Akiko Yazawa is one of the most important figures in Japanese backgammon and one of the leading players of the modern era. The most important feature of her career should be stated right away: two-time World Champion. Yazawa won the Main Event of the World Backgammon Championship in Monte Carlo in 2014 and 2018, etching her name into the history of the competition.
Yazawa's story goes far beyond two World Championship titles. She was the first woman to enter the Giants of Backgammon list and climbed as high as No. 3 in the world in the 2015 edition of the ranking. Meiji Gakuin University also confirms that her second championship in 2018 made Yazawa the first Japanese player and the first woman to win the World Championship Main Event twice.
Who Is Akiko Yazawa?
Yazawa is a professional Japanese player and a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Meiji Gakuin University. Over the years, she has competed in tournaments across Japan, Europe and the United States and, in addition to her World Championship titles, has reached the late stages of several major international events.
Her professional career reached a major turning point in 2013. That year, Yazawa won the Super Jackpot at the Monaco World Championship, and one year later she claimed the main World Championship title. Four years later, she returned to Monte Carlo and captured the same title for a second time.
World Championship Victory in 2014
Yazawa's first World Championship came at the World Backgammon Championship 2014. She advanced through the main Monte Carlo bracket to the final and ultimately won the championship. Doug Mayfield of the United States finished as runner-up that year.
This victory was a defining moment in her career. Having won the Super Jackpot at the World Championship the previous year, Yazawa now also held the most important Main Event title, further establishing her position among the world's leading players.
Winning the World Championship Again in 2018
Four years later, Yazawa once again won the Main Event at the World Backgammon Championship 2018. Philip Kazemieh of Germany reached the final and finished in second place.
The second championship had special historical significance. Meiji Gakuin University writes in its official profile of Yazawa that this result made her the first Japanese player and the first woman in the world to win the World Championship Main Event twice. This achievement is the most important title that should appear alongside her name in her GammonWorld profile.
No. 3 in Giants of Backgammon in 2015
Another standout part of Yazawa's career is her record in the Giants of Backgammon. In the 2013 list, she climbed from No. 108 in the previous edition to No. 17 in the world. Two years later, she made an even bigger leap, earning third place in the world in the Giants of Backgammon 2015 list.
Only Masayuki Mochizuki and Michihito Kageyama ranked above her that year. Yazawa even finished ahead of names such as Falafel Natanzon, Matt Cohn-Geier, Neil Kazaross and Petko Kostadinov. For a player who had entered the Giants group only a few years earlier, reaching third place was a remarkable rise.
The First Woman in Giants of Backgammon
Yazawa also holds another important historical record: she was the first woman to be selected as one of the Giants of Backgammon. Backgammon.com records this achievement in its official profile of her.
Yazawa's presence in the Giants was not a short-lived achievement. She ranked eighth in 2017 and was still ranked 13th in the 2024 list. This means that more than a decade after her first appearance, her name remains among the leading players recognized by this international vote.
A Brilliant 2018 Season; More Than Just a World Championship
2018 was one of the best seasons of Yazawa's professional career. Before winning her second World Championship, she finished runner-up in the Super Jackpot at the inaugural Sochi World Backgammon Series.
A few weeks later, she also finished third in the Super Jackpot at the Chicago Open 2018. Then, in August of the same year, she completed these results by winning the Main Event at the Monte Carlo World Championship. Therefore, the WBGF records show that her Chicago result was third place, not runner-up.
Sochi World Backgammon Series Super Jackpot: Runner-up, 2018
Chicago Open Super Jackpot: Third place, 2018
World Backgammon Championship Main: Champion, 2018
Yazawa's Place in World Championship History
Yazawa's 2014 and 2018 titles placed her among the select group of players who have won the World Championship Main Event more than once. The achievement was doubly significant for her because she became not only the first woman with two World Championship titles, but also, according to Meiji Gakuin, the first Japanese player with two World Championship titles.
This success came during an era when Japan had several highly prominent players on the world stage. Masayuki Mochizuki and Michihito Kageyama were among the leading names in the Giants during those years, while Yazawa, with her World Championship victories and third-place Giants ranking, became part of a powerful generation of Japanese backgammon.
Appearances in Historical Backgammon Lists
The BKGm website's Backgammon Hall of Fame page lists Yazawa among the World Champions of 2014 and 2018 as well as the third-ranked Giants player in 2015. However, this page is a historical collection and reference for World Champions and Giants and should not be confused with official membership in the American Backgammon Hall of Fame.
Yazawa does not appear on the current membership list of the official American Backgammon Hall of Fame sources. Therefore, for GammonWorld, it is better to focus on her confirmed achievements, namely her two World Championship titles and her historic place in the Giants, rather than using the ambiguous phrase "Hall of Fame member."
Akiko Yazawa's Major Achievements
Yazawa's career combines one of the biggest individual titles in backgammon with a very high position in the Giants. These achievements alone are enough to build one of the strongest player profiles in the GammonWorld collection.
World Backgammon Championship Main: World Champion, 2014
Giants of Backgammon 2015: Third in the world
Giants of Backgammon: First woman selected to the list
Sochi World Backgammon Series Super Jackpot: Runner-up, 2018
Chicago Open Super Jackpot: Third place, 2018
World Backgammon Championship Main: World Champion, 2018
Giants of Backgammon 2024: 13th place
Conclusion
When introducing Akiko Yazawa, one phrase matters more than any other: 2× World Champion. Winning the World Championship in 2014 and 2018 alone establishes her place in backgammon history, especially when we consider that she was the first woman and the first Japanese player to win the World Championship Main Event for a second time.
Her third-place finish in the Giants of Backgammon 2015 and her record as the first woman in the Giants add another dimension to her career. Yazawa did not simply win two major tournaments; she remained one of the best-known and most influential figures in professional backgammon worldwide for many years.