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Not Gold, but Silver
Checker Champions
In 1998, Tsjizjov defended his World title
against compatriot, Alexander Schwarzman in
his home town of Izhevsk, but unfortunately
his fellow Russian was able to defeat Alexei
in the checkers match and the Grandmaster placed
2nd in the world. Tsjizjov won the checkers
game to become the silver checker champion.
Then in 2002, he defended his World checkers
championship title against challenger and compatriot,
Alexander Georgiev in a match where the venue
of the games were split between Izhevsk and
Ufa, Russia. The final outcome resulted in
the title changing hands once again and Georgiev
became the reigning World Champion in the checkers
arena.
The following year in March, these same
two Russian Grandmasters faced each other
across the checkerboard in yet another championship
competition of 5 sets, where two were again
played in Izhevsk, and the remaining three
sets in Basjneft, Ufa. The two compatriots
challenged each other in a total of 40 games,
which resulted in one win, four losses and
thirty-five draws for silver checker champion
Alexei Tsjizjov so that Georgiev retained
his championship title.
However, later that year, Zwartsluis,
Netherlands, then became the site for the
2003 World Championship tournament in checkers
with an open roster of master players.
Twenty checkerists met across the checkerboard
in a variety of match plays, strategies
and innovative endgames in the mind sport.
The players’ list included notable
personalities such as Getmanski, Boezjinski,
Heusdens, Samb, Clerc, Ndjofang, Valneris,
Thijssen, G. Jansen, Sijbrands, Bassirou
Ba, Gantwarg, and Adam Andall from Grenada.
The May checkers world competition ended
in a three way tie between Alexei Tsjizjov,
Guntis Valneris and Alexander Georgiev
with six wins and thirteen draws, where
they scored 25 out of a possible 38 points.
They agreed to share the title and first
place win amongst them for a few months.
In late September, the two Russian checkers
GMI and the Latvian GMI came together to decide
a winner for the World Champion title. During
this competition, five individual matches were
played alternately between two champion checkerists.
All games ended in draws in the first four
matches. Not until the fifth set did Georgiev
win over Valneris after two draws, placing
Alexei 2nd or silver checker champion and Guntis
3rd.
Schwarzman vs Tsjizjov 1998 |
Georgiev vs Tsjizjov Championship World Cup 2003 |
Alexei vs Alexander G. |
World WC Match Winners 2003 |
In 2004, Alexei Tsjizjov challenged Alex Georgiev
for the World Championship checkers title in
a 15 game world cup match, which was held in
Izhevsk and Ufa. Georgiev won the match with
three wins, one loss and eleven draws to retain
his World checkers title and Alexei thus finished
in 2nd place and became silver checker champion again.
Georgiev vs Tsjizjov
2004 |
Alexei
2006 |
As reigning World Champion in the
checkers arena in 2006, Alexei Tsjizjov
was scheduled to face Alex Georgiev
across the famous checkerboard for
another round in the mind sport to
determine the new World Champion, but
Alexei withdrew from the competition.
What happened to silver checker champion, Alexei?
In February 2007, the FMJD council declared Alexander
Georgiev World Champion in the field of International
checkers and he contested the world tournament in Hardenberg
as the reigning champion. Alexander Schwarzman tied
with Mark Podolsky from Germany with 25 points in 19
games, but was declared the winner and placed 1st.
Podolsky, silver checker champion finished 2nd, followed by Alexander Georgiev
with 24 points for 3rd place and Alexei Tsjizjov with
23 points in 4th rank.
Throughout his checkers career, Alexei Roedolfowitsj
Tsjizjov was deeply involved in the mind
sport in his native Russia, as well as in
numerous competitions across the checkered
game board in Europe and others in different
parts of the world where the great game of
checkers was rapidly spreading its fingers
and moving the light and dark checker pieces.
Over the years, Alexei has been a member
of both the Apeldoorn checker club in the
Netherlands and the Udmurtneft club in Russia
and contended for the Russian, European and
World checkers championships titles. Tsjizjov
has also been honored by the Russian sport
federation for his mind sport achievement
as a checkers Grandmaster, and has certainly
demonstrated his own personal style, game
ingenuity and inherent cross board skills
in the various tournaments and matches in
which he has competed.
Amongst the many competitions at the checkerboard
that Alexei Tsjizjov has contested throughout
his career so far, he has acquired a very successful
record with numerous first place finishes and
several second place standing and he has only
been facing opponents for about thirty-two
years. The following is a list of only some
of his checkers achievements in the International
Draughts circuit:
- 1995
Maars-toernooi, Gelderse Dambond
4th place tie with Vadim Virny.
Bijlmertoernooi
- Bijlmer Tournament, NL
Alexei placed 4th 2001 and won first place in this
checkers competition
in 2002 and 2003; placed 2nd (silver checkers champion) behind Alex Schwarzman
with 12 points in 2007.
2000
- Nijmegen Open
Alexei tied with Alex Schwarzman and Guntis
Valneris for
2nd to 4th place with a total of 15 points
at the checkerboard.
2001
- Nijmegen Open
Alexei tied for 2nd place with Ndiaga Samb
with 15 points,
just behind winner Auke Scholm.
- Delft Open 2001
Alexei Tsjizjov won the checkers match and
placed a strong 1st.
2001
- Vladimir Ptitsyn WI Open
In Yakutsk, Russia, winner of the checkers
competition & award.
2001
- Cannes Festival des Jeux
Alexei played a strong tournament of nine
rounds to win the competition and place 1st
with +5 end score, with Meier, Cordier, Samb
and Valneris finishing the checkers play
in the ranks following the Russian GMI.
- Salou 2001
Checkers tournament held in Spain, Tsjizjov
finished in 2nd place overall.
2002
- Cannes WK Qualifier
Tsjizjov placed first in the checkers tournament
to be eligible to contest for the World
Championship title.
2002
- Orap Open (Den Haag)
Alexei again won the game play and finished
1st with Hans Jansen placing 2nd
and Ndiaga Samb ranking 3rd.
- Delft Kennistad Duwo Open Damfestival
- 2002 1st
- 2003
Division A checker play, Tsjizjov finished
1st with 16 points, Anatoli G placed
2nd and Rob Clerc ranked 3rd at the match
checkerboard.
- 2003
Regular‘slow’ checkers – Anatoli
Gantwarg won first place, while Alexei
and Rob Clerc tied for 2nd and 3rd with
11 points.
- 2003
Final overall score: Alexei Tsjizjov,
Anatoli Gantwarg and Rob Clerc tied for
1st place with an end score in the checkers
match of 20 points.
- 2005
Division A regular checkers, the Russian GMI won
1st place with 42 points, while Alexander Schwarzman
finished 2nd, Ndiaga Samb 3rd and Alexander Getmanski
4th in the Delft tournament checkers arena.
- 2005
Division A Rapid draughts (checkers) concluded
with Alexei again winning the competition
in a tie with Alexander Georgiev with
a 35 point total and Ndiaga Samb followed
in their footsteps with 32 points overall.
- 2005
Sneldamtoernooi
Regular checkers at the checkered board where Alex
Schwarzman won the game play with 12 points/56 total
score in seven rounds, while Alexei T. and Alexander
Georgiev placed 2nd with 11 points/61 total score,
and 9 points/57 total score, respectively.
- 2006
Alternative WK Match
Between Alexei Tsjizjov and Guntis Valneris, which
ended with Guntis winning over the Russian GMI with
a score of 43-27.
- 2006
Sneldamtoernooi
Regular checkers match with the game results
at the checkerboard of Auke Scholma placing
1st with 12 points/52 WP in seven rounds,
Alexei T. placing 2nd with 12 points/46.5
WP and Rob Clerc finishing 3rd with 12
points/43.5 WP.
- 2006
Openlucht Toernooi
Open Air Checkers Tournament which resulted
in Alexei taking yet another first place
after seven rounds at the checkerboard
with a final score of 14 points/64 WP,
followed by Hans Jansen in second place
with 11 points/62.5 WP and Rob Clerc in
3rd with 10.5 points/61.5 WP.
- This checkers competition saw a change
in Tsjizjov’s playing strategies,
especially in a strong endgame, which
was not nearly as conservative as in
past years, but more innovative and forceful.
- 2007
Duwo Rabobank Mini WK
Where the checkers champions displayed a very high
caliber of game and a sharp duel in tactical checker
moves and plays; the same world competitors have fought
for the win with fire and
sword for close to 20 years and challenge each
other at every checker move because of the history
between them in knowledge and awareness of the mind
sport personality habitually facing them across the
checkered game board; Tsjizjov attacked his opponents
with a self-assurance resulting from past wins and
a joy at displaying his honed skills in the checkers
arena; the end result was that Alexei Tsjizjov won
the mini WK with 36 points, while Alexander Georgiev
and Alexander Schwarzman tied for silver checkers champion (2nd place) with a
score of 30 points and Guntis Valneris finishing 3rd
with 24 points overall.
- 2007
Sneldamtoernooi
Regular checkers match ended with a final score of
13 points/65 ½ WP and 1st place for Alex Georgiev,
11 ½ points/64 ½ WP and 2nd place for
Guntis Valneris and 11 ½ points/61 ½ WP
and 3rd place for Alexei T.
2006
- Bovec European Championship Checkers
Tournament
Bovec, Slovenia, hosted a roster of very talented checkers
masters and the games displayed quality playing techniques
and various strategies throughout the matches between
renowned mind sport specialists; the end result in
scores was merely a point separating the different
talents so that Alexander Georgiev, Alexander Schwarzman
and Guntis Valneris shared 1st through 3rd place with
equal checker totals of 14 points, followed by a tie
for 4th place between Mark Podolosky and Alex Baljakin
with 13 points from 3 wins and 7 draws each and then
this time Alexei didn't quite make the top of the ladder,
yet still finished with 13 points also but through
4 wins, one loss and 5 draws; the loss pre-empted his
run with Mark and Alex at 4th.
2007
- Cannes Festival des Jeux Cannes, France
Alexei Tsjizjov joined a roster of familiar checker
faces to participate in the Individual
European Championship Rapid Draughts Blitz;
after 11 rounds the contenders in the ¼ Final
were Baljakin vs Misans, Tsjijov vs Schwarzman,
Getmanski vs Georgiev and Valneris vs Clerc; the
same masters in opposition to each other’s
familiar game tactics and this session ended with
Valneris vs Baljakin and Tsjijov vs Georgiev in
the Semi-finals; Valneris and Baljakin played to
3 draws but Guntis won the match on WP, whereas
Alexei won both games over Alexander; the final
round consisted of a match between two champions
who had faced each other so many different times
and places throughout the years in the checkers
circuit, but out of the two games, Alexei and Guntis
tied one and then Alexei won the final checker
game to win 1st place in the Rapid Draughts Blitz.
Apart from participation in individual checkers
tournaments throughout Europe, the Russian GMI
was also involved in several team competitions
representing his native Russia. The following are
indicative of his major role in the team checkers
play in the Bijlmer tournament and also in the
Team World Championships in Varazze, Italy, Dakar,
Senegal and Cannes, France.
2002
- Bijlmer Groep Toernooi
The Russian Grandmaster successfully defeated
his checker opponents across the familiar
venue of the checkerboard with a final score
of 15 points, leaving silver checkers champion Guntis Valneris in
2nd place with 13 points and Ndiaga Samb
and Kees Thijssen tied for 3rd with 12 checker
points; participation within this competition
also involved team match displays with European
Youth checker players.
2005
- World Team Championship Match
at Riviera del Beigua in Varazze, Italy, the Russian checkers team consisting of GMI’s Alexei Tsjizjov, Alexander Georgiev, Alex Schwarzman and Alexander Getmanski won the Team World Championship title, while the African team from Senegal featuring Bassirou Ba, Abdoulaye Der, Ndiaga Samb, Amsata Fall and Modou Seck placed 2nd and Latvia led by Guntis Valneris and Raimonds Vipulis finished in 3rd place.
2006
- Dakar, Senegal
Teams from around the world traveled to
Africa to enjoy some hot weather and checkers
challenges seeking the World Championship
title yet again; a roster of teams representing
many countries faced opponents across the
checkerboard for several days striving
for the ultimate win, but luck held with
the Russian team of Alexei Tsjizjov, Alexander
Georgiev and Morodoulo Amrillaev as they
defeated the Latvia team of Guntis Valneris,
Robert Misans and Raimonds Vipulis in the
final round with a score of 4-2; Alexei
won his checker game but his compatriots’ matches
ended in draws; Belarus also beat the Netherlands
with a score of 4-2 to place 3rd with NL
finishing 4th.
- Cannes 2007 International Festival Team
Blitz
Russia came on strong once more in the European
Cup Blitz at the Cannes Draughts/Checkers Festival;
the team of Tsjijov, Georgiev and Schwarzman won
the Blitz by defeating it checkers opponents with
a score of 13 Match Points and 37 Board Points; the
Netherlands team of Rob Clerc, Harm Wiersma and
Ron Heusdens finished 2nd (Silver Checkers Game Champion) with 12 Match
Points and 34 Board Points, whereas the Latvian team of Guntis
Valneris, Robert Misans and Raimonds Vipulis placed
3rd in the checkers tournament with 11 Match Points
and 20 Board Points.
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