Sam Collivas is studying a Bachelor of Psychology with ambitions of supporting others, but his degree has also helped him unlock a remarkable achievement of his own.
The Bond University student became the first person in Australian history to win three titles at the same backgammon tournament when he won the Open, Masters and Speedgammon competitions at the recent Queensland Championships.
The historic triple crown propelled Collivas from 30th to fourth in the Oceania rankings and credited him with eligibility for the world’s biggest backgammon tournaments in Europe.
The secret to Collivas’s success?
Understanding the game is about far more than the roll of the dice.
“Backgammon does have an element of luck, but it’s a very heavily skill-based game,” he said.
“Studying psychology has made me much more aware of the mental side of competition – pressure, confidence and attention towards decision-making.
“With 80 per cent of the players I compete against, I see a lot of negative emotional reactions.
“Being able to identify when frustration occurs helps me understand what they might do on the next move and that gives me an edge.”
Collivas’s rise to become one of Australia’s brightest young backgammon talents has been anything but conventional.
For starters, the 21-year-old only picked up the sport two years ago.
“Backgammon is the oldest board game invented and originates from Europe,” Collivas said.
“My dad is Greek and my mum is Maltese, so they both know how to play.
“When I was a kid, I wasn’t really interested in it but a few years ago Dad started teaching me and then I began playing with my grandfather.
“Before I knew it, I was addicted to the game and started entering tournaments.”
To prepare for seasoned competitors, Collivas practices against the toughest opponent imaginable – artificial intelligence.
“There's a software called Extreme Gammon, where you’re essentially playing a computer,” Collivas said.
“The computer is the best player because every move it makes is the correct one – it never makes mistakes.
“It analyses every move and helps me understand where I’m going wrong.”
But while technology has helped sharpen his skills, Collivas believes his biggest advantage comes from reading the person sitting across the board.
Backgammon matches are played against the clock, with each player given 27 minutes total time to complete their game. They can't take longer than twelve second to complete each move.
While many players rush their decisions, Collivas uses patience as a weapon.
“A lot of players tend to play fast, but I always take my time with every move, even if it’s obvious,” he said.
“A lot of opponents get frustrated waiting for you to move and I notice patterns, like my opponent getting a little fidgety.
“Sometimes I’ve already thought of the move 20 or 30 seconds earlier, but I’ll still take my time.
“By not being impulsive and not rushing, I’m able to control the pace of the game.”
Collivas' biggest test came in the semi-final of the Masters competition when he faced Oceania’s number one-ranked player, Mick Dyett.
“Playing Mick was definitely the toughest game,” Collivas said.
“I was able to beat him, but it gave me flashbacks of playing against the computer in my bedroom.
“The way he plays is so high level and I knew if I made any little errors, he was going to take advantage and change the game.
“I really had to play my best.”
Now, he is preparing to take his game onto the international stage – alongside one of his biggest competitors.
“There are huge tournaments in Monte Carlo, Romania, Croatia and all over Europe,” Collivas said.
“Mick travels all over the world competing, and we’ve already organised to go to several tournaments together next year.”