Backgammon World Champions

Published on April 4, 2026

The Backgammon World Champions since 1967 in tabular form. It is listed when the tournament took place, where it was played and from which country the winner came.

You can see here in the tabular form that the first backgammon tournaments were held in Las Vegas. Afterwards on the Bahamas and since then in Monte Carlo. The 2020 championship was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic — it has been held every year in Monte Carlo again since 2021.

Frank Frigo wrote a remarkable chapter of his own: he won the title back in 1994 — and, 29 years later, a second time in 2023, beating Germany’s Mario Kühl in a 21-point final. That makes him one of the few players with two world titles separated by such a long gap.

Profiles of the most successful multi-time champions like Tim Holland, Jörgen Granstedt, and Bill Robertie can be found in our champions article.

Backgammon tournaments are played on a high level – a backgammon strategy is inevitable – without dice theory and the necessary knowledge of the game you cannot win. One way to become nearly as good as the world champions is to attend the Backgammon Masterclass – but also when playing backgammon online, you can practice backgammon. Last but not least, backgammon online tournaments also offer the possibility to play backgammon for money, just like in big tournaments on location.

About the Author

Ulf Mayer

I love backgammon in all its forms – whether it's a quick match on my smartphone to pass the time, or a glass of wine alongside a beautiful wooden board with family and friends. As the founder of backgammon-meister.de, I share my passion, tactics, and tips to help both beginners and ambitious players dominate their next match. Dice cup ready? Let's master the game!

backgammon-meister.de has been online since 2008.