Edi Ersalesi Birsan 

Personal Bio:

• Born in Brooklyn, NY 1949

• Living in SF Bay area since 1981 with wife of 36+ years (who played Diplomacy twice)

• Two children Yvonne and Edi Jr. (neither a Diplomacy player but there is hope).

• Two Grandchildren:  Cody (born 1993 played in first tournament in 2003) and Malik, born 2004, (chewed up his first board in 2005).
  

Diplomacy History:

    Edi...

• Has been in the hobby since Christmas 1965 (age 16)
• Was the first juvenile delinquent of the hobby
• Played poorly at first and then evolved into a top board player.
• Author of the Lepanto opening for Italy and other tactical and strategic articles.
• Attended his first DipCon at DipCon 2 and as of 2004 has been to more DipCons than anyone.
• Ran the postal zine: Arena 1970-73
• First postal player to win a postal game with each country.
• Considered the first World Champion for his win in 1971BC the first champions invitational game.
• Only person to win the Diplomacy World Cup for winning 2 Championship games in the period 1971-1976
• One of the organizers and first President of the International Diplomacy Association
• Inventor/Creator of the International Subscription Exchange (ISE) to help small-scale international postal subscriptions over come currency problems
• Founder of the Diplomatic Corps
• DipCon 22 (1989) Champion
• Top board player in numerous world-class conventions from Australia, New Zealand, to Finland and America
• First American to win the Canadian Championship
• Hosted/TD the Largest Dipcon in North America with 220+ players (Dipcon 9)
• Has donated numerous trophies and plaques to conventions to upgrade prizes around the world
• Worker on World DipCon charter and hobby projects
• First Non South African to win the South African National Championship (2003)
• Only person to be on the top board of National/International tournaments on 5 continents.
• First Non European to win the European Championship (2004) 
• First Player to win national or better tournaments on three continents.
• First non European to win the San Marino National tournament (2005)
• Italian National Champion 2006
• EDItor of the Diplomatic Pouch 2006
• First non Russian to win the Russian Championship (2009)

 anyone.

Edi's Diplomacy Nicknames: 

• BirSauron 

• Lord of Darkness 

• Wielder of the Browning Automatic Knife
  

EDI BIRSAN 

sketch by Buz Eddy

Edi Birsan IS North American Diplomacy. From the organizer of Origins I Diplomacy with over 200 players in 1975 to the yeoman effort in publicizing World DipCon X in 2000. this stalwart of North American Diplomacy exhibits seemingly boundless energy. Now living in California as a New Yawk expatriate, Edi has logged more miles in support of North American and International Diplomacy than anyone else.    

Edi is a superb player, promoter, theoretician and person. I think that although it was slow in coming I learned the most about Diplomacy from and article of his. On the surface it was a tirade against people playing for draws. ((So what? I mumbled, "Don't lose, is a corollary of winning)) Then Birsan suggested a splendid alternative to his readers, 'play for a strong second.!'  

I snorted and mumbled who is he trying kid? But as the years go by and my game slowly evolves toward mediocrity, I realize the lesson there is sound. You cannot play consistently well unless you can convince an occasional person that 'strong second' is a laudable objective."  

Edi Birsan, in my book, all-time, all American, All-Star.