Biographies - Bob Zavoral
by Jake Jacobs
Bob started playing backgammon during his student days. A native of Missouri, he graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia. His field was languages, and he
studied Spanish, French, Russian, German, and Farsi. His English is also passable. When Bob (6 languages) Laila (7 languages) and Jake (a measly 4 languages) get together, they can wear out the ears of half the world!
After moving to Chicago to mix it up as a bartender and bar manager, Bob cut a wide swath through the intermediate fields of the '80s and early '90s. Stepping up his game in the
later '90s he has collected doubles titles in Louisville, Chicago, and Michigan, and cashed in the Pittsburgh 2000 Masters semis, was the 1999 Minneapolis Masters finalist,
the 1999 Peoria Open finalist, the BPC Fall Trophy finalist, and the Chicago Bar Point Club Player of the Year for 1999. Bob was listed among the world's top 100 players in the Giants of Backgammon poll for 1999-2000. He is also an
occasional contributor to the Chicago Point. It is, however, as a boardmaker that Bob is best
known. Back in 1982 "When there were no really fine boards available" a friend of Bob's spent a lot of money having a professional leatherworker craft a custom board that was
"less than stunning." Bob tore apart his old Crisloid to see how boards were fashioned, then tried to build one "from the player's perspective." His efforts paid off, and in 1985 he sold
his first board, which is still in use. (Ask him for his 5-year, 50,000-roll warranty.) Since then he has sold hundreds of boards around the world, and continues his efforts to refine his product and produce "the perfect board." Bob has a series of mottos – For BG: "Winners never quit and quitters never win." For Life: "Winners never quit and quitters never win." (Sounds familiar!) For drinking: "Anybody want a shot?" (Sounds like a good idea!)
The questionnaire I designed for this series includes an entry for the "Secret you pray no one ever learns." Most of those returned so far have curiously shied away from entrusting
me with any real deep dark secrets to publish in an international forum like this. Bob, however, is an exception. "It's not a secret anymore, but I tried to hide the fact that I
was gay for most of my backgammon career. Within the past three years I have discarded any attempts at secrecy…and have met absolutely no prejudice." 
Bought a good backgammon board
lately? If you have, it might have been a Zavoral. Bob Zavoral (imtrex – 'I am T-Rex' online) has been making quality leather boards for 15 years. He has also been giving the boards, his and everyone else's, for longer than that.
e-mail Jake Jacobs: tobaksa@bg-info.com