Checker Champion
Alexander Baljakin

Checker Champion
Alex Baljakin

Checkers Tournaments

Dutch Open
Checkers Championship

Chekcers In
Den Haag~The Hague,

Russian Champion
Checker Players

Not Gold, but Silver
Checker Champions

Noteworthy International
Checkers Players

21st International Festival
des Jeux and
Checkers Championships

Nijmegen Open International
Damtoernooi
Checkers Tournament

Checkers Champions
Balt Cup 2007

Checkers Champion
Iser Koeperman

Cannes International
Checkers Festival

Women's Checkers

Checkers Champion
Amangul Durdyev

21st International Festival des Jeux and Checkers Championships

Alex Baljakin vs Thomy Lucien Mbongo
Jean-Marc Ndjofang vs Guntis Valneris beside Alex
A 2nd and 3rd place win so early in 2008 checkers competition has opened the door to other golden opportunities in the International checkers arena for the Grandmaster.
Aside from having played hundreds of games across the checkerboard and facing a variety of checker styles and skills, Alex Baljakin has also put serious effort into writing numerous articles on the mind sport as well as five books on the topic of checkers, where Alex was co-author with Harm Wiersma in three literary works in Dutch. He also co-authored a checkers source in English with Anatoli Gantwarg as well as wrote one on his own in Dutch.

• 1992 ~ De nationale toptraining 1992
  (The National Top Training) ~ Baljakin/Wiersma in Dutch
  
  
• 1993 ~ De nationale toptraining 1993
  (The National Top Training) ~ Baljakin/Wiersma in Dutch

• 1994 ~ De nationale toptraining 1994/95
  Baljakin/Wiersma in Dutch
  
  
• 1995 ~ Twelve Systems
  Alex Baljakin/Anatoli Gantwarg in English
  
  
• 1997 ~ Schwarzmanie
  A book about World Champion Alexander Schwarzman
  by Alexander Baljakin in Dutch

• Coach/secondant of Anatoli Gantwarg in the World Championship matches:
  
• 1985, vs Rob Clerc
  
• 1987, vs Alexander Dibman
  
• 1989, vs Ton Sijbrands as challenger to World checkers title.
  
• Assistant coach to Harm Wiersma with the national top training of 1992 & 1995.
  
• Training with Jeroen van den Akker, Sven Winkel, Marino Barkel, Alexander Mathijssen, J. Kloosterziel, J. Lemmen, J. Verplak, J. Groeneveld and many other checkerists.
  
• trainer/coach of DV Heijting Huissen, including youth within this checkers club association

Alex Baljakin has certainly established himself as one of Netherland’s strong Grandmasters in the field of checkers. Once asked which sport was harder to play ~ checkers or chess ~ Alex responded that neither mind sport was better or harder, but that they were simply different board games, each with its own inherent rules, tactics and strategies.
In checkers, Baljakin is clear on one premise ~ the checkers player must visualize the checkerboard and make sure to always look ahead at least ten to twenty moves. Of his own game, Alex states that as he gets older, he doesn’t think or analyze the checkers game as quickly, but his understanding of the mind sport and intricacies within the game at the checkerboard has definitely increased greatly, as has the depth of his own game play in checkers.
Alex has admitted that sometimes there are checker games he has played where his play across the checkerboard was not the best, yet he was still able to outplay his opponent by using the skills and techniques that he teaches the youth and novice club players. Like most Grandmasters of checkers, Baljakin has devised his own system of play across the checkerboard. This defensive style of play works better against some opponents than others, but now his knowledge of the different game personalities and also individual approaches to the checkers game has helped Baljakin tremendously over the years to gage his own level of play and board tactics.

What is the Essence of ‘Dams’ or Checkers?

• Combinations favoured by the checker player and expertly developed, “as I hammer into the youth that I train”.
  
  
• A drive, another drive and then the checkerist can attack with the capture of these set up checkers pieces.
  
  
• We set up positions on the checkerboard and then try to find the best continuation of the checker game play.

“No theoretical propositions, but working from practice, from knowledge of the board."

Do you have to be intellectually smart to play Checkers?

• Good or bad has nothing to do with intelligence, but memory is important and also one’s mentality towards the checkers game.
  
  
• Ton Sijbrands, in terms of memory and checker game construction, is probably the best in the world, but that does not mean that he wins any games because of these traits and precisely because he sees so many moves, he may not always settle for the advantage.
  
  
• Sometimes you have to dare to take risks and that is not how Sijbrands plays.
  
  
• At the club I have a boy whose checker game is strategic and analytical but he lacks the drive or desire to win, and he won’t continue to develop that way

What is your style of Checkers play?

• Routine is also an important part of my play. If you have already played for so long, there are often positions on the board that are comparable to those in previous games, then I frequently choose a standard move; that is, standard for my way of playing.
  
  
• Sometimes I also make an uncommon or innovative move to see how it impacts on the checker game, but frankly, I usually regret it.

Where will the Checkers road take the Dutch next?

Where will the Checkers road take the Belarussian next?

More From the Checkers Chest

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