Ralf Jonas - Germany

    Ralf Jonas is a German businessman who gets out to few backgammon tournaments these days. However, he usually attends the annual World Championship in Monte Carlo and did participate in the Atlantis Million event in 2007, where he and Nack Ballard were the only two Giants that made it to the semi-finals, where they both lost – Jonas was defeated by fellow German Andreas Märtens and Ballard by Lasse Hjorth Madsen of Denmark. Märtens then won the Final over Madsen to take home $600,400 while Madsen won $144,096 – Jonas and Ballard won $60,040 each as Semi-Finalists.

    One of Jonas favourite events must be the annual Paris Masters and Open tournament previously organized by François Tardieu in the early 2000s but which has now become a part of the PartoucheGammon Tour.Here's why... Jonas comes to the 1st Paris Masters and Open in 2000 and goes home with a stack of money by winning the Super Jackpot event.

    Then in 2001, he does not expect to go to the 2nd Paris Masters and Open because he has too much work on his hands, but, at the last minute drops everything, and jumps on a plane to Paris where he rushes to the tournament room in the Holiday Inn Hotel in Place Republique arriving just minutes before the close of registration for the Masters competition. He signs up and plays in the event and makes it to the final of the Masters where he defeats Morten Holm of Denmark (current Giant #10) to take home more than $40,000.

    Then in 2002, Jonas comes to the 3rd Paris Masters and Open at the same venue, and again rolls all the way to the final where he defeats his friend, Leonid Riskin, a Russian living in Germany, and goes home with another plus $40,000.The format of the Masters event of Paris Masters and Open tournament is one that many pro players enjoy and would like to see at other tournaments. It consists of up to three 11-point matches played with clocks - the first player to win two matches in the set of the three advances to the next level.Another of Jonas' big money wins was the Super Jackpot of the World Backgammon Championship in Monte Carlo in 1998.