Victor Ashkenazi

Grandmaster of Backgammon

Before switching to Backgammon in his late 20s, Grandmaster Victor Ashkenazi was an accomplished Chess player, with speed chess his specialty. He started playing backgammon in 1998 and within two years he became a much-feared opponent amidst the thriving New York Times Square backgammon scene. He soon became an accomplished online player, reaching and maintaining high rankings on the major servers. Victor has a very high standard of play in live tournaments, as can be seen from his many recorded matches. He is one of the strongest and most frequently live-streamed players in the world.

Victor’s notable wins include the Las Vegas Open in 2007, the New York Open in 2009, 2012 and recently in 2023. In 2012 he also won the Tampa Open and the Masters in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. In 2013, Victor was selected for the “World vs. Denmark” annual event, and represented the World team for three years in a row. In 2015 Victor won the Queen City Cup. In 2016, he was the Captain of the U.S. Team at the Backgammon World Cup held in Tbilisi, Georgia. Victor won both Connecticut Open and Connecticut Masters in 2016, Boston Masters and Michigan Masters in 2017 and Chicago Masters in 2018. In 2019, Victor won Buffalo Masters and came 2nd in the Chicago Open. In 2020, Victor won San Antonio Masters and the biggest online tournament in the world by then, Cyprus Open as well as numerous online events in the pandemic year of 2021. In 2022, Victor has won Chicago Masters.

Just in 2023, often called “the year of Ashkenazi” Victor won his third title at New York Open, repeated his Chicago Masters win from 2022, won DC Masters, was a Finalist at New York and San Antonio Highroler events, has won Doubles in San Antonio, Last Chance events in Loutraki (Greece) and Cyprus, and was an undefeated Finalist in the World Championship of Backgammon in Monte Carlo.

His extraordinary achievements have earned him the coveted title of Grandmaster Class 0 (average PR under 2.75), a testament to his sustained excellence and unparalleled contributions to the game since 2015. Victor’s remarkable journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring backgammon players worldwide, showcasing the power of dedication, perseverance, and an unwavering passion for the game.