Worldwide Backgammon Federation (WBF)

Worldwide Backgammon Federation (WBF) was founded in 1986 by a passionate Italian player, codifier of modern Backgammon, eng. Alberto da Pra of Milan. The General Secretary is Marco Fornasir, director of many international tournaments.

The primary tasks of the Federation are: to spread the game, standardize the rules and supervise and coordinate the tournaments with maximum transparency and correctness.

The aim is to impose Backgammon as a true sport of the mind. In this perspective WBF has organized, in partnership with Studiogiochi, the Backgammon Olympics in 1992 and 1996 in Venice (Italy).

Currently, after 33 years of activity, WBF supervises and organizes some of the most important tournaments in the world and the WBF registered trademark enjoys consolidated and widespread prestige.

The first international tournaments organized by WBF were held at the Hotel Royal in Sanremo (Italy) from 1988 to 1991. The activity expanded with the tournaments in Cannes and St. Tropez (France – 1991), while from 1991 until 2009 the Mitteleuropa tournaments were organized annually in Nova Gorica (Slovenia), which contributed greatly to the success of WBF.

Since then WBF has organized tournaments from the Caribbean to Asia passing through many European countries; the most important tournaments are included in the WBF Golden Circuit.

Since 1989 WBF has awarded the title of European Champion in the three Master, Champion and Intermediate categories (today only Master and Intermediate) and since 2003 also the title of European Doubles Champions.

Since 2013 WBF is a partner of Merit Hotel Group and organizes the most important tournament in the world: the MERIT OPEN, in Northern Cyprus. Since 2016 the partnership with Merit Hotel Group has extended to the Balkans, where tournaments have been organized in Dubrovnik (Croatia – 2016 and 2017) and from 2018 the MERIT OPEN MONTENEGRO GRAND PRIX is hosted in the prestigious Merit Casino Royal Splendid of Budva (Montenegro). Just in Budva, in April 2019, in partnership with WBGF, the WBGF World Team Championship was hosted.

WBF is planning to organize more tournaments over the next few years, particularly in countries not yet included in the Backgammon tournament circuit.

Much work remains to be done to spread our Mind Sports more effectively.