Matvey "Falafel" Natanzon - Israel
Born in Russia in 1969, Matvey Natanzon is a popular Israeli backgammon player who was voted as the #1 Backgammon Giant in 2007. Matvey, which translates to Michael in English, moved from Israel to the USA to study, and in his spare time enjoyed playing chess. He later began to play backgammon for money on the streets of New York.
It was tough for Matvey at the beginning - he says that to endure through hard times he ate cheaply surviving on falafel, a spicy Middle Eastern sandwich made out of fava beans and/or chickpeas, fried in small balls or patties and served on pita, thus the nickname “Falafel”. Matvey began playing on the international circuit back around the late 1990s and encountered success almost immediately.
Amongst other victories and money places, Falafel was the finalist in the $1,000 Super Jackpot at the Monte Carlo Backgammon World Championship in 2000.In 2003, he won the 20th Annual Fleet Underwood Memorial & Benefit Tournament; came second with Ken Arnold at the $10,000 entry 2003 Pro Am; split the Super Jackpot with Pawel Bielewicz at the 2003 Paris Master & Open International; and won money in three other international events that same year.
Natanzon's success continued through 2004 to the present time (2008) cashing at two or three events each year, most notably were second place in the Super Jackpot of the 2006 Las Vegas Open, and then in 2007, he won first place in the Championship flight of the same event - so far in 2008 Falafel has won the Masters event of the 3rd Portuguese Open and the Masters event of the Paris Master & Partouche Backgammon Open 9. In 2009, he finished second at the WSOB Cannes, the opening event of the World Series of Backgammon third season.
When Falafel's matches are analyzed by backgammon programs, he comes up with an amazing low error rate and he is considered for this reason, and of course his track record, to be the top player in the world.Another reason for Falafel's popularity is his jovial character and appearance. Even when wearing a suit, he will pop on his baseball cap backwards. Falafel is also very funny, especially when talking about backgammon, and comes out with lines that always crack up the crowd.When once asked, “How do you feel about hitting the big time?” - Falafel replied, “I am thinking I should change my nickname from ‘Falafel' to ‘Lobster'.”
