Claxton’s world final makes SA Backgammon history

From Cape Town coffee shops to the world stage, South African Doron Claxton has stunned the backgammon world with his zero-to-hero accomplishment. Heading for the 2025 Backgammon World Championships in July on a wing and a prayer with no serious accomplishments under his belt, he made it to the finals.

He left the championship in Monte Carlo having made it to second place and as the first South African to make it to the finals. This was Claxton’s first international competition.

The championship, held annually in Monte Carlo, Monaco, is considered the pinnacle of global backgammon. It ran for a full week this year, from 26 July until 3 August, and follows a single-elimination format. Matches are played as races to 17 points, and one loss sends a player home.

More than 120 of the world’s strongest players competed this year, including seasoned professionals and former champions. That Claxton, an unranked newcomer on the global scene, managed to push through six consecutive knockout rounds to reach the final was nothing short of extraordinary.

“I should have won it,” Claxton said. “I had one hand on the trophy. I was 16-4 up, then 16-10, then 16-14. It ended 19-17. Nine seconds on the clock. It couldn’t have been closer. It was absolutely mental.”

He eventually lost in a nail-biting final to Finnish grandmaster Timo Väätäinen, but Claxton’s journey had already captivated the backgammon world. “We broke the record for the most live viewers during a backgammon match,” he said. “Everyone back home was watching. The support was incredible.”

His love for the game goes back decades. “My journey started when I was about 10. My aunt taught my brother and me when we were in Israel,” Claxton recalled. “We used to play every day for favours. I’ve probably been playing almost every day for the past 30 years.”

That lifelong passion found its community in the Cape Town Backgammon League, launched in 2013 by Nick Groll. What began as informal meetups between friends at a coffee shop soon blossomed into a robust league.

“My brother and I were bored with playing each other,” Groll said. “So, we posted on Facebook, asking if anyone else played backgammon. The next morning, four or five of us met at a coffee shop at 07:00, and that was the beginning.”

The league quickly gained momentum, reaching 60 regular players before the COVID-19 pandemic. Claxton and his younger brother, Mike, were part of the core group from the very beginning. “Doron’s always been one of the stronger players in the club – top three to five consistently,” Groll said. “He’s passionate, intimidating to play against. You can feel his presence when you’re sitting across from him.”

Still, even Groll was stunned by Claxton’s breakout success. “It’s like deciding to try golf and going straight to the Masters at Augusta, and then nearly winning. It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Even world-class players who have been going to Monte Carlo for 10 years haven’t made the final.”

Claxton hadn’t even planned to attend the tournament. “It was a last-minute decision,” he said. “I was chatting to a friend about it, and I just thought: YOLO [you only live once]. I booked the ticket a few days later. I wasn’t even meant to be there.”

In Monte Carlo, Claxton advanced round by round, playing with precision, confidence, and heart. “I play from the heart. I play with passion,” he said. “I wasn’t intimidated. I was just playing my game.”

His performance earned him widespread admiration, not just for the quality of his playing, but for the way he carried himself. “I became the people’s champion,” he said. “The reception I got on stage when I went up to get the silver medal was louder than anything else. Everyone came up to me after and said, ‘We were all rooting for you.’ It was special.”

The heartbreak of losing the final was softened by perspective. “Of course, I was gutted. I wanted to win badly. But you learn more when you lose. It’s how you handle it, how you get back up. And I’m proud,” he said.

The South African backgammon community was astonished at his performance. “We were already experiencing a bit of a resurgence,” Groll said. “But this definitely adds to it. There’s been a global revival of backgammon recently, especially among younger players, and what Doron achieved adds fuel to that fire.”

Now, Claxton has big plans. “It’s been beyond my wildest dreams,” he said. “I wasn’t even supposed to be there. But now? I think I’ve put South Africa on the backgammon map.”