Women’s events have grown in popularity over the last two years, helping attract more women to competitive backgammon tournaments. These events range from women’s world and national championships and women’s cup events at national tournaments to local women’s tournaments and clubs.
World Championships online are sponsored by the World Backgammon Internet Federation (WBIF), which produces both individual and team online women's world championships. Online Women’s World Championships began three years ago on a trial basis to test interest—and interest there was, with over 100 women participating. The third women's online world championship has just concluded -- WWB co-founder Karen Davis won the event after 14 tough rounds of play (5 matches in the Regional Qualifiers and 9 in the Final phase).
Entering the playing room of any backgammon tournament today presents a very different scene—lots of women! The recent New York Metropolitan Backgammon Open (NY Open) is a great example. Women’s attendance was up, and their presence was widely and positively welcomed. Eighty women participated in the NY Open in January. A total of 28 women competed in the Open and Intermediate divisions, up from 21 in 2023—a one-third increase.
What was particularly striking was the participation of women in the Advanced Beginner and Beginner divisions, with a total of 52 women in these categories. This represents 40% of Advanced Beginner players and 56% of Beginners! Kudos to Remi Davenport, director of the New York City Backgammon Club, for attracting so many players, especially women, to tournament backgammon as well as social play.
Women’s Cup events, like the Lady Liberty Cup, are also helping attract women players to tournaments. There were 47 entrants (including buybacks) in the NY Metro Lady Liberty Cup in January 2025, compared with 32 entrants just two years ago.
Melanie Hughes, WWB Board member, won the Lady Liberty Cup this January. Her entry into the winner's circle was bolstered by dedicated study to build her skills.
Women have come a long way and are well on their way to taking their place at the backgammon table!
Karen Davis, Melanie Hughes, Irina Litzenberger
WWB Board of Directors
Update on the Women’s World of Backgammon (WWB) Cup
The Invitational Women’s World of Backgammon (WWB) Cup is off to a rapid and great start! The WWB Cup is a competitive online tournament of 16 of the top women backgammon players in the world. It includes 10 women who have qualified as Backgammon Masters Awarding Body (BMAB) Masters, live and online women world champions, and the best PR-ranked women in the world.
The online (WWB) Cup held in January-March 2025, is the first of its kind in the world. The impetus for this annual tournament is to showcase some of the top women players and follow their matches as the tournament progresses. This is a great opportunity to learn from some of the best women playing around the world!
The tournament organizer, Irina Litzenberger, is a member of the Board of the WWB. The tournament is directed by Nano Cabrera, who has directed the Online WWB Doubles Tournament in the previous three years.
The public random drawing of the brackets was conducted in conjunction with the 2025 NY Metropolitan Open. Antoinette-Marie Williams did the honors, pulling the names of the participants out of a jar. Players with matching cards were paired. The electronic brackets may be found here.
First round winners include:
Akiko Yazawa, two-time Backgammon World Champion and #1 Women World Backgammon Federation Backgammon World Ranking
Denise Kaiser, BMAB Master Class 3
Karen Davis, BMAB Masters Class 2, and 2024 WBIF Women’s World Champion; Captain USA Women’s World Team Championship, 1st place
Gülderen Gücavlı, 1st place in 2023 Bodrum Open Backgammon Championship; 1st in Ladies event in 2023 10th Merit Open in Northern Cyprus; 1st in Ladies event in 2023 4th Skopje Backgammon Open
Irina Litzenberger, BMAB Masters Class 3, and BMAB Players Cup Tour, #2 and top woman player
Julia Hayward, Captain, UK Women’s World Team Championship, 2nd place; Chair, Board of Directors, UK Backgammon Federation
Pia Jeppesen, Best WBIF highest-ranked PR woman
Martha Gjelseth, BMAB Master Class 3
When posted, videos of the first-round matches may be found on our YouTube channel.
If you would like to receive notices of upcoming matches, please register on the WWB website.
Kara Schultz:
Breaking Barriers with BMAB Master Class 3
By Melanie Hughes
We are thrilled to recognize Kara Schultz as the latest woman to achieve BMAB Master Class 3. She is one of only 10 women to earn this title, with the last four qualifying in 2024—women are soaring up the BMAB ranks!
Kara has been playing and studying backgammon since September 2018, progressing rapidly. In addition to her BMAB title, she also won the 2023 Wonder Woman Jackpot at the LA tournament and the Amateur Jackpot at the California State Championship. She attributes her success to practice, studying, and holding herself accountable for her performance. Her playing skills have been no secret to anyone in the BG community, but what motivated her to pursue a BMAB certification?
Initially, Kara set out to achieve a BMAB title to qualify for the women’s USA in-person backgammon team for 2025. However, the journey evolved into something far more meaningful. “Tracking your PR and progress online is relatively straightforward,” Kara explains, “but without diligent record-keeping, it’s hard to gauge how your live tournament play is improving. BMAB encourages you to stay accountable, offering a great platform for tracking progress and motivating attendance at more live events, which I love!”
For Kara, the true competition lies within. “My focus is on improving my skills and surpassing my own limits rather than comparing myself to others. We all come from different backgrounds, abilities, and time commitments, so personal progress is what matters most,” she shares. “The effort I invest directly affects my performance, which can fluctuate based on life circumstances. Staying focused and present is always the challenge.”
Despite earning the M3 title, Kara remains determined to push her game further. Her current goal? Achieving a consistent PR average of 5.5 or below. “So much of the game is about staying focused—it’s tough!”
We congratulate Kara on her wonderful achievement. We will be following her progress and wishing her well in the pursuit of lower PRs and backgammon excellence!
Lady Liberty Cup
18th New York Metropolitan Open Backgammon Tournament
The Lady Liberty Cup at the 2025 New York Metropolitan Open Backgammon Tournament (NY Metro) was a highly popular event among the many women attending the tournament. It provided an opportunity to meet other women, test their skills against players of varying levels, enjoy a warm and supportive atmosphere, and compete for a chance to take home a beautiful trophy!
Women’s World of Backgammon (WWB) supported this tournament with a $500 donation added to the prize pool and collaborated with Lynn Ehrlich, director of the NY Metro, to include a Lady Liberty event in an already packed schedule. Lynn set a reasonable entry fee ($50) and allowed one buy-back per entrant. Overall, there were 47 entries, including buy-backs.
It was thrilling that Melanie Hughes, a member of the WWB Board, won the event! Melanie has worked hard on her game over the last three years, progressing rapidly from an Intermediate player to competing in the Championship division for the first time at this year’s NY Metro. We asked her a few questions about her experience and thoughts on the tournament.
What was your experience at the New York Metro?
It was so exciting to play in the New York Metro tournament and see all of my friends there. Last year was good for me, as I took home a minor trophy in the Intermediate division. I had recently moved up to the Open division, so I had no expectations of success in this tournament. The Lady Liberty Cup has a very competitive field, so I was happy to make it through the first few rounds. Winning six consecutive rounds is quite a long haul and, as with all backgammon tournaments, it takes both skill and luck!
How have you improved your game?
Although we can’t control our luck, we can build our skills. I live on a boat in the Caribbean and, as my husband does not like to compete against me 😃, I only get to play online. Taking lessons from Roberto Litzenberger and competing in online tournaments has helped keep me motivated. I watch every YouTube video I can find and study whenever I have time. There are so many good resources out there if you look for them.
What has been your most satisfying experience in competitive backgammon?
It is rewarding to achieve goals like the Lady Liberty, and I was particularly honored to be chosen to play in the Genud Cup for the US (my adopted residence) against my birth country of the UK. These achievements, along with my love for the game, are what keep me coming back for more!
Online 2024 WBIF Women's World Backgammon Champion – Karen Davis
Congratulations to Women’s World of Backgammon co-founder Karen Davis for winning the 2024 WBIF Women’s World Championship! The World Backgammon Internet Federation (WBIF) organizes this prestigious online tournament, bringing together top female backgammon players from around the globe.
This year, the championship ran from July 2024 to January 2025, starting with 110 players in the qualifying phase, divided by region. In the Americas, the qualifier consisted of 36 players, with the top 12 advancing to the finals. In the Final Phase, 38 players competed for the title, with players eliminated after two losses. The final round featured three players in a round-robin format. Karen won both her matches, sealing the deal to become the WBIF Women’s World Champion. Karen had no byes and played nine matches with a record of 8–1 in the Final Phase of the event. Quite an achievement! Maj Falsig Hansen from Denmark placed second, and Samra Hadden from the U.S. placed third.
What a year it has been for Karen. In addition to this victory, she was captain of the U.S. Women’s Team that won the World Backgammon Federation (WBGF) Women’s World Team Championship in Stockholm, Sweden. Their final match against the U.K. was a closely contested event, with the U.K. placing second, the Republic of Georgia third, and Norway fourth.
Karen is an exceptional proponent of the game, having been inducted into the American Backgammon Hall of Fame in recognition of her many achievements and contributions. She devotes an extraordinary amount of time and energy to the backgammon community, particularly in enhancing women’s involvement and progression. She does this by organizing tournaments, providing peer coaching, and writing for backgammon publications. It is impressive that she accomplishes all this while maintaining a very high standard of play.
Karen reflected on the growing opportunities for women to develop their skills and be recognized for their achievements:
“It’s very gratifying to see the growth of women playing competitive backgammon—at the top, achieving Backgammon Masters Awarding Body (BMAB) Master status, up from three women just a few years ago to ten women today—and to see women swelling the ranks of Beginner and Intermediate players in tournaments. Women have joined the journey, committing the time and effort to reach great heights. I’m optimistic for the future!”
We would like to congratulate not only the winners but also all players who made this event a success through their participation.
BMAB Players Cup
Congratulations to Melissa Shin, winner of the BMAB Players Cup Los Angeles, held December 11, 2024. Melissa had a perfect 5-0 Win-Loss record to finish first out of a field of 32 players at the Los Angeles event. She ranked third in points in the annual BMAB Players Cup tour.
Congratulations to Melissa Shin, winner of the BMAB Players Cup Los Angeles, held December 11, 2024. Melissa had a perfect 5-0 Win-Loss record to finish first out of a field of 32 players at the Los Angeles event. She ranked third in points in the annual BMAB Players Cup tour.
Watch as WWB Co-Founder Karen Davis spends a few minutes discussing the BMAB (Backgammon Masters Awarding Body), explaining how it works, how points are awarded to backgammon players, and women within the BMAB.
Note: This video was recorded several years ago—today, ten women hold BMAB Master rankings.
Upcoming Events
January 29-February 1 – 8th Gilbraltar Open, Suborn Yacht Hotel, Marina Bay, Gibraltar. Click here for details.
CANCELLED: February 5-9 – 12th Texas Championships and Players Cup BMAB, Gunter Hotel, San Antonio, Texas, Bill Riles, Jesper Carlsson, and Tara Mendicino, directors; USBGF Awards/Hall of Fame.
February 19-25 – 22nd Cyprus Open; 2nd Grand Pasha Open - Pasha Hotel, Nicosia, North Cyprus director.
February 27-March 2 – 15th Atlanta Classic and Players Cup BMAB, Sonesta Hotel, Atlanta, GA, Jeff Proctor director, 706-372-2495
March 1 – July 31: WWB Women’s Doubles – online; details forthcoming
March 19-23 – 7th Merit Grand Prix, Hotel Splendid, Budva, Montenegro, Director: Arda Findikoglu
March 20-23, 30th Ohio State and BMAB, Crown Plaza, Middleburg Hts, OH, Jonathan Hardigree and Joe Miller directors, 330-268-4610
Click here for details.
April 7-13, World Backgammon Federation World Teams Championships/3rd Greek Grand Prix, Kamena Vouria, Greece. Click here for details.
Sponsored by Women’s World of Backgammon: Jackets for Team USA
April 9-13, Cherry Blossom and BMAB, Hyatt Regency Dulles, Herndon, VA, 810-348-1695.
Sponsored by Women’s World of Backgammon:
ALL Players - Recording and transcription services provided for every match! ($17 value per match played)
View details here.
Apr 15-16. 17-21 - *UBC Contenteder/ Nordic Open 2025, Scandic Sluseholmen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Click here for details.
April 23-27 – 17th Istavder Anniversary Feast, WOW, Istanbul, Turkey.
May 22-26, 43rd Chicago Open and BMAB, Hyatt Rosemont O’Hare, IL
617-699-9100. Click here now.
Sponsored by Women’s World of Backgammon:
2025 U.S. Women’s National Championship -- $500 added money or WWB Backgammon Board
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