Kenji Shimodaira and Takumitsu Suzuki won the doubles competition at the World Backgammon Championship held in Monte Carlo earlier this month. The format for the competition was revamped this year and a doubles competition introduced for the first time. 32 international pairs took part with Shimodaira and Suzuki coming out on top. No Japanese player has yet won the individual championship although two did finish in the top ten this year. Shimodaira is a well-known figure in backgammon circles, serving as chairman of the Japanese league. He says he first played the game when he went to a shogi club in Shinjuku while studying to become a dentist. The club owners at first banned him from playing backgammon to keep him focused on shogi but they relented after a couple of years and he quickly picked it up. Shimodaira is also a leader of the "Save the Shimokitazawa" campaign and the photo above shows him celebrating with his trophy in the bar he owns in the area.
