Matvey Natanzon was a Russian-born backgammon player who lived from 1968 to 2020, known professionally by the pseudonym Falafel, who in 2007 was ranked the number one backgammon player in the world by the Giants of Backgammon peer ranking system. He learned backgammon and chess hustling while homeless in Washington Square Park in New York in the early 1990s, later represented Israel at the 2005 Nations Cup backgammon tournament, and became a well known figure connecting the backgammon and high-stakes poker worlds.
Facts
Career HighlightNamed the top-ranked backgammon player in the world in 2007 by the Giants of Backgammon peer review. 1 Classification
Competition Category In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Israel, nationality there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Matvey Natanzon
Wikimedia FoundationPage description field
Israeli backgammon player (1968-2020)
Lead sentence, life dates parenthetical
July 5, 1968, February 14, 2020
Career section
In 2007, Natanzon was named the number one backgammon player in the world by an unscientifically compiled peer-audited review known as Giants of Backgammon.
Wikipedia, article summary lead
Matvey Natanzon (better known by his pseudonym Falafel) (July 5, 1968 – February 14, 2020) was a Russian-born Israeli backgammon player.
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