Mission

The U.S. Backgammon Foundation (hereafter Foundation) was established in 2010 as a 501c3 incorporated in the State of Delaware to provide and advance the education of the skill-based game of backgammon to institutions, clubs and individuals. The Foundation conducts discussion groups, forums, lectures, and similar programs on the subject of backgammon; and presents courses of instruction by means of the internet or through other media outlets. The activity is funded by public donations and or grants.

Officers and Directors

• John Pirner, President/Executive Director
• Karen Davis, Chairman of the Board
• Board of Directors: Art Benjamin, Joe Russell, Jason Briggs, Dan Minardi
• Charge: Review and approve Foundation budget; develop fund-raising strategy; oversee policy on support of streaming and educational activities.

Activities

The Foundation initiated operations in the fall of 2010. Over the last decade, its principal activities include:

• Support of backgammon competitions for youth including the World Internet Backgammon Federation Youth Championship
• Streaming matches of top-flight experts with neural net software analysis and/or commentary on USBGF YouTube channel.
• Provision of basic backgammon books for youth and novice entrants to American Backgammon Tour novice competitions
• Backgammon education lessons by leading professional experts
• Posting backgammon positions on social media including the USBGF Facebook page with expert analysis and commentary
• Development, archiving, and distribution of educational videos
• Development of a Boards for Kids! Program for use of teaching backgammon in elementary and secondary schools
• Support of college backgammon clubs, courses, and teams
• Fund-raising to raise charitable donations to support backgammon programs in secondary schools and colleges/universities and financial support for backgammon educational activities

Backgammon Youth Competitions

The U.S. Backgammon Foundation supports backgammon competitions for youth including the World Internet Backgammon Federation World Youth Championships. It also has provided basic books including Bill Robertie’s Backgammon for Winners and Chris Bray’s Backgammon to Win to youth and novices entering American Backgammon Tour Novice division competitions.

Streaming Matches of Top Experts

The U.S. Backgammon Foundation records and distributes matches of top professional experts with commentary and neural net software analyses. Videos are archived on the USBGF YouTube site.

Educational Videos, Material, and Lessons from Top Experts

The U.S. Backgammon Foundation develops, archives, and distributes educational videos prepared by Teaching Pros. It provides educational lessons from top professional experts to winners of backgammon education competitions. It has provided Novice entrants at national backgammon tournaments with books for beginners by leading authors. It posts backgammon positions by Chris Bray, leading backgammon author and expert, on the USGF Facebook page with analysis and commentary.

Boards for Kids!

The Foundation has established a Boards for Kids! Program to meet the interest in forming backgammon clubs at colleges and secondary schools! The program is supported through charitable donations of money and backgammon equipment to the Foundation. Volunteers who are members are the sister organization, the U.S. Backgammon Federation, provide instruction and educational materials. The first educational institution to receive Foundation support was the Bell Academy, a secondary school in New York City. Backgammon programs are now in development at about a dozen colleges and universities across the U.S., plus a half-dozen secondary schools in Chicago and New York City.

College Programs

The Foundation has reached out to college students across the U.S. to encourage them to take up the game, learning valuable mathematic, statistics, and decision analysis skills in the process. The Foundation helps get clubs going by offering tips on Starting a Backgammon College Club usbgf.org/clubs/college-clubs-2/guide-to-starting-a-college-backgammon-club/, identifying USBGF members in the community who are willing to volunteer to work with college students, and helping groups obtain quality backgammon boards at a discount. USBGF Education Adviser, Phil Simborg, has provided webex tutorials online to supplement assistance available locally.

Fund-Raising

The U.S. Backgammon Foundation conducts fund-raising to raise charitable donations to support backgammon programs in secondary schools and colleges/universities and financial support to selected academic programs for backgammon educational activities.