Larry Kahn (tiddlywinks)

Lawrence Kahn (born 1953 or 1954^[1]) is an American tiddlywinks player. He has held numerous records in tiddlywinks over his playing career, and is the current player with the most championship wins.

Biography

Larry Kahn grew up in North Miami Beach, Florida. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in ocean engineering in 1975. He would later receive a master's degree in the same field in 1976.^[1]

In 1984, he was an ocean engineer with Washington Analytical Services in Rockville, Maryland.^[2] As of 2016, he worked with the National Institutes of Health, advising them on IT acquisitions.^[1]

Tiddlywinks

Kahn first heard about the game tiddlywinks in 1971 from an MIT handbook sent to incoming students.^[1] By 1989, he was the vice president of the North American Tiddlywinks Association and additionally operated a tiddlywinks parlor in Maryland.^[3] In the game, he has gone by the nickname "Horsemeat"^[1] and "King".^[4]

As of 2016, Kahn had won over 100 tiddlywinks championships^[1] and held the Guinness World Record for most victories at the English National Championships (eight).^[5] As of 2013, he also held the Guinness World Records for "Most Tiddlywinks World Championships" with 21, and "Most Tiddlywinks World Championships (pairs)" with 16.^[6] Since that date, he has won another three singles and another four pairs titles.^[7]^[8] Additionally, he was the only player to have held all six of the game's major titles simultaneously (in April 1995).^[1] He has won six international titles competing as a duo with Dave Lockwood,^[9] and eight with Matt Fayers.^[8]

Lockwood and Kahn frequently compete against each other, with Sports Illustrated once comparing their rivalry to that of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.^[1]^[10] Since the mid-1990s, Kahn has had a World Championship rivalry with English-player Patrick Barrie, with the pair contesting 16 matches up to the end of 2019.^[11]

Performance timelines

Key
W	2^nd	SF	3^rd-4^th	QF	5^th-8^th	2R	1R	TP	U	IN	A

(W) winner; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 2, 1; (TP) 'took part', i.e. non-placing in single stage tournament; (U) 'unknown', i.e. took part but ranking not recorded; (IN) took part but ineligible for ranking; (A) absent; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–D-L) win–draw-loss record

Major open tournaments

More information Tournament, SR ...

Tournament	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	SR	Win %
ETwA National Singles	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	W^[12]	W^[13]	2^nd^[14]	W^[15]	2^nd^[16]	—	—
ETwA National Pairs	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	—	—
NATwA Singles	A	A	IN	A	IN	1R	3^rd	4^th	2^nd	W	W	3^rd	2^nd	W	—	W	W	—	—
NATwA Pairs	IN	5^th	4^th	3^rd	W	W	W	3^rd	W	W	3^rd	W	W	W	—	W	2^nd	—	—
Tournament	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	SR	Win %
ETwA National Singles	W^[17]	2^nd^[18]	2^nd^[19]	2^nd	3^rd	W	2^nd	2R	4^th	W	W	3^rd	4^th	3^rd	2^nd	5^th	4^th	—	—
ETwA National Pairs	W^[20]	3^rd^[21]	A	A	A	W	W	2^nd	A	A	A	A	A	W	W	2^nd	W	—	—
NATwA Singles	W^[22]	2^nd	W^[23]	2^nd^[24]	4^th	W	2^nd	W	W	W	W	W	2^nd	W	W	W	W	—	—
NATwA Pairs	2^nd^[25]	W	2^nd^[26]	W^[27]	W	W	2^nd	W	—	2^nd	A	W	3^rd	2^nd	A	W	2^nd	—	—
Tournament	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	SR	Win %
ETwA National Singles	2^nd	2^nd	6^th	A	W	8^th	2^nd	2^nd	—	3^rd	W	2^nd	A	4^th	—	—	3^rd	9 / 34	80%
ETwA National Pairs	W	3^rd	A	A	A	2^nd	W	3^rd	A/A	2^nd	A	A	A	W	—	—	A	9 / 16	80%
NATwA Singles	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	—	—	—	31 / 44	79%
NATwA Pairs	W	A	W	W	3^rd	W	W	W	W	3^rd	2^nd	W	W	W	—	—	A	26 / 43	77%

World champion

Singles:

1983-1985 (5 challenges)
1985-1986 (1 challenge)
1988-1990 (4 challenges)
1990-1992 (2 challenges)
1995 (2 challenges)
1997-1998 (2 challenges)
1999-2001 (2 challenges)
2003-2004 (1 challenge)
2010-2013 (3 challenges)
2015-2017 (2 challenges)

Pairs:

1978-1983 (2 challenges)
1984-1985 (2 challenges)
1989 (1 challenge)
1995-1998 (5 challenges)
2007-2013 (8 challenges)
2019 (1 challenge)
2022 (1 challenge)

Note: Tiddlywinks world titles are played for on a challenge basis, with the title holder(s) being challenged by a qualifying player or pair of players. The number of challenges displayed is the number of successful matches in which the title was won or defended.

References

[1]
Apple, Sam (February 23, 2016). "Unsquoppable". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
[2]
Oricchio, Michael (July 2, 1984). "A Game Not to Be Winked At". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
[3]
Williams, Lena (November 29, 1989). "MINDLESS FUN". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
[4]
Teresi, Dick (December 1, 2007). "You Don't Know Tiddly". Forbes. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
[5]
"English National Championships (tiddlywinks)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
[6]
Glenday, Craig (2013). Guinness World Records 2013. Bantam Books. p. 193. ISBN 9780345547118.
[7]
https://etwa.org/results.html#WS
[8]
https://etwa.org/results.html#WP
[9]
Bowman, Emma; Simon, Scott (April 21, 2019). "Not Just Child's Play: World Tiddlywinks Champions Look To Reclaim Their Glory". NPR. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
[10]
"TO SQUOP, OR NOT TO SQUOP? WINKS WIZARDS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POND FACE SUCH AGONIZING DILEMMAS EVERY DAY". Sports Illustrated. November 27, 1995. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
[11]
"They are the Nadal and Djokovic of their game, but that game is tiddlywinks". Los Angeles Times. December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
[12]
Relle, Charles (May 1985). "The National Singles 1984" (PDF). Winking World. 45. English Tiddlywinks Association: 4–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
[13]
Inglis, Nick (February 1986). "The 1985 National Singles" (PDF). Winking World. 47. English Tiddlywinks Association: 17–23. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
[14]
Inglis, Nick (April 1987). "The 16th National Singles" (PDF). Winking World. 49. English Tiddlywinks Association: 27–34. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
[15]
Inglis, Nick; Moore, Richard; Myers, Geoff; Purvis, Andy (November 1988). "The 1987 National Singles". Winking World. 51. English Tiddlywinks Association: 6–10.
[16]
Inglis, Nick; Moore, Richard; Myers, Geoff; Purvis, Andy; Mapley, Jon (Spring 1989). "The National Singles 1988". Winking World. 52. English Tiddlywinks Association: 2–9.
[17]
Cartwright, Rob; Relle, Charles; Myers, Geoff; Purvis, Andy; Mapley, Jon (Autumn 1989). "The ETwA National Singles". Winking World. 54. English Tiddlywinks Association: 10–18.
[18]
Purvis, Andy; Inglis, Nick (April 1991). "The ETwA National Singles". Winking World. 56. English Tiddlywinks Association: 11–17.
[19]
Rose, Matthew; Myers, Geoff; Inglis, Nick; Moore, Richard; Barrie, Patrick (February 1992). "The 1991 National Singles". Winking World. 58. English Tiddlywinks Association: 11–18.
[20]
Brennan, Tony (Autumn 1989). "The National Pairs, 1989". Winking World. 53. English Tiddlywinks Association: 5–6.
[21]
Boyce, Alan (October 1990). "The ETwA National Pairs". Winking World. 55. English Tiddlywinks Association: 28–30.
[22]
Kahn, Larry (Autumn 1989). "NATwA Singles 1989". Winking World. 53. English Tiddlywinks Association: 8–9.
[23]
Kahn, Larry (October 1991). "The NATwA Singles". Winking World. 57. English Tiddlywinks Association: 9–11.
[24]
Barrie, Patrick (October 1992). "The 1992 NATwA Singles". Winking World. 59. English Tiddlywinks Association: 18–19.
[25]
Sage, Stew (Autumn 1989). "The North American Pairs". Winking World. 53. English Tiddlywinks Association: 12–13.
[26]
"NATwA Pairs 1991". Winking World. 58. English Tiddlywinks Association: 4. February 1992.
[27]
"NATwA Pairs 1992". Winking World. 59. English Tiddlywinks Association: 30. October 1992.

Performance timelines

Major open tournaments

World champion

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