History of the Backgammon World Championship: From Las Vegas to Monte Carlo
Backgammon is now an international competitive game. Players from Japan, the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and countries around the world compete for prestigious titles at major tournaments. Among these events, the Monte Carlo Backgammon World Championship holds a prominent and historically significant position.
However, the history of the Backgammon World Championship did not begin in Monte Carlo. Its origins date back to 1967 and the tournaments held in Las Vegas. During the 1970s, the Bahamas also became a center for world championship competitions. Finally, in 1979, two major competitive traditions came together, establishing Monte Carlo as the primary home of the World Championship.
Since then, players such as William Robertie, Jörgen Granstedt, Masayuki Mochizuki, Akiko Yazawa, and Frank Frigo have written their names into the tournament's history.
In 2026, Petko Kostadinov joined the list of champions after winning the main Championship division in Monte Carlo.
The Beginning of the Backgammon World Championship in 1967
To explore the history of the Backgammon World Championship, we must return to 1967.
That year, Prince Alexis Obolensky, an influential figure in the development of modern backgammon, organized a tournament called the World Championship in Las Vegas.
Tim Holland became the competition's first champion and successfully defended his title in 1968.
Following a break in the tournament schedule, Holland won his third championship in 1971.
However, historical records show that the early championship results are not entirely undisputed, and some editions require closer examination of the available sources.
The 1969 Historical Controversy: Was Alice Topping World Champion?
One of the most disputed entries in the early World Championship archive concerns 1969.
Some historical lists identify Alice Topping as that year's champion.
However, historical research by Dale Kerr indicates disagreement over whether a championship tournament was actually held in 1969.
Some accounts describe a tournament taking place and Alice Topping winning the title, while other evidence suggests that no competition may have been held that year.
The historical Backgammon Hall of Fame archive also lists 1969 among the years without a championship.
Therefore, to maintain historical accuracy, it is more appropriate to identify 1969 as a disputed year in the historical records rather than presenting a confirmed champion.
Further details are discussed in Dale Kerr's research on the history of the World Championship.
The Las Vegas Era: The First Generation of World Champions
In the years following Tim Holland's victories, the Las Vegas tournaments introduced other notable figures to the backgammon community.
Oswald Jacoby won the title in 1972, followed by Carol Crawford in 1973 and Claude Beer in 1974.
In 1975, Billy Eisenberg became champion.
However, historical sources disagree about the location of the 1975 tournament. Some archives identify the Bahamas, while Dale Kerr's research, based on historical evidence, identifies Las Vegas as the venue.
This disagreement demonstrates that documenting uncertainty is just as important as recording confirmed results when compiling a reliable historical archive.
The Bahamas Era: World Championships from 1976 to 1978
In 1976, Lewis Deyong organized the World Championship at Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
The champions of these three editions were:
- 1976: Baron Vernon Ball
- 1977: Ken Goodman
- 1978: Paul Magriel
During the same period, Monte Carlo hosted a separate tournament known as the European Championship.
The European champions included Joe Dwek in 1976, Jean-Noël Grinda in 1977, and Richard de Surmont in 1978.
In some historical accounts, these players have also been described as unofficial world champions. However, their tournament title was not identical to the official Bahamas World Championship series.
These two competitive traditions eventually came together in 1979.
1979: Monte Carlo Becomes the Home of the World Championship
1979 marked one of the most important turning points in the history of the Backgammon World Championship.
That year, Lewis Deyong combined the Bahamas World Championship with the Monte Carlo event, creating a more unified world championship competition.
The first champion of the Monte Carlo era was Luigi Villa of Italy.
In the final, he defeated Jeff Westheimer of the United States by a score of 25–22.
According to historical records, the tournament attracted 305 participants.
Since then, Monte Carlo has become closely associated with the Backgammon World Championship and established itself as one of the most important centers of professional competition in the game.
Backgammon World Champions Archive: 1967–1978
The following list presents the champions from the period before the World Championship moved to Monte Carlo.
- 1967 — Las Vegas: Tim Holland
- 1968 — Las Vegas: Tim Holland
- 1969 — Disputed location: Alice Topping is listed in some sources; whether the tournament took place remains disputed.
- 1970: No championship was held.
- 1971 — Las Vegas: Tim Holland
- 1972 — Las Vegas: Oswald Jacoby
- 1973 — Las Vegas: Carol Crawford
- 1974 — Las Vegas: Claude Beer
- 1975 — Las Vegas or Bahamas: Billy Eisenberg; historical sources disagree about the venue.
- 1976 — Bahamas: Baron Vernon Ball
- 1977 — Bahamas: Ken Goodman
- 1978 — Bahamas: Paul Magriel
Complete Monte Carlo World Champions Archive: 1979–2000
With the beginning of the Monte Carlo era, the championship entered a new phase. The winners of the main Championship division from 1979 through 2000 were:
- 1979: Luigi Villa
- 1980: Walter Coratella
- 1981: Lee Genud
- 1982: Jacques Michel
- 1983: William Robertie
- 1984: Mike Svobodny
- 1985: Charles-Henri Sabet
- 1986: Clement Palacci
- 1987: William Robertie
- 1988: Phillip Marmorstein
- 1989: Joseph Russell
- 1990: Hal Heinrich
- 1991: Michael Meyburg
- 1992: Ion Ressu
- 1993: Peter Jes Thomsen
- 1994: Frank Frigo
- 1995: David Ben-Zion
- 1996: David Nahmad
- 1997: Jerry Grandell
- 1998: Michael Meyburg
- 1999: Jörgen Granstedt
- 2000: Katie Scalamandre
Monte Carlo World Champions Archive: 2001–2026
During the twenty-first century, players from various European, Asian, and American countries have won the tournament's main championship title.
- 2001: Jörgen Granstedt
- 2002: Mads Andersen
- 2003: Jon Kristian Røyset
- 2004: Peter Hallberg
- 2005: Dennis Carlston
- 2006: Philip Vischjager
- 2007: Jorge Pan
- 2008: Lars Trabolt
- 2009: Masayuki Mochizuki
- 2010: Lars Bentzon
- 2011: Takumitsu Suzuki
- 2012: Nevzat Dogan
- 2013: Vyacheslav Pryadkin
- 2014: Akiko Yazawa
- 2015: Ali Cihangir Çetinel
- 2016: Jörgen Granstedt
- 2017: Didier Assaraf
- 2018: Akiko Yazawa
- 2019: Eli Roymi
- 2020: No championship was held.
- 2021: Masayuki Mochizuki
- 2022: Sander Lylloff
- 2023: Frank Frigo
- 2024: Johan Moazed
- 2025: Timo Väätäinen
- 2026: Petko Kostadinov
This archive covers the historical Monte Carlo World Championship series and should not be confused with the list of champions from WBGF world championship competitions.
Backgammon World Championship Record Holders
Throughout the history of the World Championship, several players have won the main title more than once.
Tim Holland: Three Titles in the Early Era
Tim Holland was the first recorded champion in the historical World Championship series.
He won the title three times, in 1967, 1968, and 1971.
This achievement remains one of the significant records of the championship's early years.
Jörgen Granstedt: Three Monte Carlo Championships
Jörgen Granstedt won the main Monte Carlo Championship three times, in 1999, 2001, and 2016.
The 17-year gap between his first and last victories reflects his continued presence at a high level of professional competition.
William Robertie: Two Championships in the 1980s
William Robertie won the World Championship in 1983 and 1987.
He is considered one of the prominent figures of the competitive backgammon generation of the 1980s.
Michael Meyburg: Two Championships Seven Years Apart
Michael Meyburg of Germany won the championship in 1991 and 1998.
The seven-year gap between his titles is an example of a successful return to the highest level of competition.
Akiko Yazawa: Two-Time World Champion
Akiko Yazawa won the main Monte Carlo Championship title in 2014 and 2018.
These two victories established her among the notable figures in the modern history of the World Championship.
Masayuki Mochizuki: Two World Titles for Japan
Masayuki Mochizuki, widely known as Mochy, became world champion in 2009 and 2021.
His second victory came after the tournament's interruption in 2020 and was one of the notable moments in the return of the Monte Carlo championship.
Frank Frigo: Returning to the Title After 29 Years
One of the most remarkable stories in World Championship history belongs to Frank Frigo.
He first won the title in 1994 and then became champion again in 2023.
The 29-year gap between his two victories represents an exceptional return to success at the world championship level.
2000: Katie Scalamandre's Historic Championship
In 2000, Katie Scalamandre won the main Championship division in Monte Carlo.
She defeated Thomas Holm in the final.
Her victory represents an important milestone in the history of women's participation in the main Backgammon World Championship competition.
In subsequent years, dedicated women's competitions also developed further alongside the main Championship division.
2020: The Championship Is Interrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Monte Carlo World Championship has demonstrated considerable continuity throughout its history, but 2020 was a major exception.
That year, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the tournament schedule, and no new Monte Carlo world champion was crowned.
The competition resumed in 2021, when Masayuki Mochizuki won the title.
Recent World Champions from 2022 to 2026
In recent editions, players from several countries have claimed the Monte Carlo championship.
In 2022, Sander Lylloff of Denmark became champion.
In 2023, Frank Frigo reclaimed the title after 29 years.
In 2024, Johan Moazed of Sweden won the championship.
In 2025, Timo Väätäinen of Finland defeated Doron Claxton of South Africa in the final to become champion.
According to the recorded information, the main Championship division in 2025 featured 226 participants.
2026 World Championship: Petko Kostadinov Wins in Monte Carlo
The 2026 Backgammon World Championship took place in Monte Carlo from July 25 to August 2, 2026.
In this edition, Petko Kostadinov, who has connections to the United States and Bulgaria, won the main Championship title.
Jason Pack finished as runner-up.
Naoki Iketani of Japan and Arnaud Mattern of France also reached the semifinals.
According to the tournament archive, 212 players were registered in the main Championship division.
- Tournament: Backgammon World Championship 2026
- Location: Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Dates: July 25 – August 2, 2026
- Champion: Petko Kostadinov
- Runner-up: Jason Pack
- Semifinalists: Naoki Iketani and Arnaud Mattern
- Main Championship Participants: 212
Information about recent editions is published on the Backgammon World Championship website and in specialized tournament results archives.
Are WBGF World Championships the Same as the Monte Carlo Championship?
No. The Monte Carlo Backgammon World Championship and the world championships organized by the World Backgammon Federation (WBGF) are two separate competitive series.
The Monte Carlo championship is historically connected to the Las Vegas and Bahamas events of the 1960s and 1970s.
By contrast, WBGF organizes its own world championship competitions with a separate structure and history.
According to the WBGF archive, some of the federation's individual world champions include:
- 2017: Nodari Gagua
- 2018: Tobias Hellwag
- 2019: Bakar Matikashvili
- 2020: Ralph Jonas
- 2021: S. Chenevière
- 2022: Patrick Didisheim
- 2023: David Klausa
- 2024: Peter van Rooij
- 2025: Mikael Westerlund
This list belongs to the WBGF world championship structure and should not be merged with the historical Monte Carlo champions archive.
For example, Mikael Westerlund and Petko Kostadinov earned world titles through different competitive series, and describing them without identifying their respective tournaments may cause confusion.
For the federation's champions list, readers can visit the official WBGF Hall of Fame archive.
Why Did Monte Carlo Become One of the World's Most Important Backgammon Centers?
Monte Carlo's significance extends beyond the tournament's name or geographical location.
Over several decades, the event has become a gathering place for prominent players from different countries.
Historical archives indicate that hundreds of players participated in many editions.
Examples of recorded participation figures include:
- 1979: 305 participants.
- 1981: Approximately 250 participants.
- 1989: 248 participants.
- 1995: 280 participants.
- 2001: 288 participants.
- 2003: 271 participants.
- 2024: 298 registrations across the entire event.
- 2025: 226 players in the main Championship division.
- 2026: 212 players in the main Championship division.
When comparing these figures, it is important to remember that total event registrations and the number of players in the main Championship division are not necessarily the same.
Alongside the main competition, categories such as Consolation, Last Chance, and various side events contribute to the appeal of this international gathering.
From Tim Holland to Petko Kostadinov: The Globalization of Backgammon
Examining nearly six decades of World Championship history reveals changes in the national backgrounds of its champions over time.
During the early years, American players featured prominently among the winners.
In subsequent decades, European champions emerged, followed by players from Japan, Scandinavia, the Middle East, and other regions.
Today, countries such as Italy, the United States, Japan, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine, Israel, and Finland appear in the championship's history.
This diversity reflects the geographical expansion of competitive backgammon and the participation of players from different cultures and regions at the highest levels of competition.
Conclusion: What Does the History of the Backgammon World Championship Reveal?
The history of the Backgammon World Championship began with the Las Vegas tournaments in 1967, continued through the Bahamas events of the 1970s, and became associated with Monte Carlo in 1979.
This historical series began with Tim Holland's championship victories and continued through generations of players including Luigi Villa, William Robertie, Jörgen Granstedt, Akiko Yazawa, Masayuki Mochizuki, and Frank Frigo.
In 2026, Petko Kostadinov won the main Monte Carlo Championship title.
The world champions archive is more than a list of names. It documents part of the development of professional backgammon, changing generations of competitors, and the international expansion of the game.
To preserve historical accuracy, disputed matters such as the 1969 championship and the location of the 1975 event should be clearly identified, while the Monte Carlo champions archive should remain separate from the WBGF world champions list.
As the championship continues, this archive can be updated annually with each new champion, the final match result, and official tournament statistics.