Jörgen Granstedt - Sweden
Jörgen Granstedt is one of only three players who have won the Monte Carlo World Backgammon Championship more than once. Granstedt performed this great feat in 1999 and 2001. The other two such winners are Bill Robertie of the USA (in 1983 and 1987) and Michael Meyburg of Germany (in 1991 and 1998).
Granstedt is also one of only two Swedish players to have won the title of World Champ, the other being Jerry Grandell who was the #1 Giant of Backgammon in 1999 – Grandell disappeared from the backgammon scene a couple of years later and is said to be playing poker in Brazil.
Granstedt was also the 1996 National Backgammon Champion of Sweden and is rated #17 on the GammonLuck.com Ranking list, having an overall checker play error rate of 3.209 in 19 matches submitted. He has also been ranked in the top #32 in the world on every Giants of Backgammon list since 2001, when he was ranked #5.
Although Jörgen loves the game, in recent years he has been dedicating more of his time to work and his family. Nevertheless, Jörgen could not resist the temptation to attend and compete in the biggest ever event in the world, the Atlantis Million tournament held in January of 2007 at the Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas, where he defeated James Vogl of the England in Round 1 but then lost to Torsten Haase of Germany in Round 2.
However, Jörgen has many other big money wins under his belt... he came in first in the Championship flight of the 2001 Paris Master and Open, second against Eric Sfez in the Super Jackpot at the 1st Lucien Barrière Backgammon Open at Enghien-les-Bains, France in 2003 and won a couple of team events with partner Pawel Bielewicz of Sweden and James Vogl of England.
