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Who Are the Best
Players in the World?
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Monte Carlo World Champions
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The World Championship of Backgammon
is held each year at the Loew's Hotel in Monte Carlo.
Typically 200 to 250 people participate in the Championship section.
Matches begin at 17 points in the early
rounds and increase to 25 points in the finals. Here are the
Monte Carlo winners and runners-up since 1979.
| 1979 |
| Winner: |
Luigi Villa, Italy
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| Runner-up: |
Jeff Westheimer, USA
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| 1980 |
| Winner: |
Walter Coratella, Mexico
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| Runner-up: |
Al Hodis, USA
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| 1981 |
| Winner: |
Lee Genud, USA
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| Runner-up: |
Joe Dwek, United Kingdom
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| 1982 |
| Winner: |
Jacques Michel, Switzerland
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| Runner-up: |
Mike Corbett, USA
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| 1983 |
| Winner: |
William Robertie, USA
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| Runner-up: |
Simon Naim, China
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| 1984 |
| Winner: |
Michael Svobodny, USA
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| Runner-up: |
Uli Koch, Germany
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| 1985 |
| Winner: |
Charles-Henri Sabet, Switzerland
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| Runner-up: |
Shimon Kagan, Israel
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| 1986 |
| Winner: |
Clement Palacci, Italy
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| Runner-up: |
Lorenzo Tizzani, Italy
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| 1987 |
| Winner: |
William Robertie, USA
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| Runner-up: |
Jerry Grandell, Sweden
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| 1988 |
| Winner: |
Phillip Marmorstein, Germany
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| Runner-up: |
Ron Rubin, USA
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| 1989 |
| Winner: |
Joseph Russell, USA
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| Runner-up: |
Mika Lidov, USA
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| 1990 |
| Winner: |
Hal Heinrich, Canada
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| Runner-up: |
Freddie Narboni, France
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| 1991 |
| Winner: |
Michael Meyburg, Germany
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| Runner-up: |
Gerhard Mauerer, Germany
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| 1992 |
| Winner: |
Ion Ressu, Switzerland
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| Runner-up: |
John Simon, United Kingdom
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| 1993 |
| Winner: |
Peter Jes Thomsen, Denmark
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| Runner-up: |
John Sjolin, Denmark
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| 1994 |
| Winner: |
Frank Frigo, USA
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| Runner-up: |
Peter Jes Thomsen, Denmark
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| 1995 |
| Winner: |
David Ben Zion, Israel
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| Runner-up: |
Josef, Tissona, Israel
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| 1996 |
| Winner: |
David Nahmad, Israel
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| Runner-up: |
Shlomo Vahab, Israel
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| 1997 |
| Winner: |
Jerry Grandell, Sweden
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| Runner-up: |
Frederic Banjout, France
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| 1998 |
| Winner: |
Michael Meyburg, Germany
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| Runner-up: |
Elliott Winslow, USA
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| 1999 |
| Winner: |
Jörgen Granstedt, Sweden
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| Runner-up: |
Gadi Carmeli, Israel
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| 2000 |
| Winner: |
Katie Scalamandre, USA
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| Runner-up: |
Thomas Holm, Denmark
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| 2001 |
| Winner: |
Jörgen Granstedt, Sweden
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| Runner-up: |
Thomas Holm, Denmark
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| 2002 |
| Winner: |
Mads Andersen, Denmark
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| Runner-up: |
Felix Ziva, Israel
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| 2003 |
| Winner: |
Jon Royset, Norway
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| Runner-up: |
Moshe Tissona, Israel
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| 2004 |
| Winner: |
Peter Hallberg, Denmark
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| Runner-up: |
Bob Wachtel, USA
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| 2005 |
| Winner: |
Dennis Carlston, USA
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| Runner-up: |
John O'Hagan, USA
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| 2006 |
| Winner: |
Philip Vischjager, Netherlands
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| Runner-up: |
Luigi Villa, Italy
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| 2007 |
| Winner: |
Jorge Pan, Argentina
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| Runner-up: |
Alvaro Savio, Brazil
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| 2008 |
| Winner: |
Lars Trabolt, Denmark
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| Runner-up: |
Mario Sequeira, Portugal
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| 2009 |
| Winner: |
Masayuki Mochizuki, Japan
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| Runner-up: |
Lars Trabolt, Denmark
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| 2010 |
| Winner: |
Lars Bentzon, Denmark
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| Runner-up: |
Ricardo Malas, Lebanon/Spain
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| 2011 |
| Winner: |
Takumitsu Suzuki, Japan
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| Runner-up: |
Fabio Gullotta, Italy
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| 2012 |
| Winner: |
Nevzat Dogan, Turkey/Denmark
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| Runner-up: |
Michihito Kageyama, Japan
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| 2013 |
| Winner: |
Vyacheslav Pryadkin, Ukraine
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| Runner-up: |
Lars Trabolt, Denmark
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| 2014 |
| Winner: |
Akiko Yazawa, Japan
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| Runner-up: |
Doug Mayfield, USA
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| 2015 |
| Winner: |
Cihangir Çetinel, Turkey
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| Runner-up: |
Sergey Erokhin, Russia
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| 2016 |
| Winner: |
Jörgen Granstedt, Sweden
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| Runner-up: |
Joseph Russell, USA
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| 2017 |
| Winner: |
Didier Assaraf, France
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| Runner-up: |
Petko Kostadinov, USA
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| 2018 |
| Winner: |
Akiko Yazawa, Japan
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| Runner-up: |
Philip Kazemieh, Germany
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| 2019 |
| Winner: |
Eli Roymi, Israel
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| Runner-up: |
Petko Kostadinov, USA
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Prior World Champions
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Before 1979 the World Championships were held in the Bahamas, and before that
in Las Vegas. Here are the early world champions of backgammon.
| 1967 |
Las Vegas |
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| 1968 |
Las Vegas |
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| 1969 |
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| 1970 |
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| 1971 |
Las Vegas |
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| 1972 |
Las Vegas |
| Winner: |
Oswald Jacoby, USA |
| Runner-up: |
Edward Burns, USA |
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| 1973 |
Las Vegas |
| Winner: |
Carol Crawford, USA |
| Runner-up: |
Lewis Deyong, USA |
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| 1974 |
Las Vegas |
| Winner: |
Claude Beer, USA |
| Runner-up: |
Philip Martyn, United Kingdom |
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| 1975 |
Bahamas |
| Winner: |
Billy Eisenberg, USA |
| Runner-up: |
Arthur Dickman, USA |
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| 1976 |
Bahamas |
| Winner: |
Vernon Ball, USA |
| Runner-up: |
Arthur Dickman, USA |
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| 1977 |
Bahamas |
| Winner: |
Ken Goodman, USA |
| Runner-up: |
Jim Crosby, USA |
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| 1978 |
Bahamas |
| Winner: |
Paul Magriel, USA |
| Runner-up: |
Kal Robinson, USA |
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PartyGammon Million
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The PartyGammon Million tournament (held January 2007, Paradise Island, Bahamas) was the richest and most prestigous backgammon tournament held in years. The entry fee was $10,000 and the guaranteed minimum prize money was $1,000,000, with the winner receiving over $500,000. The tournament attracted many of the best players in the world.
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2007 Main Results
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Winner:
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Andreas Märtens, Germany
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Finalist:
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Lasse Hjorth Madsen, Denmark
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Semifinalist:
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Nack Ballard, USA
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Semifinalist:
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Ralf Jonas, Germany
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Quarterfinalist:
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Alex Lehmann, USA
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Quarterfinalist:
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Sander Lylloff, Denmark
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Quarterfinalist:
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Arkadiy Tsinis, USA
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Quarterfinalist:
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Henrik Veje, Denmark
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2007 Consolation Results
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Winner:
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Lars Trabolt, Denmark
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Finalist:
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Torsten Haase, Germany
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Semifinalist:
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Kent Goulding, USA
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Semifinalist:
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Yaniv Shimony, Israel
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World Cup
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The World Cup was a premier backgammon event held in the United States
every two years from 1988 to 1998.
Matches were best three out of five 11-point matches. Each round took one day.
These are the six World Cup winners.
| World Cup I |
1988 |
Joe Sylvester, USA |
| World Cup II |
1990 |
Billy Horan, USA |
| World Cup III |
1992 |
Mike Svobodny, USA |
| World Cup IV |
1994 |
Billy Horan, USA |
| World Cup V |
1996 |
Malcolm Davis, USA |
| World Cup VI |
1998 |
Howard Ring, USA |
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World Amateur Championships
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From 1978 to 1985, the American Backgammon Championships held ten World Amateur Championships in Las Vegas. These tournaments featured huge prize money and attracted top players of the day.
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Amateur Section |
Open Section |
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1. January 1978 |
C. Felberbaum |
$180,400 |
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2. December 1978 |
Dave Leibowitz |
$130,000 |
Jason Lester |
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3. November 1979 |
Wayne Araki |
$150,000 |
Alan Martin |
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4. June 1980 |
Russell Sands |
$100,000 |
Mike Senkiewicz |
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5. June 1981 |
Bill Kennedy |
$100,000 |
Nick Maffeo |
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6. June 1982 |
Joe Neiman |
$100,000 |
Nack Ballard |
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7. June 1983 |
Joe Sylvester |
$100,000 |
Ron Rubin |
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8. June 1984 |
Jack Kissane |
$100,000 |
Leslie Stone |
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9. November 1984 |
Hossein Fooladi |
$35,000 |
Ron Weingrad |
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10. June 1985 |
Dean Muench |
$62,500 |
Sandy Lubetkin |
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WBF European Champions
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The Worldwide Backgammon Federation sanctions a
European Backgammon Championship each year. Here are the winners of that tournament since 1990.
| 1990 |
Thomas Lumper, Germany |
| 1991 |
Michael Meyburg, Germany |
| 1992 |
Ion Ressu, Romania |
| 1993 |
Matthias Körner, Germany |
| 1994 |
Ion Ressu, Romania |
| 1995 |
Evert van Eijck, Holland |
| 1996 |
Nicholas Kitt, Romania |
| 1997 |
Michael Löfblad, Sweden |
| 1998 |
Elio Hamoui, Israel/Italy |
| 1999 |
Mario Sequeira, Portugal |
| 2000 |
Harald Johanni, Germany |
| 2001 |
Francois Tardieu, France |
| 2002 |
Katja Spillum, Norway |
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| 2003 |
John Slattery, Scotland |
| 2004 |
Francois Tardieu, France |
| 2005 |
Francois Tardieu, France |
| 2006 |
Michel Serrero, France |
| 2007 |
Werner Schmuck, Austria |
| 2008 |
Fernando Braconi, Italy |
| 2009 |
Christos Groutsos, Greece |
| 2010 |
Ferat Gündogan, Turkey/Ger. |
| 2011 |
Arda Findikoglu, Turkey |
| 2012 |
Masayuki Mochizuki, Japan |
| 2013 |
Michihito Kageyama, Japan |
| 2014 |
Peter Blachian, Germany |
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American Backgammon Tour
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The American Backgammon Tour
is an annual master point race among players who participate in major
tournaments throughout the United States. It takes a combination of skill
and supportive attendance in ABT events to win. Here are the top finishers
since 1993.
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First Place |
Second Place |
Third Place |
| 1993 |
Marty Storer |
Art Benjamin |
Howard Markowitz |
| 1994 |
Neil Kazaross |
Patrick Gibson |
Abbas Zaltash |
| 1995 |
Joe Russell |
Doug Roberts |
Abbas Zaltash |
| 1996 |
Dennis Culpepper |
Dave Cardwell |
Art Benjamin |
| 1997 |
Art Benjamin |
Doug Mayfield |
John O'Hagan |
| 1998 |
Alex Caraplis |
Perry Gartner |
Maurice Barie |
| 1999 |
Neil Kazaross |
Gary Margosian |
John Brussel |
| 2000 |
Bob Bishop |
Sam Pottle |
Mike Senkiewicz |
| 2001 |
Jake Jacobs |
Rick Todd |
Richard Del Furia |
| 2002 |
Steve Sax |
Ed O'Laughlin |
Chuck Bower |
| 2003 |
Malcolm Davis |
Dean Adamian |
Ray Fogerlund |
| 2004 |
Frank Talbot |
Ray Fogerlund |
Neil Kazaross |
| 2005 |
Neil Kazaross |
Phil Simborg |
Stepan Nuniyants |
| 2006 |
Richard Munitz |
Gregg Cattanach |
Ken Fischer |
| 2007 |
Ray Fogerlund |
Richard Munitz |
Patrick Gibson |
| 2008 |
Neil Kazaross |
Tim Mabee |
Bob Koca |
| 2009 |
Ray Fogerlund |
Stick Rice |
Ed Bennett |
| 2010 |
Kit Woolsey |
John O'Hagan |
Richard Munitz |
| 2011 |
Ray Fogerlund |
Harvey Gillis |
Neil Kazaross |
| 2012 |
Neil Kazaross |
Alfred Mamlet |
Victor Ashkenazi |
| 2013 |
Neil Kazaross |
Ed O'Laughlin |
Rod Covlin |
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Nordic Open
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The Nordic Open is the largest
annual backgammon tournament in the world. It is held in Denmark, a
real hotbed of backgammon action.
Here are the winners of the Nordic Open since 1989.
| 1989 |
Henrik Østergaard, Denmark |
| 1990 |
Gerd Schiesser, Germany |
| 1991 |
Jerry Grandell, Sweden |
| 1992 |
Michael Herbst, Denmark |
| 1993 |
Alan Steffen, USA |
| 1994 |
Niels Fløjborg, Denmark |
| 1995 |
Rolf Schreuder, Holland |
| 1996 |
Mike Svobodny, USA |
| 1997 |
Tommy Westerlund, Sweden |
| 1998 |
Martine Oulés, France |
| 1999 |
Anders Nielander, Denmark |
| 2000 |
Peter Jes Thomsen, Denmark |
| 2001 |
Lars Trabolt, Denmark |
| 2002 |
Morten Holm, Denmark |
| |
| 2003 |
Karsten Bredahl, Denmark |
| 2004 |
Thomas Lenz, Germany |
| 2005 |
Karsten Bredahl, Denmark |
| 2006 |
Athanasios Lagopatis, Germany |
| 2007 |
Thomas Jespersen, Denmark |
| 2008 |
Reymann Tassilo, Austria |
| 2009 |
Claus Elken, Denmark |
| 2010 |
Søren T. Larsen, Denmark |
| 2011 |
Ralf Jonas, Germany |
| 2012 |
Thomas Myhr, Denmark |
| 2013 |
Ralf Jonas, Germany |
| 2014 |
Marc Brockmann Olsen, Den. |
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Giants of Backgammon
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Every two years Yamin Yamin of Illinois surveys
championship-level players and tournament directors around the world.
He asks them to rank the best currently active players in the world
considering both their tournament skills and side action. The result
is the Giants of Backgammon
list. The top 16 players from the 2017 survey (published April 2018)
are listed below.
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Top Giants of 2017
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Masayuki Mochizuki, Japan
Michihito Kageyama, Japan
Victor Ashkenazi , USA
Matt Cohn-Geier, USA
Petko Kostadinov, USA
"Falafel" Natanzon, Israel/USA
Lars Trabolt, Denmark
Akiko Yazawa, Japan
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9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
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Neil Kazaross, USA
Jörgen Granstedt, Sweden
Bob Wachtel, USA
Steve Sax, USA
Steen Grønbech, Denmark
Thomas Kristensen, Denmark
John O'Hagan, USA
Tobias Hellwag, Germany
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And here are the top Giants of previous years:
|
First Place |
Second Place |
Third Place |
| 1993 |
Wilcox Snellings, USA |
Mike Senkiewicz, USA |
Joe Sylvester, USA |
| 1995 |
Mike Senkiewicz, USA |
Wilcox Snellings, USA |
Billy Horan, USA |
| 1997 |
Wilcox Snellings, USA |
Mike Senkiewicz, USA |
Nack Ballard, USA |
| 1999 |
Jerry Grandell, Sweden |
Nack Ballard, USA |
Johannes Levermann, Ger. |
| 2001 |
Nack Ballard, USA |
Jerry Grandell, Sweden |
Johannes Levermann, Ger. |
| 2003 |
Nack Ballard, USA |
Jerry Grandell, Sweden |
Dirk Schiemann, Germany |
| 2005 |
Nack Ballard, USA |
Neil Kazaross, USA |
François Tardieu, France |
| 2007 |
Falafel Natanzon, Israel |
Nack Ballard, USA |
François Tardieu, France |
| 2009 |
Masayuki Mochizuki, Jap. |
Falafel Natanzon, Israel |
Neil Kazaross, USA |
| 2011 |
Falafel Natanzon, Israel |
Masayuki Mochizuki, Japan |
Neil Kazaross, USA |
| 2013 |
Masayuki Mochizuki, Japan |
Michihito Kageyama, Japan |
"Falafel" Natanzon, Isreal |
| 2015 |
Masayuki Mochizuki, Japan |
Michihito Kageyama, Japan |
Akiko Yazawa, Japan |
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: Backgammon Galore
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