Backgammon Giants: Statistics
As stated at the Giants of Backgammon website (link provided at the bottom of this page): “Every two years since 1993, Yamin Yamin of Illinois has surveyed Championship-level players and tournament directors around the world. He asks them to rank the best currently active players in the world, considering both their tournament skills and side games. Which players are the most respected and feared by their fellow competitors?”
The statistics below are compiled from the information found on that website. Under the year columns (each actually representing a span of two years), the ranking of the player is listed (1 is best, 2 is second best, etc.). 32 points are given for finishing first (“1”) in a given year, 31 points for finishing second (“2”), etc., and these points are tallied in the “Total Points” column. There is further discussion below the table. |
Backgammon Giants: Statistics |
Total Points |
|||||||||
Player |
Country |
1993
|
1995
|
1997
|
1999
|
2001
|
2003
|
2005
|
2007
|
|
Nack Ballard |
USA |
7 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
243 |
Paul Magriel |
USA |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
10 |
12 |
212 |
Neil Kazaross |
USA |
17 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
7 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
206 |
Mike Senkiewicz |
USA |
2 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
16 |
19 |
18 |
192 |
Kit Woolsey |
USA |
9 |
12 |
8 |
10 |
10 |
11 |
5 |
8 |
191 |
Bill Robertie |
USA |
6 |
9 |
10 |
15 |
14 |
15 |
20 |
17 |
158 |
Mike Svobodny |
USA |
5 |
7 |
4 |
9 |
12 |
19 |
24 |
151 |
|
Jerry Grandell |
Sweden |
9 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
142 |
|||
Kent Goulding |
USA |
8 |
8 |
11 |
13 |
15 |
26 |
117 |
||
Peter Jes Thomsen |
Denmark |
25 |
17 |
20 |
13 |
17 |
12 |
11 |
116 |
|
Wilcox Snellings |
USA |
1 |
2 |
1 |
17 |
29 |
115 |
|||
Johannes Levermann |
Germany |
30 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
114 |
|||
Dirk Schiemann |
Germany |
8 |
4 |
3 |
8 |
28 |
114 |
|||
Jake Jacobs |
USA |
25 |
14 |
9 |
12 |
14 |
14 |
110 |
||
Malcolm Davis |
USA |
22 |
20 |
13 |
12 |
31 |
21 |
17 |
20 |
108 |
Falafel Natanzon |
Israel |
17 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
102 |
||||
Billy Horan |
USA |
11 |
3 |
7 |
16 |
95 |
||||
Jorgen Grandstedt |
Sweden |
21 |
5 |
10 |
13 |
23 |
93 |
|||
Francois Tardieu |
France |
21 |
14 |
3 |
3 |
91 |
||||
Steve Sax |
USA |
20 |
13 |
6 |
7 |
86 |
||||
Joe Sylvester |
USA |
3 |
6 |
12 |
78 |
|||||
Howard Ring |
USA |
29 |
18 |
23 |
11 |
18 |
22 |
77 |
||
Paul Weaver |
USA |
25 |
32 |
29 |
32 |
19 |
20 |
16 |
15 |
76 |
David Wells |
USA |
21 |
19 |
23 |
6 |
25 |
71 |
|||
Philip Marmorstein |
Germany |
13 |
13 |
15 |
22 |
69 |
||||
Michael Meyburg |
Germany |
7 |
11 |
18 |
32 |
64 |
||||
Hal Heinrich |
Canada |
14 |
16 |
16 |
23 |
63 |
||||
Gustav J. Hansen |
Denmark |
22 |
25 |
22 |
23 |
26 |
21 |
59 |
||
Joe Russell |
USA |
15 |
14 |
18 |
26 |
59 |
||||
Bob Wachtel |
USA |
19 |
15 |
9 |
56 |
|||||
Lars Bonding |
Denmark |
24 |
7 |
13 |
55 |
|||||
Mads Andersen |
Denmark |
16 |
9 |
22 |
52 |
|||||
There are some limitations to the meaningfulness of this table:
The table below lists (alphabetically) all players who have ever been in the top 32: |
Backgammon Giants: All Players - Top 32 |
Total
Points |
|||||||||
Player |
Country |
1993
|
1995
|
1997
|
1999
|
2001
|
2003
|
2005
|
2007
|
|
Mads Andersen |
Denmark |
16 |
9 |
22 |
52 |
|||||
Nack Ballard |
USA |
7 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
243 |
Rick Barabino |
USA |
31 |
24 |
11 |
||||||
Lars Bonding |
Denmark |
24 |
7 |
13 |
55 |
|||||
Harry Cohn |
USA |
29 |
4 |
|||||||
James Colen |
USA |
24 |
11 |
14 |
50 |
|||||
Mike Corbett |
USA |
23 |
26 |
27 |
29 |
30 |
27 |
36 |
||
Malcolm Davis |
USA |
22 |
20 |
13 |
12 |
31 |
21 |
17 |
20 |
108 |
Brian Elgaard |
Denmark |
25 |
8 |
|||||||
Evert van Eijck |
Holland |
15 |
20 |
31 |
||||||
Leo Fernandez |
Argentina |
25 |
32 |
32 |
10 |
|||||
Ray Fogerlund |
USA |
24 |
9 |
|||||||
Kent Goulding |
USA |
8 |
8 |
11 |
13 |
15 |
26 |
117 |
||
Jerry Grandell |
Sweden |
9 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
142 |
|||
Jorgen Grandstedt |
Sweden |
21 |
5 |
10 |
13 |
23 |
93 |
|||
Herb Gurland |
USA |
32 |
30 |
4 |
||||||
Gustav J. Hansen |
Denmark |
22 |
25 |
22 |
23 |
26 |
21 |
59 |
||
Hal Heinrich |
Canada |
14 |
16 |
16 |
23 |
63 |
||||
Peter Heitmueller |
Germany |
30 |
3 |
|||||||
Billy Horan |
USA |
11 |
3 |
7 |
16 |
95 |
||||
Stuart Hosen |
USA |
31 |
2 |
|||||||
Jake Jacobs |
USA |
25 |
14 |
9 |
12 |
14 |
14 |
110 |
||
Harald Johanni |
Germany |
28 |
27 |
11 |
||||||
Ralf Jonas |
Germany |
30 |
25 |
11 |
||||||
Neil Kazaross |
USA |
17 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
7 |
7 |
2 |
5 |
206 |
Jack Kissane |
USA |
28 |
5 |
|||||||
Petko Kostadinov |
Bulgaria |
29 |
4 |
|||||||
Mario Kuehl |
Germany |
28 |
5 |
|||||||
Morten Holm Lassen |
Denmark |
28 |
27 |
10 |
34 |
|||||
Tino Lechich |
Australia |
12 |
17 |
28 |
42 |
|||||
Jason Lester |
USA |
10 |
19 |
19 |
51 |
|||||
Johannes Levermann |
Germany |
30 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
114 |
|||
Sandy Lubetkin |
USA |
20 |
23 |
32 |
24 |
|||||
Thomas Lumper |
Germany |
16 |
21 |
24 |
38 |
|||||
Sander Lylloff |
Denmark |
4 |
29 |
|||||||
Paul Magriel |
USA |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
10 |
12 |
212 |
Philip Marmorstein |
Germany |
13 |
13 |
15 |
22 |
69 |
||||
Michael Meyburg |
Germany |
7 |
11 |
18 |
32 |
64 |
||||
Masayuki Mochizuki |
Japan |
28 |
6 |
32 |
||||||
Abe Mosseri |
USA |
24 |
26 |
16 |
||||||
Richard Munitz |
USA |
30 |
3 |
|||||||
Falafel Natanzon |
Israel |
17 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
102 |
||||
Dana Nazarian |
USA |
31 |
2 |
|||||||
John O’Hagan |
USA |
18 |
19 |
29 |
||||||
Ed O’Laughlin |
USA |
18 |
22 |
29 |
22 |
41 |
||||
Howard Ring |
USA |
29 |
18 |
23 |
11 |
18 |
22 |
77 |
||
Bill Robertie |
USA |
6 |
9 |
10 |
15 |
14 |
15 |
20 |
17 |
158 |
Joe Russell |
USA |
15 |
14 |
18 |
26 |
59 |
||||
Steve Sax |
USA |
20 |
13 |
6 |
7 |
86 |
||||
Dirk Schiemann |
Germany |
8 |
4 |
3 |
8 |
28 |
114 |
|||
Rolf Schreuder |
Holland |
30 |
26 |
10 |
||||||
Hugh Sconyers |
USA |
32 |
27 |
7 |
||||||
Erik Seidel |
USA |
31 |
2 |
|||||||
Mike Senkiewicz |
USA |
2 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
16 |
19 |
18 |
192 |
Wilcox Snellings |
USA |
1 |
2 |
1 |
17 |
29 |
115 |
|||
Alan Steffen |
USA |
26 |
27 |
13 |
||||||
Mike Svobodny |
USA |
5 |
7 |
4 |
9 |
12 |
19 |
24 |
151 |
|
Joe Sylvester |
USA |
3 |
6 |
12 |
78 |
|||||
Frank Talbot |
USA |
21 |
28 |
29 |
31 |
21 |
35 |
|||
Francois Tardieu |
France |
21 |
14 |
3 |
3 |
91 |
||||
Peter Jes Thomsen |
Denmark |
25 |
17 |
20 |
13 |
17 |
12 |
11 |
116 |
|
Lars Trabolt |
Denmark |
31 |
16 |
19 |
||||||
Walter Trice |
USA |
27 |
31 |
23 |
26 |
25 |
||||
Bob Wachtel |
USA |
19 |
15 |
9 |
56 |
|||||
Paul Weaver |
USA |
25 |
32 |
29 |
32 |
19 |
20 |
16 |
15 |
76 |
David Wells |
USA |
21 |
19 |
23 |
6 |
25 |
71 |
|||
Elliott Winslow |
USA |
27 |
18 |
30 |
24 |
|||||
Kit Woolsey |
USA |
9 |
12 |
8 |
10 |
10 |
11 |
5 |
8 |
191 |
Abbas Zaltash |
USA |
24 |
9 |
|||||||
The statistics above were compiled from www.flintbg.com/giants.html (where you can also find the #33 through #64 rankings for 2007). The Giants of Backgammon list is and has been maintained only by the joint efforts of Yamin A. Yamin (Founder and Chairman), Carol Joy Cole (Editor), John Stryker (Statistician), Jake Jacobs (Auditor) and Howard Ring (also an auditor, who passed away in 2005). |