World’s top backgammon players

Kleinman · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 14

I was wondering if there were any backgammon stars. Like Michael Jordan and Shaq are to basketball, are there any backgammon players that define the game of backgammon? If so, how are the top backgammon players and stars determined?

NulloPlay · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 11

Actually, yes. A list comes out every two years that lists the top players in the world. The list is based on voting among backgammon players around the world. This list is, of course, just based on opinion and on different people’s interpretation of backgammon successes and failures however it clearly represents the players that are admired and viewed as stars within the backgammon community. The 2007 list hasn’t come out yet, but here are the top ten players from 2005 according to the list:

1. Nack Ballard, USA
2. Neil Kazaross, USA
3. Francois Tardieu, France
4. “Falafel Natanzon, Israel
5. Kit Woolsey, USA
6. Steve Sax, USA
7. Lars Bonding, Denmark
8. Dirk Schiemann, Germany
9. Jerry Grandell, Sweden
10. Paul Magriel, USA

If you want to see the rest of the list it is available at http://www.flintbg.com/giants.html

The voting can often be a bit biased depending on the country where each voter lives. However, it can be assured that all of these players are among the most fantastic backgammon players in the world.

Nack Ballard is the only player that has been in the top ten since the top backgammon players survey was created in 1991.