86-year-old retiree gets back in the game with new backgammon league

Jack Schacht may be retired, but the 86-year-old Warrenville resident is far from retiring — the self-described “serial entrepreneur” is spreading his passion for backgammon through Chicago and the suburbs by founding the Chicago Backgammon league.

The circuit makes its debut from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Parched Pug Gastropub and Gamery, 1590 S. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.

Other events are slated for 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. March 2, at Georgio’s Chicago Pizzeria & Pub, 100 W Higgins Road, South Barrington; and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. March 25, at the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, 28256 Diehl Road, Warrenville.

The game involves two players uses rolls of dice to race 15 checkers around a board featuring 24 narrow triangles.

“It’s a very social game, because it’s easy to learn, but it takes a long time to master,” Schacht said.

Mark Carlson, who owns the Parched Pug with his wife Heather, said backgammon fits seamlessly with the business. Backgammon is among the more than 200 options in the business’ game library.

“Two areas we focus on are elevated bar food and having fun,” he said.

Schacht’s entrepreneurial saga began in college, when he started a car rental business serving freshmen who weren’t allowed to have vehicles on campus.

Later, after he served in the U.S. Army, he opened Career Counselors, a Chicago-based recruiting company that placed recent college graduates in jobs.

In 1973, inspired by a newspaper article focusing on the growth of interest in backgammon, he launched 20 backgammon clubs in Chicago and the suburbs.

“We had about 5,000 members,” he said. “We did a major tournament for the American Cancer Society. People get to know people. I can’t count the number of marriages that came out of my clubs in the ‘70s.”

When the backgammon craze was supplanted by other trends, including disco, Schacht retreated from the game, going into the barter business with the Illinois Trade Association.

He later founded My College Planning Team, a still-operating business that works with families to provide financial and academic strategies to find the right college fit.

Recently, the retiree was dining with a friend who asked if heard about the resurgence of backgammon.

“I said, ‘You’re kidding. That was my favorite gig back in the ‘70s,’” Schacht said.

He soon learned of burgeoning clubs in New York, Florida and California. All of a sudden, retirement took a back seat as he launched the Chicago Backgammon League.

The league, he said, is about serious backgammon. It is in compliance with U.S. Backgammon Federation guidelines. The openings are free the first night. After that, it costs a $10 guest fee, which for beginners includes lessons or matched social play, in which you are paired with a partner. If you get a founding membership for $95, you don’t pay the guest fee.

“What we’re seeing with the Chicago Backgammon League is part of a real resurgence of backgammon in the United States: Clubs forming, weekly meetups filling up and new players discovering the joy of live play,” said Ben Friesen, president of the U.S. Backgammon Federation.