In May, with a pleasant breeze blowing through the green leaves, the JBS Backgammon Festival was held for the first time in three years, having been canceled last year and the year before due to the effects of a new type of coronavirus infection. The Backgammon Proficiency Test, which had been suspended, also returned for the first time in three years.
Continuing from the previous test, this year’s test production team was also made up of the strongest lineup. They were Mochy, Michy, Kazuki Yokota, and Hideaki Ueda.
In order to alleviate congestion at the venue, we have set up a system that allows online testing. From now on, backgammon tests will be held at the same time as the venue, and people from all over Japan will be able to take the test. This is great news for those who have always wanted to take the test but could not make it to Tokyo.
On the other hand, the bad news is that the venue was filled up early in the registration process, and due to a combination of inadequacies in the registration process, many people were not able to take the test. We sincerely apologize for this. As a temporary measure, we have decided to hold the on-site test on the afternoon of the day of the Backgammon Festival and the online test two days later on the last day of the festival. We will try to improve the situation in the future by negotiating for a larger room, having a staff member guide the participants to the reception desk, and conducting online registration in advance.
The results of this event showed that there were 30 testees, the average score was 22.1, the average total error was 3,341, and the average error per incorrectly answered question was 119.8. The top scorer was Kengo Nakasuka, followed by Naoya Kihara. The results of the first round of the 10th Backgammon Proficiency Test are as follows:
| Rank | Total score | Total errors | Name |
| 1 | 37 | 1418 | Kengo Nakasuka  |
| 2 | 31 | 1699 | Naoya Kihara |
| 3 | 28 | 2182 | (Anonymous) |
| 3 | 28 | 2875 | T. I. |
| 5 | 27 | 2110 | Ryo Matsuura |
| 5 | 27 | 2411 | Takato Tsushima |
| 5 | 27 | 2909 | Kensaku Okatani |
| 5 | 27 | 3082 | Kazuhiro Saito |
| 9 | 26 | 2620 | Hiromichi Sugimoto |
| 9 | 26 | 3283 | Y. N. |
| 11 | 25 | 2554 | Naoki Chiba |
| 12 | 24 | 2792 | Ryunosuke Shibano |
| 12 | 24 | 3524 | Hirotaka Katou |
| 12 | 24 | 3903 | (Anonymous) |
| 15 | 23 | 2948 | Hiroyuki Kawakami |
| 16 | 22 | 3829 | (Anonymous) |
| 17 | 21 | 3099 | (Anonymous) |
| 17 | 21 | 3212 | Yuuji Ogura |
| 17 | 21 | 3326 | Hideki Takeda |
| 20 | 19 | 3994 | H. K. |
| 21 | 18 | 3366 | A. Y. |
| 21 | 18 | 3371 | Shigetomo Nagata |
| 21 | 18 | 3908 | R. U. |
| 24 | 17 | 4764 | T. I. |
| 25 | 16 | 4213 | Ryutaro Ozawa |
| 25 | 16 | 4223 | Masahiko Nakajima |
| 27 | 14 | 5087 | (Anonymous) |
| 28 | 13 | 4015 | A. H. |
| 28 | 13 | 4962 | T. S. |
| 30 | 12 | 4550 | N. K. |
| Total 30 | Ave. 22.1 | Ave. 3341 |
As is my customary comment every time, the Backgammon Proficiency Test is not only about good or bad scores, but also about the world’s best quality as a collection of questions, and it is no exaggeration to say that “the strangeness of the questions” and “the explanations by the world’s top professionals” are the selling points. We hope that you will take our test as a chance to review your current situation and strengthen your skills without worrying about your score.
Thanks to your support, the Backgammon Pertification Test has entered its 10th season. The total number of testees has reached 1,215 so far. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported our test. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken the test.
We are off to a great start this year. Thank you very much. We are planning to hold the backgammon tests all over the world again this year. We will keep you updated with the latest information through this blog and our SNS. The next round 2 will be held at Swedish Open 2022.