Albert Steg

Backgammon Bon Vivant

Albert Steg is an avid backgammon competitor, organizer and historian based near Boston in Manchester-by-the-Sea. A former English teacher with advanced degrees in literature and philosophy, Albert is proof that you don’t have to be a mathematical wizard to excel in backgammon.

Albert learned to play backgammon in the 1970’s as a teen at Lake Geneva Country Club in Wisconsin. Arriving in Boston in the early 90’s, he became a regular at New England Backgammon Club (NEBC) tournaments at the Sheraton Commander and in day-long summertime chouettes in Harvard Square. In the 2000’s Albert emerged as one of the chief organizers of the NEBC, and emerged on the wider tournament scene in 2015.

A regular competitor on the American Backgammon Tour (ABT) and a respected figure on the international tournament scene, Albert has achieved the Masters Level 1 (M1) title awarded by the Backgammon masters Awarding Body (BMAB) and is working toward his Grandmaster rating. Albert has contributed three well-received articles on “3rd-Roll Complexes” to the USBGF Prime Time Backgammon magazine, as well as the popular “Understanding the Opening Replies” treatise, all with accompanying FilemakerGo! quizzing apps for the iPad and available on the NEBC website.

Also, an avid collector of vintage backgammon equipment and memorabilia, Albert is the author of the entire NEBC website, including extensive galleries devoted to the beauty of Bakelite checkers and cubes, the elements of good board design, and a detailed history of the great American backgammon boom of the 1930’s.

Albert’s most notable competitive achievements include the coveted NEBC Club Champion title (2015), a win in the 256-player Merit Open warm-up event in Cyprus (2016), and 2nd place in the PR-based San Antonio UBC event (2022).

Albert currently offers lessons at two rates: one for prepared sessions laying out concepts and skills tailored to the student’s particular needs, and a lower rate for “coaching” sessions reviewing student matches, grooving skills with “deliberate practice” drills, or talking through practice matches against XG.