Meet the players

Anna Clarke (UK)

First live event - UK Open Beginners 2014, saw Akiko in the flesh, loved the atmosphere, hooked ever since.

First main event - Bright ’n’ Breezy, Brighton 2015, very poor results but still beat Tariq! Last backgammon player to see Mick Vacarey alive (he was asleep on his train to Portsmouth Harbour when I got off in Farnham) - I’m admitting nothing.

First International event - 1st Gibraltar Open  

2016, met Carter for the first time UK Women’s Team since inception ? 2018/19

Ladies World Champion, Monte Carlo, 2017 - the photo you have is with the trophy

Runner-up Irish Open 2019 - lost to some guy called Jon Barnes in the final. I was robbed

Twice UK Open Doubles Champion (with Jon Barnes, he may have helped)

UKBGF Board Member 2016-2018Clubs - St Albans, Newbury, Romsey

Favourite UK event - Blackpool, but wouldn’t miss Bristol either

Favourite Overseas Events - Montenegro 2019 which included the World Teams Champs. Monte Carlo is love/hate

Favourite roll - anything two down. Or bacon

Anna Price (UK)

I started playing in 1992 at a local club where I met several players who are still on the circuit - Martin Barkwill being one. Played in a couple of BIBA tournaments but stopped after just 2 years, to raise a family.

I came back on the scene just 6 years ago and have won numerous trophies since then. My most notable ones are probably: 3 Gold MSO medals, (3 points, 7 points and 11 points)

Consolation winner of St. Albans Open 2018

Consolation winner of Gilbertson Finals 2015 (BIBA)Winner of British Open Consolation in 2017

Winchester Open 2019 Consolation winner

Tuchins Trophy Winner in 2015 (Team event)

Sussex Cup finalist in 2019

Winner of the Harris and Hoole Cup in 2019 - I'm good at winning consolations so I was thrilled to finally win a tournament! :)

I also qualified for the Tour winners invitational at Shrigley Hall twice. I've been Captain since January and extremely proud and honoured to be so. Other than Gothenburg and Cork I have only played nationally.

(I'm Greek Cypriot so backgammon (tavli) is in my blood) :)

Antoinette-Marie Williams aka The Necklace/Double 3s 

I am from New York City and have been  playing backgammon since 1973 with travels to tournaments in the USA, Canada, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Europe. Although not as proficient as I would like to be, I have won and placed in a vast number of tournaments. Some of my most memorable accomplishments are: FIRST on Games Grid, now GridGammon, to reach 2016 rating! No record of this because a new rating system was installed after reaching; The '19 Winner Monte Carlo World Championship Ladies Tournament; ’18 Semifinalist Monte Carlo Open Championship; ‘17 Winner Texas BG Championships; Cherry Blossom BG Championship 1st Consolation Winner & 3rd place American Backgammon Tour Point Standings; ‘16 Finalist & '15 Merit International BG Winner Ladies Tournament; '14 Championship Semifinalist Monte Carlo Open & Consolation Winner Texas BG Championships.  2020 Qualified for the U.S. Women's team by having on of the lowest PR's in qualification. 

Cecilia Sparke (UK)

I learnt to backgammon as a child with my Dad. As a student I used to play in a bar in Edinburgh, local to the music department where I was studying, where other backgammon players met including Albert Steg who is a well regarded US player.

I spent my 20s playing bridge in London and only when I moved to Bristol in my early 30s and joined the club there did I start to take backgammon more seriously.  I joined the Bristol Backgammon Club at the same time as Gaz Owen and it was inspiring to see how quickly he mastered the game.  I started using GNU / XG, read a few books and would play regularly in the Bristol tournaments and occasionally at the Biba tournaments.  I also took up poker and played a lot and read a lot too.

Since going out with Chris Rogers around 5 years ago I started going to more international bg tournaments and playing in chouettes and these things helped to improve my game.

Notable achievements:

- 2015: Winner of the Bristol Backgammon Premier League.

- 2016: Winner of the Monte Carlo Ladies World Championship.

- 2016: Winner of the Ladies tournament in Georgia- 2017: Finalist in the Bristol Open.

- 2018 - Winner of the Brunel Cup 2018, a Bristol tournament that runs over a year.

I have attended several UK BMAB events.

CJ Uttley (UK)

First tournament Monte Carlo 2011 Beginner - last chance winner

2013 - New York - Beginner - Consolation winner

2015 - New York - Advanced Beginner - Main Winner

2017 - Japan - Intermediate Main Winner

2019 - Uk - Intermediate Individual Consolation 

Winner2019 - UK - Intermediate Invitational Main Winner

I love playing abroad and combining it with great holidays. Cyprus and Japan were memorable but really enjoy the States. Had great fun in New York, Texas, Los Angeles and Chicago as well as on the backgammon cruises . Hope to see all our friends live over the board real soon. 

Dorothy Lee (UK)

I was initiated into BG whilst in Beirut in the 70's.   My most memorable win was the Las Vegas Open in 2010, intermediate division.  Winner at Coventry Open in 2013.  I play in both Manchester and Liverpool and anywhere else I can.  

Irina Litzenberger

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Irina now lives in Virginia, USA. She has been playing in the ABT and other international tournaments for the last 10 years.

• First place 2018 Ohio State Championship Intermediate Division.

• Finalist 2017 California State Championship Intermediate Division.

• Finalist 2019 Texas Championship Intermediate Division.

• First place Consolation 2019 Cherry Blossom Championship Intermediate Division.

• Finalist 2020 Beale Street Blues Backgammon Tournament. ABT Online Open division.

Julia Hayward (UK)

Started playing in about 1978, against an atari video game console... thought I was great because I could beat it! Went to university, joined a club there and learnt just how bad I was; ended up playing BIBA tournaments (but never won anything of note) up to 1999 before three children intervened and I had a long break. Picked up the game again in about 2009 online, and started going back to tournaments soon after as well as TD'ing several. Set up a Cambridge town club and league, now involved with running Mind Sports Olympiad as well as UKBGF.

Best results:   Won BMAB December 2018  Won Cambs. league six times from eleven seasons  Ten medals in Minds Sports Olympiad, including gold in 2015/7 and seven silvers - I'm good at losing finals ?  Undefeated in this year's UK Men v Women challenge (when the opposition are Messrs. Cross, Barnes and Bennet that's something to feel good about!)

Laura Granger (USA)

3 years ago I randomly asked my then 18 year old son, Cary Hoarty, if he wanted me to teach him how to play backgammon. From that moment, we were both all in. Within a month we discovered our local club in Cincinnati OH and within 7 months we went to our first national tournament.

Before we knew it, we decided to take a year and travel(mostly by car; living in it as we travelled) to all 21 tournaments on the American Backgammon Tour in consecutive order. It was the best year! We had some good results along the way(mainly Cary, lol!) but more importantly, we found a community of amazing people and discovered a whole new family!

Results

2020 Texas State Championship 1st doubles

2019 Wisconsin State 1st Advanced Consultation

2019 Los Angeles Open 1st doubles

2019 Massachusetts State 1st Queen of Hearts

2019 New York Open 1st doubles

2019 Las Vegas Open 1st doubles

2018 Colorado Backgammon Championship, Jackpot Champion

2018 Connecticut State  Quickie Champ

2018 Ohio Valley Club Championship 1st place

Kara Schultz (USA)

Less than two years ago, in December 2018, Kara Schultz walked into her first ABT tournament and won the Novice division of the California State Championship. 

A mere six months later she moved up in class and won the Intermediate in Sacramento, California. Continuing her move upward in ever-bigger and ever-stronger fields, she cashed in both the Las Vegas Open (2019) and San Antonio (2020), capping her run with first place in the Los Angeles Online Open advanced division, June 2020. This September, she played in her first Open division tournament at the Wild West Shootout Online!, where she tied for third, and currently leads the master points race in the U.S. Backgammon Club.

Born in Southern California, Kara lived in Japan, Costa Rica, and New York before returning to California in 2017. She was first exposed to backgammon in high school at an after-school job but didn’t learn of the competitive tournament style of backgammon until joining the Orange County Backgammon Club in 2018. A relative newcomer to the scene, Kara studies with coach Jonah Seewald and works on her game every day.

Patty Johnson (USA)

Patty Johnson began playing live tournament backgammon about six or seven years ago with the Gammon Associates club in Los Angeles.  Highlights for her there include playing in the semi-finals of the Tournament of Champions and winning ten straight matches to join the 1000:1 club. Years before that she played on Gridgammon (used to be GamesGrid) as a way to chat and keep in touch with her brother Ken.  When he started playing live tournaments, she went along to check out the scene, then decided to give it go herself. 

“I'm looking forward to a year full of tournament backgammon and I'm motivated to raise my game level as the year progresses. Let's play some great backgammon!” --Patty

Rain Ackerman (USA)

As her 20 year career as a massage therapist winds down, Rain's life has freed up for some personal pursuits.

New to the tournament scene, she is absolutely delighted to have found herself on a team with seven stellar women who all love backgammon.

Interest and enjoyment of the game is evolving into a passion which could very well become that "new skill to learn"

to slow (or stop!) cognitive aging. New languages and musical instruments can take a brainy back seat--let's look at that end game!

Forever an optimist, Rain is hoping that in a year or two, Women's Backgammon teams of the world will be meeting each other in person on each other's turf.

Rachel Rhodes (UK)

I started playing as a child and became more interested/serious in my 20’s. I think my first tournament experience was 1987 in Morecambe. 

I’ve had the good fortune and pleasure to play not only regularly in the UK at our excellent tournaments but also around the world, including Monte Carlo, Cyprus, Estoril/Portugal, Germany and in the US New York, Texas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago and on the backgammon cruise. 

I consider myself a strong intermediate player but not an expert and over the years I’ve had considerable success, probably more than my level would merit. I’ve been very lucky!  Twice I’ve won the British Open and Liverpool Open, I was runner-up to Bill Roberto in New York amongst other smaller successes. 

Backgammon has given me many friends over the years and very many happy experiences and memories. 

Rebecca Bell (UK)

I learned BG in the Swiss Alps in 1990 – taught by my friend Uschi (still friends!) on the terraces of bars between shifts.

Began playing BIBA tournaments in the late 90s. Won a few trophies. Stopped for a long time after two of my closest BG friends (Sarah Rosich and Steve Lynch) died in untimely and quick succession.

By 2008 I was so sure I would never play again I sold my Naylor Board at Auction (DOH!) and delivered it to the winner who happened to be at St. Albans BG Club……. and was immediately hooked again, albeit boardless!

Played for St.Albans BG Club ever since. Countrywide have made fabulous friends and had some amazing coaches.