Famous Backgammon Players: Legends of the Game (2026)

Backgammon has been played by rulers, scholars, and champions throughout history. The modern era — defined by the introduction of the doubling cube, computer analysis, and professional tournaments — has produced some of the most analytically gifted game players of any discipline. Here are the legends who shaped the game.

Key Takeaways

Bill Robertie is the only three-time World Backgammon Champion (1983, 1987, 2001)
Paul Magriel ("X-22") wrote the foundational backgammon book and was the dominant player of the 1970s–80s
Nack Ballard is considered the greatest technical player of the pre-computer era
Japanese players, especially Mochy Mochizuki, have dominated world championships since 2010
Modern champions study using software like eXtreme Gammon (XG), which plays at a superhuman level
Backgammon has been played throughout history by Roman emperors, European royalty, and Persian scholars

The Modern Era’s Greatest Players

Bill Robertie — Three-Time World Champion

Born: 1946, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA World Championship wins: 1983, 1987, 2001

Bill Robertie is widely considered the greatest backgammon player in history. He is the only person to win the World Backgammon Championship three times — an achievement that may never be matched.

A chess master before turning to backgammon, Robertie brought rigorous analytical thinking to the game. His writings — including Advanced Backgammon, Backgammon for Winners, and the Modern Backgammon series — remain essential reading for serious students.

Robertie’s play evolved alongside computer analysis, making him one of the first players to integrate neural-network insights into his game. He continues to write, play, and teach.

Paul Magriel — “X-22”, The Father of Modern Theory

Born: 1945 | Died: 2018 Major achievements: Author of Backgammon (1976), World Champion at Monte Carlo

Paul Magriel, known by his backgammon handle “X-22,” published Backgammon in 1976 — a book that essentially invented modern backgammon theory. Before Magriel, backgammon strategy was largely intuitive. He systematized positional concepts like priming, timing, and anchor play that remain central today.

A mathematical prodigy (he studied at Princeton and NYU), Magriel combined intellectual rigor with colorful personality. His book is still in print and still recommended as the first advanced text for serious players.

Nack Ballard — The Technical Master

Major achievements: World Champions at major tournaments, noted teacher and author

Nack Ballard is regarded as the greatest technical backgammon player of the 1990s era. Where others relied on feel and experience, Ballard calculated positions with rare precision. His analysis discovered many counterintuitive plays that have since been confirmed correct by computer analysis.

Ballard co-authored Backgammon Openings and contributed to the development of Snowie, one of the early neural-network backgammon programs that revolutionized how players learn.

Mochy Mochizuki — Japan’s World Champion

Born: 1973, Japan World Championship wins: 2011 (Monte Carlo)

Mochy Mochizuki represents the extraordinary rise of Japanese backgammon. Japan has a deep backgammon culture — Tokyo alone has dozens of active clubs — and has produced world-class players through rigorous study of computer analysis.

Mochy won the 2011 World Backgammon Championship in Monaco, the game’s most prestigious title. Known for exceptional reading of complex positions and deep match play understanding, he is regarded as one of the best active players in the world.

Akiko Yazawa — Japan’s Champion

Major achievements: Multiple international titles

Akiko Yazawa is among the strongest female players globally and has achieved results competitive with the best male players in international open events. Japan’s backgammon scene has produced numerous top-level women players who compete on equal terms at the highest levels.

Kit Woolsey — Statistician and Theorist

Kit Woolsey brought a statistician’s precision to backgammon theory. His work on match equity tables, cube theory, and endgame calculation established mathematical frameworks used by all serious players today. His match equity table is among the most referenced in the game.

Woolsey also founded and edited Inside Backgammon, a newsletter that advanced the game’s theory significantly in the 1990s.

Marek Smusz — European Power

A top Polish player, Smusz has been a dominant force in European backgammon for decades. He represents the strong Central and Eastern European school of backgammon, where the game has deep cultural roots.

Masayuki Mochizuki — World-Class Rivalry

Father of Mochy, Masayuki Mochizuki is himself a world-class player who competed at the highest level. The Mochizuki family represents backgammon as a multigenerational passion — unusual in any competitive game.

Historical Giants of Backgammon

Emperor Claudius (10 BCE – 54 CE)

Roman Emperor Claudius was so devoted to backgammon (or its Roman ancestor, Tabula) that he wrote a treatise on the game. He reportedly had a special board installed in his carriage so he could play while traveling. Claudius is one of the earliest historically documented backgammon enthusiasts.

King Alfonso X of Castile (1221–1284)

Known as “Alfonso the Wise,” he commissioned the Libro de los Juegos (Book of Games) in 1283 — one of the most important historical documents for backgammon historians. The manuscript includes rules for Tables, the medieval European ancestor of modern backgammon.

Paul Morphy’s Contemporary Backgammon Rivals

In 19th-century New Orleans and New York, backgammon was played at the highest social levels. While chess master Paul Morphy was dazzling the chess world, New York’s elite played sophisticated backgammon in private clubs. The social scene drove the game’s evolution toward its modern form.

The Computer Era: Software as Teacher

Since the mid-1990s, neural-network backgammon programs have transformed who “the best” player is:

JellyFish (1995): First strong neural-network backgammon program.
Snowie (1998): Took superhuman play to the next level. Used by all top players for analysis.
GNU Backgammon (open source): Widely used for analysis. Still actively developed.
eXtreme Gammon (XG) (2009): The current gold standard. XG plays at a level no human can match.

Top players today benchmark their moves against XG. A top player might be “0.003 errors per move” from XG perfection — any lower and they’re essentially perfect by any human standard.

The Rising Stars: Online Era

Online platforms like Backgammon Galaxy, FIBS, and PlayGammon have created a new generation of elite players who learned almost entirely online. The speed of improvement has accelerated — a dedicated player today can reach expert level faster than ever before because of:

Instant game analysis after every move
Access to millions of archived games
Global competition 24/7

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the greatest backgammon player of all time?

Bill Robertie is widely regarded as the greatest player in history, based on his three World Championship titles (1983, 1987, 2001) and exceptional longevity at the top level. Paul Magriel is equally important historically for his theoretical contributions. Among active players, Mochy Mochizuki is consistently ranked at the top.

Who has won the most World Backgammon Championships?

Bill Robertie has won the World Backgammon Championship at Monte Carlo three times (1983, 1987, and 2001), making him the only three-time champion. No other player has won it more than once.

Who wrote the most important backgammon book?

Paul Magriel’s Backgammon (1976) is universally cited as the most important backgammon book ever written. It systematized modern backgammon theory and remains in print. Bill Robertie’s Advanced Backgammon is the most important advanced-level text.

Are there famous female backgammon players?

Yes. Akiko Yazawa (Japan) is among the world’s strongest players. The game has produced many elite female competitors, particularly from Japan, where women’s backgammon is well-organized. Top events typically run open categories where women compete against men on equal terms.

How do modern players train for backgammon?

Modern players use software like eXtreme Gammon (XG) to analyze games move by move. After each game, they import the moves and review errors classified by severity. Top players also study reference positions, match equity tables, and specific problem types (cube decisions, race endings).

Which country produces the most top backgammon players?

Japan has been the dominant country in world-level competitive backgammon since the 2000s, producing multiple world champions and consistently strong players across all events. The USA, Turkey, Germany, and Scandinavian countries also have strong competitive scenes.