tournament organizer who witnessed the Monte Carlo match in person. “It is a dice game, so there’s a luck factor,” said Rory Pascar, a U.S. And in Monte Carlo, Lady Luck smiled on Frigo. But while backgammon - a math-oriented mashup of checkers, chess, bridge, and poker that can often be found on the opposite side of a chess board - is a probability nerd’s dream, there’s still dice involved. Fred crushed Frank, telling him afterward, “You’re reading all the wrong books.”įrank soon began reading the right books and playing in local tourneys, eventually becoming one of the world’s elite players. Fred was an avid player, and Frank figured if he secretly checked out a bunch of backgammon books at the library, he’d be able to hustle Fred. The 29-year gap between Frigo’s two wins on Monte Carlo’s final board represents the longest in tournament history.įrigo caught the backgammon bug in his teens in Chicago, after his brother Fred gave him his first board as a Christmas gift. It was the second world championship for the 61-year-old Frigo, who last claimed the title in 1994. On July 30 in Monte Carlo, San Diegan Frank Frigo became the first American to win the Backgammon World Championship since Dennis Carlson in 2005, vanquishing German Mario Kuhl in a gripping, five-hour match. Caesars Palace Online Casino Bonus Code.
