Mikayel Vardanyan is one of Russia's prominent players in professional backgammon. Beyond what can be seen from his tournament statistics alone, Vardanyan's record includes several major titles, multiple international finals, and a notable position in the WBGF world rankings. The organization currently lists him as a Grandmaster G2, and his name appears at 17th in the world.
Among his most notable results are a runner-up finish at the Cyprus Open 2023, victory at the Concorde Open 2024, victory in the men's division of the Russian Backgammon Championship 2024, and several Super Jackpot titles. In 2026, his run of deep tournament finishes continued, as he reached the Championship Main final at the Merit Open Montenegro Grand Prix.
Who Is Mikayel Vardanyan?
Vardanyan is a Russian player and a WBGF member. His official profile lists his nationality as Russian Federation and his professional title as Grandmaster G2. His participation in tournaments in Cyprus, Montenegro, Germany, Monaco, and various WBF events shows that his professional activity extends well beyond tournaments in Russia.
In the current WBGF rankings, Vardanyan is ranked 17th in the world with more than 1,200 points. This places him alongside a group of internationally recognized Grandmasters and provides a more accurate picture of his current standing than a simple list of tournament results.
Runner-Up at the 2023 Cyprus Open in a 247-Player Field
One of Vardanyan's most important finals came at the 20th Cyprus Open 2023. The main event featured 247 players, and he finished second after a long run through the tournament.
Aref Alipour won the tournament, while Vardanyan finished runner-up with 12 wins, three losses, and one Bye. Vasily Chemokhonenko, Aykut Keskin, Oliver Squire, and Tobias Hellwag were also among the top finishers in the same field, showing the strength of the competition Vardanyan had to overcome to reach the final.
2024: One of Vardanyan's Best Professional Seasons
2024 was a year filled with major results for Mikayel Vardanyan. In February, he won the 2nd Arkin Open VIP Championship Main. A few weeks later, he also claimed the Super Jackpot Main title at the Merit Open Montenegro Grand Prix.
In May of the same year, Vardanyan won the Northern Cyprus Concorde Open Championship Main. In autumn 2024, two more major results followed: victory in the men's division of the first Russian Backgammon Championship and then victory in Super Jackpot 2 at the TRNC Merit Open. In short, 2024 was not simply a good tournament year for him; several major trophies were recorded in succession.
Russian Backgammon Championship 2024 Winner
At the inaugural Russian Backgammon Championship, held in Saint Petersburg in October 2024, Vardanyan took first place in the men's Backgammon division. The field consisted of 106 players.
Agamir Gevorky finished second and Aleksey Tokarev took third place. This result is one of Vardanyan's most important domestic titles and, alongside his international victories, further highlights his position in Russian backgammon.
Concorde Open Victory and Two Super Jackpot Titles in 2024
The WBGF profile lists Vardanyan as the winner of the 5th Northern Cyprus Concorde Open Championship Main in May 2024. That same year, he also won the Super Jackpot Main at the Merit Open Montenegro Grand Prix.
His success in Jackpot events continued through the end of the year. At the TRNC Merit Open 2024, Vardanyan won Super Jackpot 2. Mahir Kasuto finished second, while Adrian Baltariu and Aref Alipour shared third and fourth places.
Important Finals in 2025
Vardanyan also reached the latter stages of several tournaments in 2025. At the Backgammon Festival Aachen, he finished runner-up in the Championship Main. At the Monte Carlo Open that same year, he reached ninth place in the Main and won the Consolation event.
At the Grand Sapphire Open 2025, he also finished fourth in the Championship Main, while at the Oasis International Backgammon Cup that year he placed 12th in the Main. Not all of these results were championship victories, but repeatedly reaching the later stages of different tournaments is an important indicator in the career of a professional player.
Runner-Up at the Merit Open Montenegro Grand Prix 2026
In April 2026, Vardanyan reached another major final. He finished second in the Merit Open Montenegro Grand Prix Championship Main. This result is one of his biggest recent achievements in the WBGF circuit.
A few weeks later, he also finished sixth in the Championship Main at the Georgian Grand Prix 2026. At Oasis 2026, he placed fourth in Super Jackpot 2. These results show that he has remained active at the highest level of international competition in 2026.
Mikayel Vardanyan's Major Achievements
When Vardanyan's WBGF results and tournament databases are considered together, his career record appears much more complete than a simple statistical list. Main event titles, Super Jackpot victories, and several major finals across different countries form the core of his competitive history.
Cyprus Open Championship Main: Runner-up in 2023 in a 247-player field
Arkin Open VIP Championship Main: Winner in 2024
Merit Open Montenegro Grand Prix Super Jackpot: Winner in 2024
Northern Cyprus Concorde Open Championship Main: Winner in 2024
Russian Backgammon Championship – Men: Winner in 2024 in a 106-player field
TRNC Merit Open Super Jackpot 2: Winner in 2024
Monte Carlo Open Consolation: Winner in 2025
Backgammon Festival Aachen Championship Main: Runner-up in 2025
Merit Open Montenegro Grand Prix Championship Main: Runner-up in 2026
Georgian Grand Prix Championship Main: Sixth place in 2026
Grandmaster G2 and 17th in the WBGF World Rankings
One of the most important points in Vardanyan's current profile is the Grandmaster G2 title. WBGF displays this title on his official profile and currently places Vardanyan 17th in the world rankings.
This position is recorded with more than 1,200 points in the World Ranking system. The WBGF ranking is based on tournament results recorded in the system and should be considered separately from ratings in systems such as FTB; the two databases do not use identical criteria or datasets.
Mikael Vardanyan's Statistics in the FTB Gammon System
The FTB Gammon System also records an extensive history for Vardanyan. According to the current data in that system, he has participated in 91 tournaments and 264 matches, with 147 wins.
Rating: 1865.25
Tournaments: 91
Matches: 264
Wins: 147
Losses: 117
Win rate: 55.7%
These statistics include only the data recorded by the FTB Gammon System in its own database. Therefore, the FTB tournament count and win rate should not be combined with WBGF rankings or results; each represents a different part of the player's competitive history.
A Correction Regarding the Moscow Backgammon Championship 2024
In some initial notes, Vardanyan was described as the runner-up at the Moscow Backgammon Championship 2024, but the published results do not confirm this claim. In the Open division of the tournament, Aleksandr Abushkevich was the winner and Vasily Chemokhonenko was the runner-up, while Vardanyan finished in the range of seventh and eighth place.
This distinction is important because a player profile should be based on recorded results rather than information repeated in unofficial lists. Fortunately, Vardanyan's career already includes enough verified achievements that there is no need to add an unconfirmed runner-up finish.
Final Words
Mikayel Vardanyan should not be viewed simply as an experienced player with dozens of recorded tournaments. His Concorde Open victory, Russian Championship title, two Super Jackpot victories in 2024, Cyprus Open final in 2023, and runner-up finish at the Montenegro Grand Prix in 2026 provide a much more complete picture of his career.
His Grandmaster G2 title and current 17th-place WBGF ranking further clarify his professional standing. For GammonWorld, the best way to introduce him is as a Russian player with championship victories at several major events, multiple finals, and a consistent presence at the highest level of international backgammon.