Phil Simborg
Full Name: Phil Simborg
Date of birth: December 7, 1944
Birth Place: Lincoln, Nebraska
City of Residence: Chicago, Ilinois
Marital Status: Married
Children: Four
Occupation: Backgammon Teacher
www.SimborgBackgammonLessons.com
How I Started in Backgammon: Oswald Jacoby and I were playing Bridge; we took a break and he taught me.
Backgammon Nickname: Dicedancer
Current Skill level: – World Class
Number of years playing Backgammon live: 40
Favorite Tournament Venue: Backgammon to Lose
Titles won:
– Carolina Open
– Chicago Championship
– Illinois State Doubles
Other important finishes:
– Pittsburgh Open, 2nd Place
– Illinois Open Championships, First Consolation.
– Many semi-finals in Open Divisions.
Favorite Backgammon book(s): Can a Fish Taste Twice as Good? – by Jake Jacobs & Walter Trice.
Favorite Film(s): The Ruling Class, Ishtar, Where’s Papa?, Harold and Maude, Flim Flam Man, Bedazzled, That Man From Rio, Moulin Rouge
Favorite Music: Soft
Favorite Food: BBQ Ribs
Other Interests & Hobbies: Bridge, Gin Rummy, Racquetball, Tennis, Quantum Mechanics, Weight Lifting, Writing, Skiing, Golf, knitting.
Person I’d like most to meet: Steven Hawking
Favorite Celebrity: Ashley Judd
If I could change anything in the Backgammon world, I would… have a universal point system like Bridge; have a worldwide organization that truly promoted the game; have a fund to provide money to teach children and get them involved.
If I could change anything in the world, I would… eliminate religion.
Additional comments: Backgammon tournaments need to be less about the money and more about winning points and prestige. The money can be on side pools for those who want more action. We need to make the game more accessible and fun for the non-gamblers who simply enjoy the game intellectually. We need to make the game more accessible to children, and host more children’s events, and make it easy and inexpensive for them to compete at tournaments