Bill Riles

Bill Riles is a retired structural engineer living in Houston, Texas.  Bill first learned backgammon as a new engineering graduate in the mid-1970’s working in Houston for an engineering firm that employed a number of engineers from countries such as Egypt, Iran, and Turkey – they played a new, engaging game at lunch.  Bill joined in and fell in love with the game.

As a player, Bill has played nationally and internationally for almost twenty years.  Most significant among his accomplishments was the 2009 Michigan Masters championship.

Bill is perhaps best known as the co-director, with Tara Mendicino, of the annual Texas Backgammon Championships in San Antonio on Super Bowl weekend.  Renowned as a player’s tournament with a variety of playing and technological innovations, particularly in streaming excellence, San Antonio is a must stop among USA tournaments.  With a downtown location in a unique American city, The Texas Backgammon Championships is the ‘destination tournament’ in the States.

Bill is a former President and Executive Director of the USBGF.  In addition to many other initiatives, Bill, as publisher, and Tara, as the production editor, made the PrimeTime Backgammon magazine a stunning product readily recognized and appreciated around the world.

Bill and Tara, in addition to their San Antonio tournament, have also provided technological and management services to the Chicago Open, the Atlanta Spring Classic, the Las Vegas tournaments, and the Monte Carlo Backgammon World Championship.  Their interviews, daily updates, and venue tours provided extensive video coverage to the 2019 Merit Open in Northern Cyprus.

Most recently, during the Covid virus quarantines, Bill has been directing weekly Houston tournaments for all and has been a constant mainstay as a player and as a trusted member of the Ruling Committee for the Stay At Home, Chronicles, and Legends online tournament series of Arda Findikoglu and Patrick Gebeili.

Tara and Bill are also currently working diligently on another substantial project that will soon be introduced to the global backgammon community.