| Biography | Prince Alexis Obolensky (19151986), socialite and sometimes called the "father of modern backgammon," was a member of the princely Obolensky family of the Rurik Dynasty.
He emigrated to the United States from France in the 1920s, and attended the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Virginia Glee Club and Zeta Psi. During the 1960s and 70s he traveled widely promoting backgammon as a gambling and tournament game, co-founded the World Backgammon Club and remained its president at his death. |