Umar Kremlev Elected President of the International Backgammon Federation

Umar Kremlev has been elected the new president of the International Backgammon Federation (IBF) at an extraordinary congress of the organization held on December 12, 2025. Representatives of 38 member countries attended the meeting, and full members unanimously elected the new president for a five-year term, succeeding Tatyana Komarova, who stepped down.

Speaking to the delegates, Kremlev outlined ambitious plans for the development of IBF and the entire field of board games as a sport. According to him, the global goal is to create an international association that will encompass different types of board games and promote them among young people.

“Our task is not only to develop the International Backgammon Federation, but to create an International Association of Board Games. Children today play on their phones, and this does not help the development of their intellect; but if we promote board games among children, they will grow intellectually. We want our organization to take on greater social responsibility,” Kremlev stated.

Umar Kremlev emphasized that one of the federation’s priorities will be hosting major competitions at a high organizational level with attractive prize pools. According to him, the next Backgammon World Championship is planned with a prize fund of 2 million dollars, and continental tournaments will have approximately 500 thousand dollars in prizes.

The organization also intends to move to a more regular format of international competitions: “We want to organize international tournaments quarterly, thereby conducting qualification for the World Championship, which will be held every two years,” Kremlev noted.

Umar Kremlev also heads the International Boxing Association (IBA), where he has successfully implemented large-scale reforms, introduced prize money, and strengthened the sport’s position on the global stage. Now his successful management experience will also be directed toward developing backgammon internationally.

Having announced her resignation as IBF president, Tatyana Komarova will now fully focus on her work as Secretary General of the Russian Backgammon Federation. Her departure was a consequence of the rapid growth of the national organization: “The Russian Backgammon Federation is developing very quickly — today we already unite 70 regions. To maintain this pace and address strategic tasks within the country, I need to be fully involved in this process. Therefore, I decided to step down as IBF president so that the federation can continue moving forward under the leadership of someone who will take our sport to a new level,” Komarova emphasized.

Delegates noted that the election of Umar Kremlev opens a new chapter in the development of backgammon as an international intellectual sport. The conference took place on the eve of the IBF Arabian Grand Prix international tournament, which will be held in Dubai from December 13 to 18, 2025. About 200 athletes are expected to participate across five main disciplines, with an additional prize fund of 70,000 US dollars.

IBF is one of the youngest international structures in the backgammon world, but in just a few years it has managed to become one of the top three key organizations defining the rules of the game at the global level. Unlike many other associations, IBF develops both major formats — short and long backgammon — striving to transform the ancient game into a standardized sport. The federation creates unified rules, introduces rating and refereeing systems, organizes international tournaments, and expands its membership map. Today, IBF includes 40 countries.