- The MSN Gaming ZoneWorld Backgammon Championship Finale
The 31st World Backgammon Championship held at the Fairmont Luxury Resort in Monte Carlo came to a finish with flying colors. The two finalists of this year's backgammon championship were Luigi Villa from Italy and Philip Vischjager from Netherlands. While Luigi was the first ever World Backgammon Champion in 1979, Philip was a first time player at the World Game Championships. Though Philip reached the finals in 4 major Dutch tournaments before this, the World Backgammon Championship opened new vistas for him. He dominated the match throughout and finally won the Backgammon Championship title by taking Luigi by 23-25/25. This has entitled Philip to prize money of over 75,000 Euro from the total prize pool that comprised of 240,000 Euro. More importantly, it has put Philip on the world map of Backgammon champions. The 31st World Backgammon Championships were celebrated with much pomp and show with over 335 players from the world competing at the main event. This included 212 championship expert players, besides intermediate and beginner players. The 2006 Championship series were recorded live on television and would be telecast with a leading championship commentator.