PRIMETIME - Backgammonusbgf.org/media/2014/PrimeTimeBG_2014_0708_Vol05N4.pdfPRIMETIME BACKGAMMON...

PRIMETIMEB A C K G A M M O N

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE USBGF JULY - AUGUST 2014

U.s. Backgammon federation

BEHIND THE SCENESNORDIC OPENNews and Interviews from the 2014 Nordic Open & Denmark vs. the World

visit us at usbgf.org

the giants of Backgammon

Jake Jacobs presents the fascinating history of the

infamous Giants list

Video LessonPhil Simborg lectures on

how to play double deuces

bob wachtel'sNew book!

Highly anticipated In the Game Until

the End, Volume II makes its debut

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where perennial winner Ray Fogerlund

added the LA championship title to his

U.S. Open and California State Champion-

ship crowns, making him this year’s King

of the West.

We also profile: an outstanding club, Barry

Silliman’s Beltway Backgammon Club; an

active female player, Michelle Steinberg; and

a promising junior, young Max Crosner.

Finally, USBGF President Bill Riles brings

us up to date on the Federation’s latest

programs and initiatives, all designed

to increase member benefits, encourage

member participation, and recruit new

blood from the great mass of recreational

American backgammon players.

Check out the live and online tournament

rankings, and Get in the Game!

- KAREN DAVIS

Karen Davis is Chairman of the USBGF Board of Directors and Managing Editor of PrimeTime Backgammon.

KAREN DAVIS

Featuring in-depth coverage of the Nordic Open!

5USBGF PrimeTime Backgammon Magazine

By Karen Davis, Managing Editor

Despite its population of only 6 million, Denmark has done more than any other country, over the last two decades, to spearhead the

revitalization of backgammon and to foster a

truly international community for the game.

This issue of PrimeTime Backgammon puts a

spotlight on that small country’s gala annual

backgammon festival, the Nordic Open: the

“toughest tournament in the world,” and one

accompanied by a unique challenge match:

Denmark vs. the World. Our coverage begins

with a couple of far-ranging and candid

interviews conducted before the event

by the Bulgarian expert, Iancho Hristov,

with playing captains Thomas Kristensen

(Denmark) and Mochy Mochizuki (World).

With the stage thus set, we move to the big

match itself, with an eyewitness report by

our editor and World team member, Bob

Wachtel. Bob adds local color to his account

by highlighting not only the actual moves

that were played in the match but also the

heated discussions, banter, and fearless

side betting that accompanied them. Our

Turkish friend Sabri Büyüksoy completes

the Scandinavian sketch by sharing with

us his panoramic photographic portrayal

of the event.

Not that the U.S. does not have some super-

strong tournaments itself. The release of

the Giants of Backgammon list brought a

number of Giants to Rory Pascar’s Chicago

Open to receive their certificates. Five of the

top six Giants participated (Chicagoan Neil

Kazaross was sidelined for health reasons).

Paul Weaver analyzes a round-robin match

in the World Backgammon Tournament

of Champions between #3 and #5 Giants,

Falafel Natanzon and Matt Cohn-Geier.

Jake Jacobs provides his own witty take

on the Giants list.

We also showcase #8 Giant Bob Wachtel’s

new book, In the Game Until the End,

Volume II, a sequel to his pioneering 1993

pre-bot-era study of ace-point endings.

Reviewing the book, John O’Hagan calls it

a “great work” and a “must read” for serious

students of the game. As Bob explains it,

“some of the most intriguing — and mys-

terious — positions in the backgammon

universe lie at contact’s 11th hour. Holding

the opponent’s ace point, a competitor is

‘in the game until the end’ — an end which

can run the gamut from utter disaster to

miraculous deliverance.” After a hiatus of

20 years, Bob finally deploys the cutting-

edge tool of deep computer (XG) rollout

analysis to debug his prior research and

to carefully extend it to a variety of more

complex ace-point endings.

Around the U.S. tournament scene, we

feature Steve Sax’s report on the LA Open,

July - August Issue PrimeTime Backgammon

We also showcase #8

Giant Bob Wachtel’s

new book, In the

Game Until the End,

Volume II, a sequel to

his pioneering 1993

pre-bot-era study of

ace-point endings.

Reviewing the book,

John O’Hagan calls it

a “great work” and a

“must read” for serious

students of the game.

“

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48Questions or comments about PrimeTime

Backgammon? We want to hear from you!

Contact us via e-mail at [email protected].

HISTORY OF GIANTS LISTThe Giants of Backgammon list based on peer ratings has stood the test of time for over 20 years.

6 7USBGF PrimeTime Backgammon Magazine USBGF PrimeTime Backgammon Magazine

DENMARK VS. THE WORLD Denmark is small but mighty when

it comes to backgammon.

THE BACK STORYThe World Team savors its victory.

FALAFEL VS. MCG AT WBTOCGiants received their certificates and competed in the Tournament of Champions at the Chicago Open.

THE BELTWAY BG CLUBEd O'Laughlin and DC players give backgammon lessons at the annual Smithsonian Nowruz celebration.

In This Issue

FEATURED 18 GIANT SORTING

Jake Jacobs tells the history of the Giants list and

argues that peer ratings mostly get it right. BY JAKE JACOBS

24 FALAFEL VS. MATT COHN-GEIER 2014 CHICAGO OPEN

The battle between the best of the best took place

in Chicago.

BY PAUL WEAVER

34 DENMARK VS. THE WORLD: THE LINEUP

Danish and World playing captains size up the op-

position in advance of the match.

BY IANCHO HRISTOV

48 DENMARK VS. THE WORLD: THE BACK STORY

Bob Wachtel provides the inside scoop on key deci-

sions that took the World Team to victory in 2014.

BY BOB WACHTEL

66 26TH NORDIC OPEN: BACKGAMMON AT ITS PEAK

The lure of Copenhagen with its cornucopia of

sights and backgammon are clearly captured.

BY SABRI BÜYÜKSOY

80 2-2 SECOND ROLL STUDYPhil Simborg video lesson on the complexity of

determining the best play after rolling 22s. BY PHIL SIMBORG

July -August 2014

mailto:info%40usbgf.org?subject=PrimeTime%20Backgammon%20Question%20or%20Comment


BOOK REVIEW 75 IN THE GAME UNTIL THE END, VOLUME II

Bob Wachtel's new book In the Game Until the End:

Volume II gets stellar reviews from John O'Hagan.

BY JOHN O'HAGAN

PLAYER PROFILES 82 MICHELLE STEINBERG

Meet Michelle Steinberg, USBGF National Internet

Championship Intermediate Division winner.

BY KAREN DAVIS

86 MAX CROSNERAn interview with Max Crosner, just 12 years old

and already an ABT tournament veteran!

BY KAREN DAVIS

TOURNAMENT NEWS 90 2014 LOS ANGELES OPEN

Steve Sax covers the highlights of this year's Los

Angeles Open, including Ray Fogerlund's outstand-

ing performance against tough competition.

BY STEVE SAX

104 LIVE TOURNAMENT RESULTSSee all the results from ABT tournaments

held in Chicago and Los Angeles.

107 ONLINE CIRCUIT WINNERSView recent winners of USBGF Online Circuit

tournaments.

BY TARA MENDICINO

July -August 2014

USBGF NEWS 12 WHAT'S ON THE DRAWING BOARD FOR THE USBGF?

USBGF President and Executive Director Bill Riles

announces exciting plans for the USBGF, including

the new USBGF Annual Awards and Hall of Fame.

BY BILL RILES

16 FOUNDING SPONSORSBecome a Founding Sponsor and show your

support for the U.S. Backgammon Federation.

USBGF LIVE & ONLINE RATINGS 108 LIVE LEADERBOARD

Check out the Open, Advanced, and Novice top

ten leaders in USBGF cumulative Elo ratings in live

events since 2009 and 2014 ABT Points.

BY BARRY SILLIMAN

110 ONLINE LEADERBOARDSee the latest leaders based on cumulative Elo

ratings from USBGF online tournaments, as well as

wins, losses, and tournaments won.

BY TARA MENDICINO

LOCAL CLUB NEWS 98 BELTWAY BACKGAMMON CLUB

The Beltway Backgammon Club of Washington,

D.C. is a force to be reckoned with! Meet some of its

outstanding players who have dominated the ABT.

BY KAREN DAVIS

U.S. BACKGAMMON TOUR

112 UPCOMING TOURNAMENTSMark your calendar for upcoming ABT tournaments

and USBGF online events.

In This Issue

ON THE COVERBob Wachtel, brilliant writer, talented player, and consummate cosmopoli-tan — cover photo by Steve Sax.

WACHTEL LECTUREBob Wachtel hit the highlights of his new book before a rapt early-morning audience at the LA Open in June.

In This Issue

KA

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PRIMETIMEB A C K G A M M O N

MARK ANTRANIKIANMark Antranikian, Assistant Editor, was a member of the USBGF Team Championships winning team, Scared Hitless.

BOB WACHTELBob Wachtel, Editor of PrimeTime

Backgammon, is a renowned author ranked #8 on the 2013

Giants of Backgammon.


editorBob Wachtel

Founding EditorMatt Cohn-Geier

Managing EditorKaren Davis

Production EditorTara Mendicino

Assistant EditorMark Antranikian

Assistant Editor and Design AnalystLisa Rockwell

USBGF PhotographerSteve Sax

Rankings EditorBarry Silliman

Feature Editor,Annotated MatchesMarty Storer

Editorial Advisory BoardKaren Davis (Chair), Chuck Bower, Matt Cohn-Geier, Carol Joy Cole, Gus Contos, Mike Corbett, Bill Riles, Justin Nunez, Bob Wachtel, Kit Woolsey

informationPrimeTime Backgammon is the official magazine of the U.S. Backgammon Federation.

contact usE-Mail: [email protected] Website: usbgf.org

Volume 5, Issue 4© 2014 U.S. Backgammon Federation

Staff &Volunteers

President;Executive Director; TreasurerWilliam Riles

Chair, Education CommitteeArt Benjamin

Governance and Nominating CommitteeDorn Bishop

Board Chair; Co-Chair, Membership and Marketing CommitteeKaren Davis

Executive Committee; Chair, Tournament Directors liaison; Rules and Ethics CommitteePatrick Gibson

Co-Chair, Membership and Marketing Committee; Chair, Rules and Ethics CommitteeJeb Horton

Rules and Ethics CommitteeNeil Kazaross

Chair, Legislative Committee; Executive CommitteeAlfred Mamlet

SecretarySteve Mellen

Vice-Chair, Membership and Marketing Committee; Governance and Nominating CommitteeTara Mendicino

Chief Technology Officer; Chair, Ratings and Stats Committee; Governance and Nominating Committee; Rules and Ethics CommitteeRichard Munitz

Director, Local Club Initiative; Rules and Ethics CommitteeJustin Nunez

Executive CommitteeJoseph Russell

Special Adviser to Board of Directors Carol Joy Cole

Education AdviserPhil Simborg

Accounting ManagerSheryl R. Lennon

Director of Communications; WebmasterTara Mendicino

USBGF Boardof Directors

from the editorOpinions expressed in these pages are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the U.S. Backgammon Federation.

TARA MENDICINOTara Mendicino, Production Editor, is a member of the USBGF Board of Directors and co-director of the Texas State Backgammon Championships.

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mailto:info%40usbgf.org?subject=PrimeTime%20Backgammon%20Support%20Messagehttp://usbgf.org


At mid-year 2014, you’ll find much that is new at the U.S. Backgam-mon Federation.The new design of our PrimeTime Backgam-

mon magazine has been widely praised,

and has generated a substantial demand for

printed copies. Even though the magazine

was initially conceived as an online prod-

uct, we have adapted. We do now print a

limited number of the magazines, which are

available by subscription. And the content

keeps improving: we’ve expanded the pool

of expert authors writing for the magazine

(though we are always interested in submit-

ted articles and suggestions for articles).

Let our Managing Editor, Karen Davis,

hear from you on how we can improve the

magazine and how you might contribute.

We continue to expand our very popular

online tournament program. The monthly

circuits fill quickly, and our new member-

ship blitzes have proven popular. We have

recently completed the National Internet

Championship Divisional Tournaments:

congratulations to winners Jacob Atie

(Panama) in the Championship division,

Tom Christner (Colorado) in the Advanced

division, and Michelle Steinberg (New Jer-

sey) in the Intermediate division. In addition

to this staple, we have launched the USBGF

Divisional Tournaments. Finally, planning

is underway for a new USBGF Federation

Cup – a free event with cash prizes intended

to serve existing members and to attract

new members – as well as for the fourth

Internet Backgammon Championship (IBC

IV). Watch the Online Tournament list on

our website for new postings. Contact our

Online Tournament System Director, Tara

Mendicino, for any ideas on tournaments

you’d like to see offered.

Another exciting new program is in the

offing. The Federation plans to raise money

from benefactors to be added to ABT tour-

nament prize pools for USBGF members

only. Our goal is to implement it beginning

in January 2015 with approximately $1,000

added money per tournament (depending

upon the number of tournament entrants

and money raised). Details will be worked

out by each tournament director with the

USBGF. We expect the financial incentive

to substantially boost USBGF membership

among ABT tournament participants. Look

for more details in the coming months.

In 2015, the USBGF will begin to recognize

members with a number of annual awards

– some on the basis of tournament results,

some by member vote – at an Awards Din-

ner to be held at the Texas Backgammon

Championships in San Antonio, January

29-February 1, 2015. Also at this dinner,

the recipient of the first annual USBGF

Board of Directors’ Lifetime Achievement

Award will be announced.

Another development to be initiated in

2015: the USBGF will establish the USBGF

American Backgammon Hall of Fame.

Members will submit nominations, and

a select committee will choose twenty

nominees to appear on a ballot within our

e-voting system. Members will elect ten

inductees in this first year. In subsequent

years three inductees will be elected from

a slate of ten candidates. Inductees will be

announced at the Awards Dinner.

We are aiming to complete and implement

the USBGF Master Points system by the

end of the year. Members will earn master

points by matches won and tournament

results in online and live tournaments.

Our Facebook page remains a vital conduit

of information and entertainment. Phil

Simborg continues to add video lessons

there to our extensive, accessible online

collection. These short videos are quite

popular with and useful to members aspir-

ing to improve their skills.

Our USBGF BG Shop section on the web-

site has been redesigned, making it easier

to order backgammon equipment, books,

magazines, merchandise, and gift mem-

berships for friends. Shipping is available

worldwide. Check it out at usbgf.org/shop/.

The first USBGF publishing venture has

reached fruition. Copies of the brilliant

new book by Bob Wachtel, Giant #8 and

USBGF editor, In the Game Until the End,

Volume II, Ace Point Endgame Analysis—the

Next Generation are in stock for immediate

delivery, and can be ordered at the USBGF

BG Shop on our website. Members receive a

10% discount on their purchase (a member

must be logged into the website to secure the

discount). The retail price is a very modest

$29.99 plus shipping/handling.

Additionally, the USBGF continues to

work on a comprehensive revision of our

by-laws and on a comprehensive rule set

which we shall recommend for all American

tournament play.

Late in the year we will have four more

Board of Director seats up for election.

Announcements will be forthcoming

regarding nominations and other details.

Our list of potential endeavors and initia-

tives continues to exceed the capacities of

our volunteers. We have a range of needs

requiring a variety of skills. Let us know

if you are interested in helping at info@

usbgf.org.

It has been an exciting and positive first

half of 2014. Let’s make the second half of

the year and 2015 even better.

“Get Into the Game – Become a Member”

usbgf newsWhat's on the Drawing Board for theU.S. Backgammon Federation?By Bill Riles, President and Executive Director

In 2015, the USBGF

will begin to recognize

members with a num-

ber of annual awards

– some on the basis of

tournament results,

some by member vote

– at an Awards Dinner

to be held at the Texas

Backgammon Champi-

onships in San Antonio,

January 29-February

1, 2015. Also at this

dinner, the recipient of

the first annual USBGF

Board of Directors’

Lifetime Achievement

Award will be an-

nounced.

“

mailto:karen%40usbgf.org?subject=Article%20Writing%20Opportunity%20-%20PrimeTime%20Backgammon%20Magazinehttp://usbgf.org/trny/mailto:tara%40usbgf.org?subject=Tournament%20Suggestion%20-%20USBGF%20Online%20Circuitmailto:tara%40usbgf.org?subject=Tournament%20Suggestion%20-%20USBGF%20Online%20Circuithttp://usbgf.org/shop/http://usbgf.org/shop/books/igue-2/http://usbgf.org/shop/books/igue-2/mailto:info%40usbgf.org?subject=Volunteeringmailto:info%40usbgf.org?subject=Volunteering

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Founding Sponsors

Within each level, names are presented in the order of becoming Founding Sponsors.

16 USBGF PrimeTime Backgammon Magazine

usbgf founding sponsorsOutstanding Supporters of our Organization

The U.S. Backgammon Federation’s Founding Sponsors initiative has attracted 99 donors who share its vision of drawing thousands of people

throughout the country to the exciting,

skill-based game of backgammon through a

rich array of activities appealing to all play-

ers, young and young-at-heart alike. The

support of our Founding Sponsors during

this critical period will be appreciated for

years to come and includes recognition on

our website in perpetuity and benefits not

available to any other class of Membership.

The Federation salutes the individuals

and organizations who have generously

supported our organization by becoming

a Founder. We hope you will join this elite

group by going to our website usbgf.org or

contacting Bill Riles at [email protected] for

more information.

Become a Founding Sponsor and play in

the 2015 USBGF Tournament of Stars to

be held in connection with the Texas Back-

gammon Championships in San Antonio

January 29-February 1, 2015. Founding

Sponsors select Giants of Backgammon and

other backgammon legends and experts

as partners in this doubles event based

FOUNDERS' CUBES BY LAWRENCE SONNÉFounding Sponsors are presented with an exquisite, personalized, engraved doubling cube, specially designed for the USBGF by Lawrence Sonné of Backgammon Elegance.

DiamondMalcolm DavisAlan and Joan GrunwaldHugh SconyersMike Svobodny

platinumKaren DavisMorten Holm

goldAnna Covlin Myles Covlin Rod Covlin Patrick and Carla Gibson Harvey GillisPerry GartnerLarry TaylorAlfred MamletEdward B. BennettRichard Munitz Joseph Russell Jeffrey Acierno Masayuki Mochizuki Falafel NatanzonJim PaskoDavid LeibowitzJason LeeMichael Louis RosenJamie Erin RosenArt BenjaminLloyd E. Webber (LEW)Saba Bejanishvili

silverLynn EhrlichChiva TafazzoliAlex Gerding

Silver cont. Bruce NewbergLarry LiebsterBen FriesenJim StutzGus Contos

bronzePat McCormick Carol Joy ColeNeal and Kathy WeinerNeil Kazaross Kit WoolseyMichael WeinbergerChuck BowerPreston GuidryJake JacobsSean CearleyKristina VigPlay65 Backgammon Judy FieldRory PascarGreg Cottle Bill FinneranJames G. AllenSean Williams Pat GeoffroyMark Gordon Rochelle HassonDennis CulpepperAndrew MartinezDrew Giovanis James E. Roland Bill RilesJosh RackoRussell SandsSteve SchreiberBob Glass

bronze cont.John CalcottJeff BurdsallJustin and Rynell NunezSteve SaxDorn BishopScott KellandArthur SteinStepan NuniyantsPowhatan FrenchRobert E. StollerJoe PottsArkadiy TsinisCarla GibsonDavid KettlerMichael FlohrMario SavanJeb HortonCloyd LaPorteSecil BaysalDavid RennieAlan PrucePhil SimborgEd SawyerTwain PigottJerry GodseyJulius HighMichelle SteinbergTariq SiddiqiSteve BlanchardJohn HamlinAnthony Anton

youthIstván Éger

on their level of Sponsorship and order of

becoming Founding Sponsors.

More information on the benefits of becom-

ing a Founding Sponsor may be found at

USBGF Founding Sponsor Benefits.

http://usbgf.orgmailto:bill%40usbgf.org?subject=USBGF%20Founding%20Sponsor%20Informationhttp://usbgf.org/membership/become-a-founding-sponsor/

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I started playing backgammon in June 1979. I was the night manager of a cab company in the Chicago suburbs then. I hope you will indulge me in a short

reminiscence. My office was inside a train

station, with a Dutch door putting it, and

me, on display. I had four business phones

with six lines, and also three wall-mounted

hotline phones. I had two radios, one for

the primary operation which serviced the

Des Plaines area, and one for a smaller

company working out of Palatine. It was

cacophonous. We were just small enough,

or just primitive enough, that dispatching

the two fleets required the dispatcher to

keep the whole picture in his head: where

the cabs were, what they were working on,

where they would end up, and when (one

hoped) they would next be free. Drivers

were often lost, asking for directions, or

asking us to call their passenger to come

outside, or just calling in because they hadn’t

spoken in a while, and their gums needed

flapping. Our meters were old and broken,

so we had to give the drivers flat rates,

calculating how much a trip would run if

the meter worked (I thanked Pythagoras

every night.) A friend dropped by on a

typical evening, and later told a group of

friends that when he arrived “there was a

TV going on the shelf over the radiator; an

open book in the inbox Jake was reading; he

was having a conversation with one of the

drivers; and he was playing backgammon.”

They say youth is wasted on the young. I

don’t know; if I tried all that today it might

kill me.

Anyway, from that story you’ll glean that I

played backgammon in the office. Seeing

the board led one of my drivers to say that

she learned backgammon from “the best

player in Chicago.” Who was

that? “Ira Sachs,” she said. A

few months later, at a Sunday

night tournament, a player

was talking up a new venue,

Gammons of Chicago, run by

Howard Markowitz, the “best

player in Chicago.” Being new

to the game, I called my brother

Munchkin, and asked him who

the best player in Chicago was.

“Greg Defotis,” he assured me.

The rundown he gave me on

the three was this: that Ira

Sachs probably made more

money than anyone playing

in Chicago at the time, because

he hung out with the wealthy

fish at Faces disco, and never

played anyone with a clue; that

Howard Markowitz had more

master points than anyone in

Chicago, because he played in

tournaments every night; but if

Greg played either he would eat them alive.

(Howard became the most accomplished

of the three, but in 1979 his fame exceeded

his facility.)

Let’s talk for a moment about horse racing.

There are differences from backgammon –

those hooves make it hard to shake the dice

cup. But there are similarities between rating

the ability of a player to win a backgammon

game, and rating the ability of a horse to

win a race. What factors do you consider?

Speed, certainly. But did the horse run six

furlongs, or one mile, or even further? Does

it do better on turf or on dirt? Who was its

trainer, and who were its parents? How has

it performed in other races, and were any of

its present competitors running against it?

You have likely made a mental note that

these factors are not equal. Speed and past

performance are probably more important

than, say, whether a horse is gelded. There

is one factor, though, that is the single most

accurate predictor. Can you guess what that

is? The answer: public opinion. Race tracks

use pari-mutuel betting. Suppose we have

ten horses, and the pool of wagers is $1000;

we will ignore the track rake.

If $400 is bet on Horse One,

the horse will pay 3 to 2, and

for each dollar bet the winners

will receive $2.50. Maybe Horse

Six has $50 bet, which means

it is 19 to 1, and each dollar

bet returns $20. And so on for

each horse. No matter which

horse wins and how much or

how little is bet on the winner,

the entire $1000 is returned.

We can express that differently.

If the public bets $400 of the

$1000 on Horse One, they

have expressed the collective

opinion that Horse One has

a 40% chance of winning the

race. If they bet $50 on Horse

Six they are saying Horse Six

should win 5% of the time.

Those who have studied such

things have discovered that,

remarkably enough, the public

is very accurate. This isn’t to say that the

public is always right about every horse.

Racing wouldn’t be interesting if that were

true. But if you look at all of the horses the

public expects to see win 40% of the time,

on average they win 40% of the time. And

if you look at the horses the public says

Giant sortingThe Masses Know BestBy Jake Jacobs

THE HEYDAYS1981 Black & White Boston Classic tournament held at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Massachusetts 24-26 of April. Al Hodis defeated Doug Mayfield in the final.

The idea came first

to Michael Maxakuli,

way back in 1981.

Thirty-two appears

on the doubling cube

(it especially did in

Max’s games); that

was as much thought

as went into it. It isn’t

a bad choice. Some

voters have called for

a shorter list, but if

you choose a much

smaller number there

will be debate about

the names that fail to

make the cut.

“

have a 5% chance, the 19 to 1 shots, they

win about one race in twenty.

You look at the bettors at a typical track,

unshaven, unwashed, unprepossessing, and

think: “So this is where they went before

there was Walmart.” Yet those unseemly

individuals are collectively a keen math-

ematical mind.

That wisdom of the group is

the premise behind the Giant

32. If Munchkin, a very strong

player in his day, could tell me

who the best players in Chicago

were, imagine a group of the

world’s strong players telling

us who the best among them

really were. From their collec-

tive response we would get a

very accurate notion of how

the best stacked up.

The idea came first to Michael

Maxakuli, way back in 1981.

Thirty-two appears on the dou-

bling cube (it especially did in

Max’s games); that was as much

thought as went into it. It isn’t

a bad choice. Some voters have

called for a shorter list, but if you choose a

much smaller number there will be debate

about the names that fail to make the cut.

One complaint we never hear is that the

best player isn’t on the list. Would, say, a

Giant 16 be inclusive enough? Perhaps,

but by now the Giant 32 is a brand, and we

aren’t about to make the mistake Coke did

by changing a winning formula.

One thing we will be changing is how

quickly we publish the results next time.

We were caught flatfooted this year. Back

in 1993, when Yamin Yamin revived the

idea for the list, Yamin, Howard Ring, John

Stryker, and I were all bachelors living in

the northern suburbs of Chicago. Carol Joy

was the odd woman out in the mix, living

as she did in Michigan. We’d get the ballots

to John, and after he did the data entry we’d

meet over at Howard’s or at Yamin’s, look

them over, discuss John’s tabulations, and

play some backgammon. The only deadline

was the date of the tournament where the

certificates would be presented. Vegas was

in April, the Chicago Open was Memorial

Day. We would plan a presentation at one

or the other, and would get the list ready

for publication in the Flint Area Backgam-

moNews before the event.

I left Chicago in 2001; Howard left us too

soon and too young in 2005; Yamin and

John are family men, which means they

are busy men; and Carol Joy,

bless her tireless efforts, is still

in Michigan. She is the glue that

holds it all together. This year

the deadline for ballots rolled

around, as it does every two

years, on January 31st. John

had commitments and let the

ballots pile up. Suddenly, the

web began buzzing like a hive of

caffeinated wasps. Meanwhile,

there were six thousand names

that had not been entered into

a computer, most handwritten

by indifferent spellers. And at

that crucial moment and for

the next approximately fifty-

seven thousand six hundred

crucial moments after that,

John was dealing with a series

of personal matters that kept

his flying fingers grounded.

Eventually those fingers were cleared for

takeoff, and resumed flying, but by then

there was speculation that we had … what?

Taken the ballots and absconded to Rio?

Buried them with Jimmy Hoffa? Asked Lois

Lerner to file them?

All we can do this year is apologize. Rest

# 2013 Giants of Backgammon Country

1. Masayuki Mochizuki (2) Japan2. Michihito Kageyama (4) Japan3. "Falafel" Natanzon (1) Israel4. Neil Kazaross (3) USA5. Matt Cohn-Geier (5) USA6. Petko Kostadinov (20) USA7. Lars Trabolt (12) Denmark8. Bob Wachtel (9) USA9. Steve Sax (10) USA

10. Stick Rice (6) USA11. Victor Ashkenazi (52) USA12. Malcolm Davis (21) USA13. Paul Weaver (11) USA14. Kit Woolsey (8) USA15. John O'Hagan (13) USA16. Ralf Jonas (15) Germany17. Akiko Abe Yazawa (108) Japan18. Sander Lylloff (7) Denmark19. Gus Jacobsen Hansen (17) Denmark20. Ray Fogerlund (16) USA21. Ed O'Laughlin (18) USA22. Bill Robertie (28) USA23. Tobias Hellwag (19) Germany24. Jürgen Orlowski (22) Germany25. Mike Senkiewicz (26) USA26. Karsten Bredahl (39) Denmark27. Fernando Braconi (31) Italy28. Steen Grønbech (29) Denmark29. Paul Magriel (34) USA30. Nack Ballard (14) USA31. Dana Nazarian (74) USA32. Othello Itikawa (42) Japan

# 2013 Runners-Up Country

33. Stepan Nuniyants (43) USA34. Jeremy Bagai (40) USA35. Carlo Melzi (46) Italy36. Raj Jansari (38) England37. Bill Phipps (90) USA38. Bob Koca (35) USA39. David Wells (27) USA40. Carol Joy Cole (37) USA41. Kenji Shimodaira (65) Japan42. Joe Russell (25) USA43. Mary Hickey (33) USA44. Nevzat Dogan (N/A) Denmark45. Morten Holm Lassen (24) Denmark46. Jake Jacobs (36) Singapore47. George Kleitsas (95) Greece48. Marc B. Olsen (68) Denmark49. Julian Fetterlein (44) England50. Phil Simborg (62) USA51. Thomas Kristensen (84) Denmark52. Freddie Noer (300) Denmark53. Richard Munitz (30) USA54. Slava Pryadkin (377) Ukraine55. Alfred Mamlet (51) USA56. Alan Grunwald (140) USA57. K. Papachristopoulos (323) Germany58. Sabri Büyüksoy (71) Turkey59. Kiyokazu Nishikawa (122) Japan60. Mario Sequeira (53) Portugal61. Bernhard Kaiser (187) Germany62. Kostas Mitrelis (173) Greece63. Christos Groutsos (120) Greece64. Alain Babillon (85) France

2013 Giants of Backgammon

GIA

NTS

OF

BA

CK

GA

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ON

FLI

NTB

G.C

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*Numbers in parentheses show Giant ranking in 2011MA

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PETER KALBA, CJC, & BILL DAVISCarol Joy Cole has been instrumental in the success of the Giants of Backgammon list over the last 20 years. She is shown here in the early years with Peter Kalba (L) and ABT director Bill Davis (R).

Continued on page 22

Giant Sorting: The Masses Know Best Giant Sorting: The Masses Know Best

http://www.flintbg.com/giants.htmlhttp://www.flintbg.com/giants.html


assured that next time we will be better

prepared, and the list will appear on time.

In 1993 we received sixty-six ballots. The

number one player, Wilcox Snellings, was

a relative newcomer, but most of the next

ten names might have appeared on the

1981 list. (The only one I am sure wasn’t

on that list was #3-ranked Joe

Sylvester, who shot to fame

as a twenty-one year old win-

ner of the Plimpton Cup in

1983.) Notably, on that topic,

Wilcox had never won a tour-

nament, and the #12 player,

the first non-American player

on the list, was also known

primarily for his money play.

Who was that player? For that

matter, can you name any of

the five – there were only five

– foreign players on the list?

Tino “the Gambler from Down

Under” Lechich was #12, fol-

lowed by world champion Phil

Marmorstein of Germany at

#13. Canada’s world champion

Hal Heinrich, was next, and

Germany’s Thomas Lumper was

#16. Then we drop all the way to #30, just

after Howard Ring and before Erik Seidel,

to find the name Rolf Schreuder, from the

Netherlands. The list’s homogeneity kicked

off what became a perennial complaint: that

the list was too biased towards American

players. The same ones complaining were

often too lazy to vote, despite the arm-

twisting Carol Joy and I did every year,

but human nature being what it is, second

guessing the vote is more fun than voting.

And now that two decades have passed,

which foreign players were missing? Only

a few players might have been playing well

enough to complain about being overlooked.

There was Ralf Jonas, and Jerry Grandell,

and Peter Jes Thomsen who had won a world

championship, but was still only twenty.

Peter did vault onto the list the next time

around. Otherwise most of the highest rated

American “dinosaurs” on the list are still

around (Senk, Nack, Robertie, Kit …). The

really great European players, the myriad

Danes, the Levermanns and Schiemanns

and Tardieus, were a few years in the future.

This year, for the first time, we received

over two hundred ballots, tripling the first

year’s total. Of the thirty-two names, four-

teen are foreign, and eighteen American.

This year the top three are from outside

the USA: Masayuki “Mochy” Mochizuki

of Japan; Michihito “Michy” Kageyama,

also of Japan; and Matvey “Falafel” Natan-

zon of Israel. Also in the top

ten is Denmark’s Lars Trabolt.

There are four more players

from Denmark, two more from

Japan, three from Germany,

and one from Italy. Notable is

the seventeenth-ranked player,

Akiko Abe Yazawa of Japan,

who is the first woman to make

the list.

There are other changes from

the early days, less apparent but

no less significant. While most

of the players on that list had

notable tournament records, I’d

say that eight of the top twelve

were there primarily because of

their reputations as gamblers.

(On the other hand, a couple of

others with magnificent tour-

nament records were actually

hopeless money players.) Looking over the

current list, while I know that many of them

have played for high stakes, virtually all

made the list because of their tournament

play, and even among the money players,

very few play regularly in high stakes games

today. (A few may have never played for

more than quarters, and one unlucky fellow

might be lifetime minus at money play.) In

Continued from page 20

FALAFEL, YAMIN YAMIN, & MOCHYYamin Yamin made the idea of a Backgammon Giants list a real-ity, starting in 1993, shown here with #3 Giant Falafel Natanzon (L) and #1 Giant Mochy Mochizuki (R).

the old days, before online play, before the

bots, players were known for their style.

Today everyone tries to make the play the

bot would make, and so most players have

the same style. They may make fewer errors,

but some find less drama in the games.

As the online community waited for the

new list’s release, various alternate methods

of ranking players were proposed. None

of the ideas are new. They are old ideas

repackaged: round-robin tournaments

for the top players; Elo ratings; cumulative

error ratings as assessed by a bot; point rat-

ings based upon tournament performance

over a season. All of these have good and

bad points. But as the year 2015 nears its

end, the world will once again turn to the

Giant 32, recognizing that the collective

wisdom of the crowd is one of the best

methods of all.

- JAKE JACOBS

Giant Sorting: The Masses Know Best Giant Sorting: The Masses Know Best

ABOUT JAKE JACOBSJake Jacobs is a member of the USBGF Board of Governors and

serves on its Education Committee. He is a prolific writer well-known to those in the backgammon commu-

nity for his wit and insight. He also manages interconnected compa-nies in Singapore and Japan. Mr.

Jacobs spends a lot of time in Tokyo but lives in Singapore with his wife

Khampha and daughter Sasithon.

FALAFEL vs. MATT COHN-GEIER2014 CHICAGO OPENBy Paul Weaver

KA

REN

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World Backgammon Tournament of Champions

THEY SQUARE OFFGiant #5 Matt Cohn-Geier and Giant #3 Falafel Natanzon square off in the 2014 World Backgammon Tournament of Champions in Chicago. View the format, brackets, and participants.

GIANTS CERTIFICATES AWARDED IN CHICAGOPetko Kostadinov, Victor Ashkenazi, Falafel, John O'Hagan, Matt, Mochy, and Ed O'Laughlin receive their Giants certificates from Yamin Yamin (third from right).

Rory Pascar is to be commended for his outstanding and innovative job in organizing and directing the Chicago Open for the fourth year. Held

over the Memorial Day weekend, the event

drew 105 participants, including 63 in the

championship flight, making it one of the

largest in the USA. This year, five of the top

six on the new Giants list (Mochy, Michy,

Falafel, Matt and Petko) participated. Local

favorite Neil Kazaross (Giant #4) could not

attend for medical reasons. We all wish

him a speedy recovery.

The international flavor of the tournament

delighted everyone. Nine countries and

five continents were represented, with six

players from Japan, two each from Israel

and Canada, and one each from Australia,

Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Turkey, and

Venezuela.

The first event was the World Backgammon

Tournament of Champions (WBTOC),

which started on Thursday, May 22, with

a very strong field of 22 players. The first

stage consisted of pods containing five or

six players. Each pod played a round robin

or a modified round robin of seven-point

matches. Congratulations to Saba Bejan-

ishvili for winning the event!

In the match discussed below, from the

round-robin stage of the WBTOC, Falafel

(Giant #3) and Matt (Giant #5) both played

exceptionally well. Falafel’s PR was an

outstanding 2.36 while Matt’s PR was an

incredible 1.29. For reference, I mention

that there may be only about half a dozen

players on the planet whose average live

PR is below 3.0.

To download the entire match file, in which

many positions have been rolled out, see

Falafel versus MCG match file.

https://www.facebook.com/USBGF/photos/pb.197031823680398.-2207520000.1401644233./721481401235435/?type=3&permPage=1https://www.facebook.com/USBGF/photos/pb.197031823680398.-2207520000.1401644233./721481401235435/?type=3&permPage=1http://usbgf.org/events/match-files/Falafel-MCG%20Chicago2014%20TOC.xg

file:///C|/Users/user/Desktop/Position.htm[7/13/2014 2:38:29 PM]

is MCG

score: 0pip: 145

7 point match

pip: 159score: 0

is FalafelXGID=---a--EBB--AeC---c-e-a--AA:0:0:1:55:0:0:0:7:10

to play 55

1. Rollout1 Bar/20 13/3* 8/3 eq: +0.376Player:Opponent:

56.40% (G:22.65% B:0.58%)43.60% (G:9.59% B:0.64%)

Conf.: ± 0.013 (+0.363...+0.388) - [100.0%]Duration: 7 minutes 02 seconds

2. Rollout1 Bar/15 8/3*(2) eq: +0.342 (-0.034)Player:Opponent:

56.62% (G:19.68% B:0.68%)43.38% (G:9.67% B:0.46%)


1 1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller

eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.10, MET: Kazaross XG2

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Pip: 145 Matt Cohn-Geier7-Away

7-Away Falafel NatanzonPip: 159

Position 1

Game 1, Move 3: Black (Falafel) to play 55


is MCG

score: 0pip: 116

7 point match

pip: 108score: 0

is FalafelXGID=--aB-BEB-A--bC---baccba---:0:0:1:00:0:0:0:7:10

on roll, cube action?

Analyzed in Rollout No double Double/TakePlayer Winning Chances: 73.22% (G:8.09% B:0.23%) 73.76% (G:7.82% B:0.12%)Opponent Winning Chances: 26.78% (G:2.21% B:0.09%) 26.24% (G:1.99% B:0.05%)Cubeless Equities +0.526 +1.087

Cubeful EquitiesNo double: +0.830 (-0.090) ±0.008 (+0.822..+0.838)Double/Take: +0.920 ±0.010 (+0.910..+0.930)Double/Pass: +1.000 (+0.080)

Best Cube action: Double / TakeRollout details1296 Games rolled with Variance Reduction.Moves: 3-ply, cube decisions: XG Roller

Double Decision confidence: 100.0%Take Decision confidence: 100.0%Duration: 4 minutes 23 seconds


13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



Position 2

Game 1, Move 8: Black (Falafel) on roll. Cube action?

The first three 5s are easy: enter and point

on the 3pt, B/20 8/3*(2). With the last 5,

Falafel chose 20/15, putting a checker on a

point that he is not really hoping to make.

A better 5 is 13/8, leaving him with check-

ers on the 20pt and 8pt, either of which he

would be happy to make in this position.

While Matt is on the bar with a blot in his

board, Falafel can afford to put his checkers

where they will do the most good.

Falafel’s play, 20/15, gives Matt 8 undupli-

cated 3s to hit in the outfield, giving him

a chance to take the initiative.

Incidentally, if Matt fans after either play,

Falafel should double and Matt should pass.

The check mark on the left side of the roll-

out data indicates the play that was made

in the match .


Falafel vs. Matt Cohn-Geier: 2014 Chicago Open Falafel vs. Matt Cohn-Geier: 2014 Chicago Open

The contact in Position 2 slightly favors

Falafel. In other words, if Falafel led by

the same count (108-116) in a non-contact

position, he would have less of an advantage

than he has here. In fact, he would not

have a double.

In the actual position, Falafel correctly

doubled and Matt correctly took. Although

Falafel has only a few rolls that point on

Matt immediately, he will eventually close

out Matt often enough to win 8% gam-

mons. Matt can win by hitting a shot or by

escaping and winning the race, giving him

enough equity to take. In fact, it is possible

for Matt to win a gammon: which, as we

shall see in Position 3, actually happened

in the match.

If we improve Falafel’s position by unstack-

ing a checker from his 6pt to his 5pt, he

would lead by 9 pips instead of 8, and would

have more attacking potential. Matt would

then have to pass.




is Falafel

score: 0pip: 104

7 point match

pip: 47score: 0

is MCGXGID=-BBB-BCB-----------bbcbbcB:1: -1:-1:51:0:0:0:7:10

to play 51

1. Rollout1 5/4 5/Off eq: +1.450Player:Opponent:

95.34% (G:48.47% B:0.96%)4.66% (G:0.00% B:0.00%)

Conf.: ± 0.003 (+1.447...+1.453) - [100.0%]Duration: 16.1 seconds

2. Rollout1 6/5 6/1 eq: +1.432 (-0.018)Player:Opponent:

96.01% (G:45.84% B:0.72%)3.99% (G:0.00% B:0.00%)

Conf.: ± 0.002 (+1.430...+1.434) - [0.0%]Duration: 12.8 seconds



13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Position 3

Game 1, Move 18: White (MCG) to play 51


is Falafel

score: 0pip: 196

7 point match

pip: 154score: 4

is MCGXGID=-a-a-BC-B---dC---b-ebB-AB-:0:0:-1:63:0:4:0:7:10

to play 63

1. Rollout1 22/13 eq: +0.068Player:Opponent:

55.02% (G:23.65% B:3.11%)44.98% (G:10.36% B:0.44%)


2. Rollout1 24/15 eq: +0.027 (-0.041)Player:Opponent:

54.45% (G:22.41% B:3.00%)45.55% (G:11.56% B:0.50%)


3. Rollout1 24/21 22/16 eq: -0.014 (-0.082)Player:Opponent:

53.70% (G:22.47% B:3.22%)46.30% (G:11.89% B:0.54%)

Conf.: ± 0.017 (-0.031...+0.003) - [0.0%]Duration: 21 minutes 16 seconds



13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Pip: 154 Matt Cohn-Geier3-Away


Position 4

Game 2, Move 4: White (MCG) to play 63

Matt hit a lucky fly shot with 64 from the

bar to turn the game around and play on

for the gammon. With his 51, Matt played

5/4 5/0, taking a justifiable risk to win more

gammons.

Matt increases his gammon chances by

2.7% (from 45.8% to 48.5%) with this

aggressive play, while decreasing his win-

ning chances by only 0.7% (from 96.0% to

95.3%). This tradeoff makes Matt’s “greedy”

choice worthwhile.

Let’s consider a variation. Move one of

Falafel’s checkers on the bar to anywhere

between his 18pt and 1pt, and the conserva-

tive 6/5 6/1 becomes better than 5/4 5/0. After seeing a rough draft of this article

which did not include this position, Matt

insisted that I show his blunder with 63.

Even the top five backgammon players

occasionally make very bad plays.

With Matt’s 63, the beginner’s 22/13 is

best. A distant second is 24/15. Lost in the

dust in third place is Matt’s 24/21 22/16.

Leading by 51 pips after the play, Matt

should minimize contact with 22/13. His

actual choice, 24/21 22/16, gives Falafel

the opportunity to attack on the 4pt with

many numbers. If Matt hits back, Falafel’s

backgame timing improves. If Matt does

not hit back, Falafel may have a chance to

win going forward.




is MCG

score: 4pip: 140

7 point match

pip: 189score: 0

is FalafelXGID=-----BC-Bb--dC---bAebB-B--:0:0:1:55:0:4:0:7:10

to play 55

1. Rollout1 23/18 13/3 8/3 eq: -0.169Player:Opponent:

40.72% (G:10.13% B:0.32%)59.28% (G:17.24% B:1.05%)

Conf.: ± 0.015 (-0.184...-0.154) - [96.0%]Duration: 9 minutes 23 seconds

2. Rollout1 23/18 21/16(2) 13/8 eq: -0.188 (-0.019)Player:Opponent:

40.39% (G:9.11% B:0.34%)59.61% (G:18.91% B:0.93%)

Conf.: ± 0.015 (-0.203...-0.174) - [3.8%]Duration: 11 minutes 00 second

3. Rollout1 23/18 21/16(2) 8/3 eq: -0.200 (-0.031)Player:Opponent:

39.64% (G:9.64% B:0.42%)60.36% (G:19.69% B:1.41%)


4. Rollout1 21/16(2) 8/3(2) eq: -0.243 (-0.073)Player:Opponent:

39.30% (G:10.01% B:0.36%)60.70% (G:19.86% B:2.18%)



39.00% (G:9.85% B:0.34%)61.00% (G:17.25% B:1.69%)




13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



Position 5



is MCG

score: 4pip: 107

7 point match

pip: 137score: 0

is FalafelXGID=--BBBBB--A--b----c-gcB-B--:0:0:1:61:0:4:0:7:10

to play 61

1. Rollout1 21/14 eq: -0.290Player:Opponent:

38.43% (G:8.03% B:0.21%)61.57% (G:10.92% B:0.84%)

Conf.: ± 0.009 (-0.299...-0.282) - [53.4%]Duration: 8 minutes 01 second


38.88% (G:7.65% B:0.21%)61.12% (G:10.93% B:0.86%)


3. Rollout1 9/2 eq: -0.309 (-0.019)Player:Opponent:

37.88% (G:7.49% B:0.19%)62.12% (G:11.06% B:0.76%)




7

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



Position 6


Falafel lost a gammon in the first game and

now trails 0-4 in the 7pt match With this

difficult 55, he made his biggest mistake of

the match, playing 18/3 8/3, keeping both

anchors. Trailing by 29 pips after the play,

he does not have nearly enough timing to

play a 2-4 backgame. He should relinquish

either the 21pt or the 23pt.

The best play, 23/18 13/3 8/3, gives him a

reasonable holding game, owning the 18pt

and 21pt, while strengthening his board by

making the 3pt. This move makes Matt’s life

more difficult by giving him 14 shot-leaving

numbers next turn (21 31 42 63 54 64 65).

If Falafel misses, he is a big favorite to get

more shots down the road, when he will

have a stronger board.



Trailing by 23 pips after the play, Falafel

will win few games without hitting. In

order to win after hitting, it is imperative

that he maintain his beautiful, best five-

point board. Although 9/2 (Falafel’s play)

preserves that board for this roll, it leaves

him with several numbers next turn that

will force him to break it.

It is better for Falafel to run off the 21pt now

than to face that possibility. Although run-

ning exposes him to 9 pointing numbers, it

also gives Matt some bad 6s. In particular,

Matt is forced to leave a double shot (plus

combos) with 64. If Falafel runs and Matt

points on him, Falafel may enter on the 24pt,

increasing his long-term shot potential.

The difference between 21/15 9/8 and 21/14

is so tiny that it is not worth discussing.

Both are better than 9/2 by about 0.02.

file:///C|/Users/user/Desktop/Position.htm[7/28/2014 10:16:09 AM]

is MCG

score: 4pip: 96

7 point match

pip: 131score: 0

is FalafelXGID=--CBBBB--------a-cAgd--B-A:0:0:1:54:0:4:0:7:10

to play 54

1. Rollout1 Bar/21 18/13 eq: -0.693Player:Opponent:

27.42% (G:3.11% B:0.07%)72.58% (G:10.43% B:0.51%)


2. Rollout1 Bar/21 23/18 eq: -0.727 (-0.035)Player:Opponent:

26.83% (G:2.96% B:0.08%)73.17% (G:16.98% B:0.55%)


3. Rollout1 Bar/16 eq: -0.747 (-0.054)Player:Opponent:

26.47% (G:2.46% B:0.06%)73.53% (G:8.55% B:0.33%)




7

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



Position 7


If Falafel plays B/21 18/13, Matt has 15

numbers that point on Falafel’s 21pt blot.

Surprisingly, this could turn out to be a

blessing in disguise for Falafel, because it

gives him a 30+% chance to enter on the

24pt, increasing his shot-hitting potential.

Another subtle advantage of B/21 18/13

is that it gives Falafel a double shot after

Matt’s 65.

B/21 23/18 is the second best play. Leaving

Falafel without an inner-board anchor, this

move loses too many gammons. The third

best play, B/16 (Falafel’s choice), has the

advantage of losing the fewest gammons.

However, it also reduces contact and there-

fore reduces Falafel’s shot-hitting potential

when he is far behind in the race.

Matt doubled Falafel out a couple of rolls

later, taking a 5-0 lead into the final game.

Matt won all three games of this short match.

Congratulations to both Matt and Falafel

for playing such a great match!

Thanks to Matt for his valuable sugges-

tions.

- PAUL WEAVER


MATT COHN-GEIER, "THE GENIUS"Matt Cohn-Geier, known as "The Genius" on the World Team at the Nordic Open, is the youngest player to receive the Giants 32 certificate.

ABOUT PAUL WEAVERPaul Weaver lives in Hoover, Alabama. He began playing backgammon in 1978. He has won tournaments and given lessons on five continents. Paul is one of only seven who have been on all eleven biannual Giants lists since they began in 1993. He is currently ranked #13 but believes he is way overrated.


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Denmark vs. The world:the lineupBy Iancho Hristov

Five years ago, the president of the Danish

Backgammon Federation, Steen Grǿnbech,

proposed a challenge match – “The Rest of

the World v. Denmark” — to be held on

Easter weekend in Copenhagen, concur-

rently with the Nordic Open. The Rest of

the World took up the gauntlet, fielding

their first team to fight against the terrible

Danes in 2010. The challenge has been

renewed and accepted each year since

then, with the Danes leading in the series

3 to 1. Both sides looked impressive this

year; and the match, which was fought for

glory, bragging rights, and a little money,

was great fun for us spectators.

Both teams had strong lineups. The World

team included the two Japanese superstars

Mochy and Michy, the legend Falafel, the

extraterrestrial genius MCG, the two best-

performing live players in the USA over

the last two years— Petko Kostadinov

and Victor Ashkenazi — our own USBGF

magazine editor Bob Wachtel, the “Wolf of

Wall Street" Bill Phipps, and David Wells.

On the Danish side, despite rumors that

both Danish superstars Gus Hansen and

Sander Lylloff would take part, only Sander

showed, as well as young gun Marc Olsen,

Cyprus champion Mik Larsen, Nordic

Open champ Thomas Myhr, 3-time World

Championship finalist and winner Lars

Trabolt, the very strong Thomas Kristensen,

the Danish Champions League star Freddie

Noer, and World Champion Nevzat Dogan.

The competition was split into four disci-

plines with different point weightings for

each. The categories this year were: DMPs

(1-point matches), speedgammon, singles,

and doubles. One point was given to the

team with the better overall XG PR in these

preliminaries; from there on the two teams

faced off in an exciting, full-consultation

27-point match, each starting with the

cumulative points they won in the four

categories listed above.

To get a feeling for the attitudes and expec-

tations of the teams before the event, I

interviewed a key figure on each: Mochy

for the World and Kristensen for Denmark.

Q&AMochy

I bet everybody is familiar with Mochy, so

let’s go straight to the hot questions!

Iancho: Can you say a few words about

each player on the World team?

Mochy: Falafel is a very famous player. He

knows the game by intuition, by feeling. He

does not memorize reference positions. He

NYHAVN STREETDanes flock to Nyhavn Street to enjoy food, drink, music, and good fellowship. A short walk from the backgammon tournament, it’s a must-see attraction along with the nearby Strøget walking street, Tivoli Gardens, the Royal Playhouse, Amalienborg Palace, home of Hans Christian Andersen, the Little Mermaid statue, Winston Churchill park, and the Resistance Museum, to name just a few.


just plays on the Internet and analyzes his

matches. He is just Falafel.

Michy — He is a professional backgammon

player. He has been doing that for about 20

years. He is my doubles partner and he is

one of the best. He is a very hard worker.

He wakes up around 8 o clock, does his

exercises, and while he is running he is

checking his positions.

Iancho: Is that even possible?

Mochy: I mean in the gym, while he is on

the running machine, he checks his posi-

tions on his Kindle. Then he comes back

from his exercises and starts studying. He

has been doing that for about 10 years.

MCG — you know MCG. I would say he

is the best player in the world. He studies

a lot; he studies the game systematically —

not like Falafel.

Iancho: You mean he studies the game by

dividing positions into categories like prime

vs prime, openings, and bearoffs – is that

what you mean?

Mochy: Yes, and he also has built a database

of his own. He checks his mistakes often

and he is very good at math. Falafel always

says his IQ must be very high.

Iancho: Next is David Wells, who is an

enigma for me. He was one of the best in

the world – but then he moved to poker.

Why has he played for the World team over

the last few years?

Mochy: Oh, David Wells, I don’t know him

that well — but he used to be a very strong

money player like Falafel. He played money

games in NYC, Chicago and many other

places in the world from small to very high

stakes. He is also a very strong poker player

so he is very talented. Now he is making

his living from poker and probably from

some investments, I don’t know…

Iancho: I also heard that he is very talented.

He is not very into math, but he is observant

and always finds all of the possible moves,

some that others would miss?

Mochy: Yes. He is not like Michy or MCG.

He is more like Falafel.

Iancho: OK, next is Petko. This will be

his first appearance on the World team.…

Mochy: I first met him around two years

ago, so I don’t know him well, but when-

ever I meet/play him, he plays very well

—2.6, 2.8 — but not only that: he is very

aggressive with the cube. He doubles very

early. This does not mean that he doubles

wrongly; just that whenever the doubling

window opens he will cube. You know my

style is a little bit different: I tend to double

later. I don’t like to double if my window

has just opened. If I make a .03 mistake or

so I don’t care: I wait until my opponent

may drop. Petko doubles and takes very

aggressively, and his attitude is good: he

focuses on the game, he plays to win, and

he is confident. I like him.

Iancho: Next: Victor A.

Mochy: Victor is a semi-professional back-

gammon player, but he has a regular job,

like Petko and Bill. Victor has hustled

backgammon for around 20 years in NYC.

He is exactly the opposite of me: he does

not want to be famous, he wants to stay on

the dark side.

Iancho: Yes, he has rarely attended tourna-

ments, maybe only MC occasionally.

Mochy: Actually he does not want to be

known. There was a lot of action in NYC

in the 90’s.

Iancho: But now he has changed? He wants

to go to tourneys, he attends ABT events, he

went to Cyprus, he will play in the Denmark

vs World match…?

Mochy: Yes, obviously something has

changed.

Iancho: So next is Bob Wachtel. He is listed

as sub. What does this mean? Will he play?

Mochy: He is probably the most intelligent

guy in our team, I mean….

Iancho: I think he has a PhD in psychol-

ogy or so…?

Mochy: Yes, and he wrote a book, a book on

backgammon and another on philosophy.

He is very intelligent and very strong in bg.

He is a likable person and a good character

for our team.

Iancho: The last one is Bill Phipps. It will

be his first appearance in the World team.

I guess he is not that well known, and some

people have criticized his selection. As far

as I know he is a great online player. Can

you comment?

Mochy: I have not known him for long. He

quit backgammon for almost 10 years, and

just started again two years ago.

I have an interesting story about him.

When he came back after 10 years he went

to a tournament, his very first tournament,

and he was looking for action. He found a

guy sitting at a board and asked him how

much he wanted to play for. The guy said

$25. This guy was MCG.

Iancho: $25 per point?

Mochy: Yes. He was surprised that one of

the best players played for only $25 per

point. Now I think they live together, and

Bill plays a lot online with David Wells and

MCG. They must play about 1000 matches

per year in GG.

Iancho: Do you already know who will play

in every discipline for the World Team?

Mochy: Yes.

Iancho: Can you share this with us?

Mochy: Yes.

So speedgammon…will be Falafel, MCG,

Petko and Wells.

Iancho: About the speed I have a ques-

tion…. What qualities should a player

have to play speedgammon and how did

you select which players to play it? In this

event you have only two minutes for the

whole match?

Mochy: So basically you are asking what

is the most important feature?

Iancho: Yes, what is the most important

strength one should have to play speed-

gammon and why did you pick exactly

those 4 players?

DENMARK VS. THE WORLD 2014Giant #1, Mochy, playing for the World team (with Falafel as official team captain) guided the World to victory in 2014 – shown flanked by Matt Cohn-Geier (R) and Falafel (L) with Victor Ashkenazi, Michy, and Bill Phipps.


Denmark vs. The World: The Lineup Denmark vs. The World: The Lineup

Mochy: Ok…well, I’m not good in SG,

because I usually choose a play by calcu-

lation — play A has this number of shots

and play B has this number of shots, then

I compare, but in SG this is impossible;

basically you have to know the play by your

dictionary (laugh).

Iancho: So you are saying that players like

Falafel and Wells who have intuition are

suited for speed? Do you also pick players

if they can count fast as time is limited?

You need to count pips and shots fast, etc...?

Mochy: No, no you have to know when to

think. Two minutes is very short but this

does not mean you can’t think. You have to

know when to think. You can think like 10

times per match, but sometimes you have

to go by feel. You need this ability to find

moves by intuition. My style is different: I

have to check every play.

Iancho: So how did you pick those 4 play-

ers? For Falafel and Wells we understand

that they have this ability, but what about

Matt and Petko? We said that Matt is good

in math. Doesn’t that mean that he likes to

spend more time thinking and checking

every play?

Mochy: Well, it is hard to tell… well first off

MCG is very strong. We actually decided

the order based upon the doubles. We had

David Wells and Bill Phipps in doubles, just

because they are very confident together.

So Matt can’t play doubles. We have to put

him in at least two events. We want to put

him in singles for sure, because he is very

strong. Then we have speedgammon and

DMP. Speedgammon is more points for the

overall score so we wanted to put him there

where it matters most. And Petko won a

speedgammon tournament, so we know

he has some experience with it.

Iancho: Next question: If you could bring

one person from the past for the World

team, who will it be? (Like Grandell, Bal-

lard, FT….) And why?

Mochy: Oh I can select any player from

history?

Iancho: Yes and why…?

Mochy: Oh I will obviously pick Francois

Tardieu. He is very good at math, very good

in match play, so he would be very useful.…

Iancho: Did you ever invite him onto the

World Team?

Mochy: Ah no, it is impossible.…

Iancho: Why…?

Mochy: Well, Falafel already tried twice….

Iancho: Too bad for the game; Francois

Tardieu was my favorite player….

Mochy: He is a perfectionist, you know.…

Now he has a baby, and he has a regular

job in math; he teaches math and he does

not play so much.…

Iancho: What about Jerry Grandell?

Mochy: I don’t know him, but everyone

says he was very good, super talented, so

maybe I would have to choose him as well.

Iancho: Any other thoughts who will be

good addition to the World team?

Mochy: I would add Stick Rice, because he

is very good in the openings. The idea is

that we need a player who can reinforce and

help us in the final consultation. Everybody

should contribute something and Stick is

very good in first 3-4 moves.

Iancho: But then this is a good question—

Stick is still an active player, he is not from

the past. Why is he not on the team?

Mochy: Why? Because he does not show

up at tournaments.

Iancho: So…some people comment that

the World team is too USA/Japan oriented.

What is your reaction to this criticism and

do you think you had other options from

other countries?

Mochy: Whoever wants to be in the team,

just contact me and we will test him, OK…?

Iancho: OK, but for example do you think

there are any players from Europe who are

stronger than those players already on the

World team? Outside of Scandinavia and

after Tardieu’s retirement from backgam-

mon, Europe has not produced any stars,

except maybe Ralf Jonas. Does he deserve

to be in? And why does Europe not produce

strong players anymore?

Mochy: Ah, I don’t know why but in Sweden

maybe… Jürgen Granstedt could be a good

candidate. But he does not play too often

so anyway he will not be on the team.…

Iancho: What about Bernard Kaiser (Ger-

many) and Tommy Nesback (Norway)?

They play very well online.

Mochy: I don’t know them but basically

all the players should show up. You know,

I play like 12 events per year and if I don’t

see them in any … I mean they should play

regularly, not only online. I don’t care if

someone play a 3 PR online.…

Iancho: What about Fernando Bracconi?

He was on the team in the past.

Mochy: Well basically, as I said, everyone

who wants to play is welcome to contact

me and prove his abilities.

Iancho: Finally the question everybody

is curious about: Will people see matches

such as Falafel vs Gus or Mochy vs Sander?

This would be fine entertainment for the

spectators. Will Gus even play? He is listed

as a sub.

Mochy: Well if Gus shows up, we will put

him vs the strongest opponent, maybe vs Me,

Falafel or MCG. The same with Sander….

Iancho: Do you think that Gus is the best

player on the Danish team?

Mochy: I think so.

Iancho: Better than Sander?

Mochy: Maybe Sander, it depends on how

much training he has recently.

Iancho: How do you see the Danish team

this year? There are some new names like

Thomas Myhr. Can you give us some

thoughts on their team? A few words for

each member, please.

Mochy: This is the fifth year for the Danish

team and I still think the first one was the

best, because they had Gus and Sander. This

year’s team is their second best. You know

Sander is very strong: I don’t know if he is

training but even without training I guess

he is my level, maybe even better. Sander

is not a math whiz but he is a genius. Lars

Trabolt is also on the team.

Iancho: What about Lars Trabolt?

Mochy: I admire him. Not many people

can be a finalist in Monte Carlo three times

and he even won the Consolation there.

Iancho: What about the Danish captain

Marc Olsen? He is very young?

Mochy: Yes, he is former professional foot-

ball player, so he is in very good shape. He

is a student of the Copenhagen University,

which is the best university in Denmark, so

he can do everything, he is a bright person.

He is taking backgammon as a very serious

hobby now. He studies a lot so we can’t

underestimate him.

Iancho: Steen?

Mochy: Well he was swapped out for Mik

Larsen, as Steen will be busy with organiz-

ing the event.

Iancho: A few words about him?

Mochy: Well Mik is kind of amateur for

me. He never played backgammon for real

money or for a living. He plays OK, but this

kind of player is relatively easy for me. He

just won Cyprus so he should be motivated.

Mochy: Thomas Myhr — when I was living

in Denmark, he was in same club I went

to. I lived in Denmark for a few months

to study backgammon — and back then

everybody played backgammon for money

and everybody made a living from it online.

Thomas Myhr was one of them. He won

the Nordic Open.

Iancho: What about Freddie Noer?

Mochy: Oh, everybody says he is the best

player now in Denmark.

Iancho: Sander?

Mochy: Sander for me is… from another

world. I understand players like Marc and

Mik: I know how they study — but Sander

is from another universe. I don’t think he

studies like I do or others do, but he is

capable of playing incredibly well.

Iancho: Something about Nevzat Dogan.

He is listed as a sub.



Mochy: No, the subs are Gus Hansen and

Karsten Bredhal. Karsten won the Nordic

twice — and whoever wins a tournament

twice has something special. You can win a

tournament with luck once, but not twice,

especially in Denmark.

Iancho: So out of those players we have

mentioned, who is the best player?

Mochy: Sander.

Iancho: Sander, for the reasons we listed

above — because he is a natural talent

and etc…?

Mochy: You know, the definition of strong

is different if I have to put my money on

who will go further in MC or so. Then I

will put it on Lars Trabolt.

Iancho: But if you have to battle them in

a money game...?

Mochy: Oh yes, I don’t want to face Sander

in a money game. Trabolt might be easier,

but you know he has a lot of patience in

tournaments, and he has more stamina

than Sander. For example, if Sander starts

losing, he will get upset and he gives up

the Consolation and the Last Chance. You

know he is going crazy. Trabolt would not

do that. Trabolt will be patient, stay calm

and in the end he will cash. Sander can’t

do this, but if he keeps winning, he is very,

very strong. If I have to play one match or a

money game for limited time, Sander will

be the strongest opponent.

Iancho: What do you think about Thomas

Kristensen — he has shown some unbe-

lievable live PRs lately. Also, in Cyprus

recently he played 0.28 in 6 games of one

match. Do you think he can be the star of

the tournament?

Mochy: Yes he can be. I don’t know him

so well, but whenever I discuss a position

with him, his answer is always very good.

He works hard, he records a lot of matches,

his IQ is very high, and I don’t see a rea-

son why he could not to be the star of the

tournament.

Iancho: We heard that this year you will

use the overall PR results. How is this going

to be implemented?

Mochy: Well, we will put all the matches

into one account in XG, we will see the

average, and compare the teams.

Iancho: Do you have some special prepara-

tion for the upcoming matches?

Mochy: Yes, I have started playing a lot of

matches on GG: at least one per day, and

if I play one hour I study one hour.

Iancho: Will you have a meeting before

the tournament to train live?

Mochy: Yes, we will have a backgammon

boot camp. All of our teammates will

arrive before the event, maybe three days

before the event. We will practice matches,

doubles, especially the speedgammon and

full consultation. The Danish team has the

advantage because they live close to one

another. They can meet whenever they

want. We can’t do this so we decided to

have a backgammon boot camp every year

to prepare for the event.

Iancho: What disciplines will you play?

Mochy: I will play singles and doubles.

Iancho: We heard that you will play doubles

with your fellow countryman Michy, which

should be very exciting. Do you think play-

ing doubles with your countryman is an

advantage, especially when the opponents

can’t understand your language?

Mochy: Well I think it is an obvious advan-

tage, but it is the same here: our opponents

are Danish and we don’t understand Danish.

Iancho: Is there any special preparation

for the doubles? Do you assign tasks, like

someone to do the pipcount?

Mochy: Well, when I play with Michy I

let him roll. Mainly he is the player and

I’m the navigator: he is playing but if I see

something I would do differently we will

start discussing. I also count the pips. It’s

the same when I play doubles with MCG:

he will be the player and I will be the navi-

gator. I’m very good at this. This way we

play better than in singles.

Iancho: What are your personal goals for

the event?

Mochy: My short-term goal is winning my

matches and outplaying my opponents,

but obviously I want to win the big one. I

hope we win.

Iancho: Is there a question you wanted to

answer that I did not ask you?

Mochy: Not really.

Iancho: In the end, what do you think the

final score will be?

Mochy: Final score? (laugh). I don’t know,

the PRs will be very low I think. If I can

play 2.2 doubles with Michy, then why is

it impossible to average 2.0 in the future?

We play full consultation below 2.0, so that

shows a human can do it, really! This was

very big for me, because before the event

we had no clue, but now we know we can

play well.

Iancho: Let’s say we have to use numbers,

what will be the final score? Make a guess.

Mochy: It is 27 point match, so 27 to 26…

Iancho: For the World team?

Mochy: Of course.

Mochy: I want to add that three years ago

when we won the event I was much more

gratified than I would be just winning a

tournament. It was very special and very

important for me.

Iancho: More important than winning the

world title?

Mochy: Well Monte Carlo is different…

but this was very important.

Thomas Kristensen

Thomas Kristensen is a 36-year-old pro-

fessional backgammon and poker player

from Denmark. After becoming one of the

best backgammon players in the world, he

switched to poker. But now he is back. He

has played in all of the Denmark vs World

matches. Thomas very kindly took the time

to answer our questions.

Iancho: Can you please give us some back-

ground about yourself? How did you get

involved in the game? How did you become

good? When did you realize that you were

really good?

Kristensen: I started playing backgammon

in Copenhagen in the late 90’s — 1995-

1996. In Copenhagen we have a very good

backgammon environment. We play in the

street — on the benches — and basically

every stranger could walk up and challenge.

I played a little bit with my ex-girlfriend

and I thought I was pretty good; and even

though I was a complete beginner I wanted

to challenge the guys playing on the streets,

and of course some of them were better than

I am. They were professionals. And one of

the guys — an American, a really interesting

character — was very methodical. I started

playing in chouettes with him, and he kind

of became my mentor. Actually he was

Sander’s mentor as well. He was very good at

articulating his ideas. He was one of the first

to make the two point with an opening 64.

I learned a lot from him. Around the same

time there was a tournament in Copenhagen

called the Carlsberg Open, sponsored by

the beer producer Carlsberg. It was really

big, and with no entry fee. All you could

win was a backgammon board made by

Carlsberg— but all of the cafe players were

there. With all the action around, I started

making some money playing backgammon

in high school.

Iancho: How old were you?

Kristensen:I think I was 18. I started uni-

versity then, studying Philosophy, but all I

wanted to do was play backgammon. When

I was 21-22, I discovered that I could play

online for money. GamesGrid had just been

developed. I was pretty decent by then and

I played a lot on that site for money, even

with that era’s best, like Nack Ballard and

Jerry Grandell.

Iancho: I’m sure everyone is interested in

this, please tell us about them.

Kristensen: Yes, especially Jerry Grandell

— he was clearly the best of that time. He

was my mentor, my idol. He quickly got a

very good reputation in Denmark, because

he was just winning every tournament.

He won everything possible. And I think

I even discussed this with Falafel — Jerry

was far ahead of the second best player of

that era, who may have been Nack Ballard.

Probably his level back then was around

3. Back in 1999, he clearly had an edge: he



was the first one to study a lot with the best

program back then — JellyFish.

Iancho: So you were very brave to play

those two for money!

Kristensen: After several years of play-

ing some really bad players, I wanted to

compete with the best, so I started playing

matches with them, matches for $100 or

something. I had the feeling — and Snowie

confirmed it — that I played at around

their level, maybe a little bit worse. I got

very comfortable playing them but this

was around the time that poker started

booming. I decided that it will be hard to

get better at backgammon, so I continued

mainly with poker.

Iancho: So now you are pla

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