Jacob "Stick" Rice - USA
Stick Rice, who was born 33 years ago in Ohio as Jacob Rice, has made the biggest jump in the Giants of Backgammon list, from #63 straight into the top ten. Yet, his promotion did not caught any of his colleagues by surprise, backgammon giant #14, Steve Sax, has already described Stick as the next great backgammon player.
Jacob "Stick" Rice is known both for outward backgammon tournaments appearance and his online presence as the owner and operator of the website bgonline, where Stick showcases his collection of backgammon opening moves and the backgammon masters gather for virtual multi participant brainstorming.
Stick Rice has encountered backgammon by mistake. Before a woman he met at a Parisian bar invited him for a money game on a low stake of $2, he was a pool shark (where the nickname "Stick" stuck to him) a sort of poker hustler and a graduate of the Ohio University (major in French).
A backgammon player who was exposed to the game when strong and reliable computers became available for homely use, Stick Rice has been exploring the varied possibilities of backgammon openings thoroughly and efficiently, and sharing his research with the members of the backgammon community.
Backgammon Tournaments Achievements
Stick Rice can be seen in many of the ABT events, often with his long time partner and new Giants of Backgammon inductee Matt Cohn-Grier. In the past couple of years, Stick has been strengthening his presence in European tournaments as well. He has been the captain of the World team in the Denmark vs. World event at the 2010 Nordic Open tournament (where the World lost). In 2009, he champion the Consolation of the ABT California State Backgammon Championship, earned the Special Player Award at the EBGT French Open and won the Davis Doubles (with Matvey "Falafel" Natanzon) at the Georgian Backgammon Open.
