Full Name: Marv Porten

Date of birth: 1946

Birth Place: Pennsylvania

Current City of Residence: San Francisco

Marital Status: Married

Children: yes

Occupation: Retired lawyer

How I started playing Backgammon: Taught by friends in the 1970s

Current Skill level: Intermediate / Advanced

Number of years playing Backgammon live: Off and on during the past 30 years

Favorite Tournament Venue: Any well-lit, well-ventilated, spacious room

Titles won:

- 2006 Las Vegas Open, 1st place, Intermediate

Other important finishes:

- 1980 Black & White Scotch San Francisco Classic, 1st place, Intermediate consolation

- 1992 San Francisco monthly, 2nd place, Open

- 2006 American Backgammon Tour (ABT), 12th place,

final standings

Favorite Backgammon books:

- What Color Is The Wind? by Chris Bray Classic

- Backgammon Revisited by Jeremy Bagai

If I could change anything in the Backgammon world, I would...

There should be tournament backgammon boards that automatically sense and record every move, dice roll, and cube action, then print out a move list and analysis after the match ends.

Additional comments:

1- For older, retired people, backgammon is excellent mental exercise (bridge, chess, and scrabble also). As one ages, one should not neglect regular mental and physical exercise.

2- For younger people, games like backgammon, poker, and bridge can be a colossal waste of time if over-indulged. The primary focus for people in their 20s and 30s should be getting an education, starting a career, and building personal and professional relationships - not games and gambling.

3- Anyone with the ability to do well in backgammon tournaments probably could be very successful in a profession or skilled technical job. If you're still young, try to avoid potentially addictive games; there's plenty of time for them when you're older.