game: the competition, and the theory. He moved to Odense, and by coincidence moved into an apartment which was in the same building as the local backgammon club. After figuring out who were the best players, he started trying to beat them. After an 8 year break Sørensen re-entered the game, which had become tighter due to the widespread use of backgammon software XG. It had become easier to get better as it was possible to objectively analyze your game. Sørensen worked on improving his skills through the use of XG and tournament backgammon, and then in 2018 he attained the title of ‘Grandmaster’. His proudest moment in backgammon was winning against world champion Lars Trabolt at the XG Masters. Christian Munk-Christensen wrote on the Danish Backgammon Federation that it was the best match he’d ever seen. After initially training as a “Pedagogue” (Assistant Teacher), Sørensen started working in schools, and has worked at the Sanderumskolen since around 2008. Today, Sørensen lives in Odense with his current wife, and has three children. |
