Luigi Villa is an Italian backgammon player from Milan. He won the World Backgammon Championship in 1979 in Monte Carlo, and the day after his win faced Hans Berliner's computer program BKG 9.8 in a 7-point match, losing 7 to 1 despite being judged to have outplayed the machine on skill, in what is considered the first time a world champion in any board game lost to a software program. He continued competing at the top level for decades, finishing runner-up at the 2006 World Championship after an extended final against Philip Vischjager.
Facts
Career HighlightWon the 1979 World Backgammon Championship in Monte Carlo, then lost 7-1 the following day to Hans Berliner's computer program BKG 9.8, the first defeat of a reigning world champion in any board game by software. 1 Classification
Competition Category In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Italy, nationality there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Luigi Villa
Wikipediaopening sentence
Luigi Villa is a backgammon player from Milan, Italy.
computer defeat sentence
The very next day after winning the World Championship, he was defeated in a 7-point match by Hans Berliner's computer program BKG 9.8, becoming the first world champion in any board game to be defeated by a software program.
Wikipedia, article summary lead
Luigi Villa is a backgammon player from Milan, Italy.
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