2006 Backgammon World Championship

Backgammon has a new world champion: Philip Vischjager of the Netherlands. Playing in the World Championship for the first time, Vischjager beat Luigi Villa of Italy, the 1979 world champion, in a hard-fought final.

The final

Vischjager led for most of the match, but Villa fought back dramatically and drew level at 19-19. In the end Vischjager held his nerve and won the final 25-23 to take the title.

The tournament

The 31st Backgammon World Championship was held from July 10 to 16, 2006, at the Fairmont hotel in Monte Carlo, the event's traditional home. In total 335 players took part across the Championship, Intermediate and Beginner flights, and more than 200 of them entered the main Championship flight.

The field included many of the game's best-known players, among them Peter Hallberg, the 2004 world champion, Lars Bønding, Mike Svobodny, Paul Magriel and, of course, Luigi Villa.

A growing audience

After a couple of quiet decades, backgammon was attracting new interest in the mid-2000s, and the 2006 championship was a chance to show the game to a wider audience. The event received extended television coverage and was broadcast live.

What it means for players

The championship shows how open backgammon can be. A player making his debut at the event won the title against a former world champion. If you would like to follow a similar path one day, start with our guides to backgammon tournaments and tournament play for beginners, and sharpen your doubling with our article on the doubling cube.