Neil Kazaross - USA
Neil Kazaross is a U.S. player of Armenian origin who lives in the State of Illinois and works as a stocks trader in Chicago. Neil has been the All-time #1 Player on the American Backgammon Tour (ABT) according to ABT statistics from 1993–2007. Neil has won the annual ABT on three occasions, in 1994, 1999 and 2005.
In backgammon, Neil also invented "Neil's Numbers" which is a simple method to calculate most of the figures in a match equity table rather than the strenuous task of having to memorize the entire table. He is also a radio hobbyist and renowned medium wave DXer. His nicknames are NeilKaz or sometimes just Kaz, the latter which may have been given to him by John Bryant, who named a radio antenna developed by Kazaross - the "Kaz antenna".
Kazaross has an astonishing number of victories at live tournaments and not only in the USA – on a whim, he once journeyed to play in the 1999 British Open of the British Isles Backgammon Association and ploughed through a field of 114 players to take home this prestigious UK title. Neil has also cashed in Consolations at the Monte Carlo World Championships in 2000 and the City Of Venice Tournament in 1999.
With an extensive record of conquests in Super Jackpots and Doubles events in the USA, Kazaross has won... first place in the Championship Division of the 2005 Wisconsin State Backgammon Championships; the Midwest Backgammon Championships twice – in 1999 and 2005; the 27TH Annual Pittsburgh Backgammon Championships, also twice, in 1999 and 2005; the 2004 Georgia Backgammon Championships; the 10th Annual Ohio State Backgammon Championships in 2004; and the 49TH Indiana Open in 2001.
In 1998, Kazaross made it to the final of the U.S. Open in Dallas, Texas where he was defeated by Jerry Grandell of Sweden – Grandell is an amazing backgammon player who was voted the #1 Giant of Backgammon in 1999, but has since moved to Brazil where he is apparently playing a lot of poker.
A few of Kazaross' most important matches are annotated in the book “Backgammon with the Giants: Neil Kazaross” written by Antonio Ortega and Danny Kleinman. The three matches in the book were recorded at different live events in which he played against such experts as François Tardieu, Malcolm Davis and Charlie Russell.
