The tournament was one of the biggest backgammon events ever held, and the $600,400 first prize collected by 33-year-old German Andreas Maertens was a world record payout for a backgammon tournament.

The final, pitting Maertens against the Danish backgammon ace Lasse Hjorth Madsen, was a nail-biting thriller, with Maertens just edging it 23-22. Both players had qualified online at PartyGammon.com, and came through a field that contained ten former world champions and 25 of the 32 “Giants of Backgammon”.

The success of these online qualifiers against the experience of the seasoned pros was a pleasant surprise to the tournaments organisers, showing that backgammon is likely to follow the example of internet poker, where newcomers to the game can gain real game experience far far quicker than in pre-internet days.

A PartyGammon spokesperson said: “The entrance of online aces promises to change the game of backgammon forever.”

Meanwhile Maertens became the latest European after Magnus Peterssen (who won the Scandinavian EPT) to promise to use the winnings to buy his girlfriend a car!