Paul Magriel
Paul David Magriel Jr. (pronounced Ma-grill) (born July 1, 1946) is an American professional backgammon player, poker player, and author based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chess
Magriel became New York State Junior Chess Champion at the age of 19, while a student at New York University.
Backgammon
Known as X-22 on the backgammon circuit, Magriel has arguably won more major backgammon tournaments than any other player in the world. He is widely considered the world's premier backgammon teacher, an original and clear-thinking theorist and one of its best players.
The sobriquet X-22 originates from Magriel's simulation of a real backgammon tournament (compare simultaneous exhibition in chess) with 64 boards, designated X-1 through x-64, in which the player designated "X-22" has eventually won.
Magriel first came to prominence on the backgammon circuit when he won the World Backgammon Championship in 1978. From 1977 to 1980, he wrote weekly backgammon columns for The New York Times.
Paul and Renée Magriel (his first wife, later Roberts) have written two books, Backgammon, widely considered to be the bible of the game, and an abridgement for beginning players, An Introduction to Backgammon: A Step-by-Step Guide.