Backgammon always raises an interesting question: If we wanted to identify the world's best players using just one official ranking, which names would appear at the top?
This article provides a snapshot of the World Backgammon Federation, or WBGF, ranking as of September 12, 2026. At that point, John O'Hagan of the United States was ranked first with 1,675.64 points, while Petko Kostadinov was close behind in second place.
Names such as Irina Litzenberger, Kit Woolsey, Roberto Litzenberger, and Masayuki Mochizuki followed them. For Iranian readers, there was another notable point: Amirali Tavakoli and Arash Afroozian were both among the top 25 players.
The WBGF ranking changes regularly as new results are recorded, so the figures in this article should be read as a snapshot of the standings on that date, not as the live ranking today.
What Exactly Does the WBGF Ranking Measure?
The WBGF ranking is based on tournament results entered into the federation's official system. According to the WBGF's official explanation, tournament directors submit competition results, and the ranking is built from those recorded data.
So when we say “the best player in the world according to WBGF,” we mean the leader in the World Rank Points system. That does not necessarily mean the best player by PR, BMAB, the Giants List, or historical career record.
This distinction matters. A player may win a major tournament and still not hold the number one position in the WBGF world ranking.
Top 25 WBGF Players on September 12, 2026
According to the article's data for that date, the top 25 players were:
- John O'Hagan — United States — Grandmaster G2 — 1,675.64 points
- Petko Kostadinov — United States — Grandmaster G2 — 1,664.49 points
- Irina Litzenberger — United States — Master M3 — 1,526.96 points
- Kit Woolsey — United States — Grandmaster G2 — 1,492.16 points
- Roberto Litzenberger — United States — Master M1 — 1,470.33 points
- Masayuki Mochizuki (Mochy) — Japan — Super Grandmaster S2 — 1,442.91 points
- Steve Sax — United States — Grandmaster G2 — 1,384.49 points
- Jörgen Granstedt — Sweden — Grandmaster G2 — 1,384.22 points
- Marty Storer — United States — Grandmaster G1 — 1,315.44 points
- Richard Munitz — United States — 1,255.93 points
- Joe Urso — United States — Grandmaster G3 — 1,250.37 points
- Christoph Wagener — Germany — 1,223.59 points
- Kimon Papachristopoulos — Germany — Grandmaster G3 — 1,222.80 points
- Melissa Shin — United States — Master M3 — 1,180.15 points
- Mikayel Vardanyan — Russia — Grandmaster G2 — 1,175.90 points
- Dennis Culpepper — United States — Master M1 — 1,175.64 points
- Joe Russell — United States — Grandmaster G3 — 1,165.58 points
- Timo Väätäinen — Finland — 1,134.70 points
- Chris Trencher — United States — Grandmaster G2 — 1,131.43 points
- Johan Moazed — Sweden — Grandmaster G2 — 1,129.38 points
- Gerry Tansey — United States — Grandmaster G0 — 1,110.77 points
- Karen Davis — United States — Master M2 — 1,110.39 points
- Amirali Tavakoli — Iran — Grandmaster G2 — 1,107.62 points
- Tobias Hellwag — Germany — Grandmaster G3 — 1,092.57 points
- Arash Afroozian — Iran — Grandmaster G2 — 1,082.88 points
John O'Hagan: The Ranking Leader at the Time
On September 12, 2026, John O'Hagan was ranked first with 1,675.64 points.
His lead over Petko Kostadinov was only 11.15 points. That meant the top spot had very little breathing room, and a few new tournament results could change the order of the leading players.
This later became especially relevant because the WBGF ranking is dynamic and changes as new results are added.
Petko Kostadinov: Number Two and 2026 World Champion
Petko Kostadinov was second in the ranking reviewed here, but his 2026 season was about much more than his world ranking position.
He won the 2026 Backgammon World Championship in Monte Carlo and defeated Jason Pack in the final. Official sources and tournament results identify Kostadinov as the 2026 world champion.
The main event had 212 participants. Arnaud Mattern and Naoki Iketani finished as joint third-place players.
This is a good example of why an “overall ranking” and “current tournament form” do not always tell the same story.
Mochy: Still Among the World's Elite
Masayuki Mochizuki, better known as Mochy, is one of the most recognizable names in professional backgammon. In the September 12 ranking, he was sixth with 1,442.91 points and carried the Super Grandmaster S2 title.
At the WBGF World Championships London 2026, Mochy also finished first in the Super Jackpot. Official WBGF results show that he earned separate ranking points from different events at the same championships.
This is where the picture gets more interesting: an overall ranking captures only one part of a professional player's story.
Two Iranians in the World's Top 25
For Iranian readers, the presence of two Iranian players in the Top 25 was one of the most notable parts of the ranking.
Amirali Tavakoli: Rank 23
Amirali Tavakoli was 23rd with 1,107.62 points and the Grandmaster G2 title.
Arash Afroozian: Rank 25
Arash Afroozian was 25th with 1,082.88 points and the Grandmaster G2 title.
So at that point, Iran had two players among the top 25 in the WBGF ranking, and both carried the Grandmaster G2 title.
Why Is the WBGF Ranking Different from Being the “Best Technical Player”?
The WBGF Ranking is a tournament-results-based ranking system. But other criteria are also used to assess the strength of a professional backgammon player.
- PR and decision quality
- BMAB titles and evaluations
- Giants List
- Super Jackpot results
- World championship titles
- National team performance
- Consistency across different tournaments
For example, Mochy may rank sixth in WBGF at one point, but his world championship record and long presence at the highest level of professional backgammon provide a broader picture of his standing.
So if the question is, “Who was number one in the WBGF ranking on September 12, 2026?” the answer is clear: John O'Hagan.
But if the question is, “Who is the best player in the world in terms of technical strength and professional legacy?” one ranking table alone is not enough.
Key Results from the 2026 Backgammon World Championship
At the 2026 World Championship in Monte Carlo, the main results were:
- Champion: Petko Kostadinov
- Runner-up: Jason Pack
- Joint third: Arnaud Mattern
- Joint third: Naoki Iketani
Jörgen Granstedt, Phil Simborg, Felix Ziva, and Frédéric Andrieu also finished among the players placed fifth through eighth.
These results show that competition at the highest level of world backgammon is not limited to just a few names, and many players have a realistic chance of reaching the later stages of major events.
So Who Is the Best Player in the World?
The answer depends entirely on the criterion you choose.
If the only criterion is the WBGF ranking on September 12, 2026, the top three were:
- John O'Hagan — 1,675.64 points
- Petko Kostadinov — 1,664.49 points
- Irina Litzenberger — 1,526.96 points
But to build a fuller picture of player strength, tournament ranking, major event results, PR, BMAB, and professional history should all be considered together.
The WBGF ranking shows who has accumulated more points in the official results system. Tournament results show who performs best in major events, while metrics such as PR and BMAB focus more on decision quality.
WBGF Ranking Summary for September 12, 2026
- Ranking leader: John O'Hagan with 1,675.64 points
- Second place: Petko Kostadinov with 1,664.49 points
- Third place: Irina Litzenberger with 1,526.96 points
- Highest-ranked Japanese player in this table: Mochy, rank 6
- Highest-ranked Swedish player in this table: Jörgen Granstedt, rank 8
- Iranian players in the Top 25: Amirali Tavakoli at rank 23 and Arash Afroozian at rank 25
- 2026 world champion: Petko Kostadinov
- 2026 world championship runner-up: Jason Pack
If you remember only one point from this report, let it be this: on September 12, 2026, John O'Hagan was the leader of the ranking reviewed here, but the WBGF ranking is dynamic and changes as new results are recorded.